Champions League: Liverpool vs. Real Madrid in New Format

Champions League holders Real Madrid will face Liverpool in their first outing of the revamped competition format. The draw which took place in Monaco saw Manchester City and Arsenal both matched against last season’s semi-finalists, Paris St-Germain. Aston Villa will encounter Scottish champions Celtic. The new format replaces the traditional group stage with a ‘league phase,’ where each team plays eight fixtures.

This significant change increases the number of matches from 125 to 189 with teams facing two opponents from each of the four seeding pots. The top eight teams will advance directly to the knockout stage while those finishing ninth to 24th will enter a two-legged play-off for a spot in the last 16. Teams finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated with no Europa League consolation.

Key fixtures to watch include Real Madrid’s clash with Borussia Dortmund a repeat of last year’s final. Real also faces AC Milan and Atalanta. Paris St-Germain will play Bayern Munich in a rematch of the 2020 final and face Atletico Madrid. Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen will visit Liverpool’s Anfield. The league phase starts from 17-19 September and continues until 29 January.

BBC Sport will provide extensive coverage including match highlights on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website, with a highlights show on BBC One from 22:40 to 00:00 on Wednesdays. Live text commentary, clips and radio coverage will also be available.