Liverpool to host Real Madrid and Xabi Alonso reunion, Aston Villa and Celtic face off, and Arsenal breathe sigh of relief in Champions League draw

Liverpool will host a blockbuster clash with Jude Bellingham and Real Madrid as one of their eight Champions League League Phase fixtures.

They’ll also face a home clash with Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen side in an emotional reunion with their former midfielder.

The Champions League League Phase draw has taken place in MonacoCredit: GettyThe other six fixtures facing Arne Slot’s side are RB Leipzig (A), Milan (A) Lille (H) PSV (A) Bologna (H) and Girona (A).

Premier League champions Man City will face a trip to Paris Saint-Germain as one of their eight fixtures.

They’ll also take on Inter (H), Club Brugge (H), Juventus (A), Feyenoord (H), Sporting Lisbon (A), Slovan Bratislava (A) and Sparta Prague (H).

READ MORE ON FOOTBALLFor Arsenal, they have a trip the San Siro to look forward to as they prepare to face Inter Milan away in the League Phase.

Mikel Arteta’s side will also take on Paris Saint-Germain (H), Atalanta (A), Shaktar (H), Sporting (A), Dinamo (H), Girona (A), Monaco (H)

Aston Villa’s return to the Champions League has brought a particularly tough run of fixtures, including welcoming Harry Kane and Bayern Munich to Villa Park.

They’ll also welcome Scottish giants Celtic as one of their more eye-catching fixtures.

Most read in Champions League

Unai Emery’s side will also take on RB Leipzig (A), Club Brugge (A), Juventus (H), Young Boys (A), Celtic (H), Bologna (H), Monaco (A).

As for Celtic, they face a trip to the iconic Yellow Wall as they take on Borussia Dortmund.

The Bhoys will also face Aston Villa (A), RB Leipzig (H), Atalanta (A), Club Brugge (H), Young Boys (H), Dinamo (A), Slovan Bratislava (H).

Man City will take on Paris Saint-Germain as one of their blockbuster fixturesCredit: Getty

Aston Villa have been handed a tough set of fixtures upon their return to the competitionCredit: GettySelected Champions League League Phase fixtures

Selected Champions League League Phase fixtures

Arsenal: Inter (A), Paris Saint-Germain (H), Atalanta (A), Shaktar (H), Sporting (A), Dinamo (H), Girona (A), Monaco (H)

Aston Villa: Bayern Munich (H), Celtic (H), RB Leipzig (A), Club Brugge (A), Juventus (H), Young Boys (A), Celtic (H), Bologna (H), Monaco (A).

Celtic: Aston Villa (A), RB Leipzig (H), Atalanta (A), Club Brugge (H), Young Boys (H), Dinamo (A), Slovan Bratislava (H).

Liverpool: Real Madrid (H), Bayer Leverkusen (H), RB Leipzig (A), Milan (A) Lille (H) PSV (A) Bologna (H) and Girona (A).

Man City: Paris Saint-Germain (A), Inter (H), Club Brugge (H), Juventus (A), Feyenoord (H), Sporting Lisbon (A), Slovan Bratislava (A) and Sparta Prague (H).

Elsewhere in the draw, Bellingham will face his former club Borussia Dortmund, while Kane and Bayern will take on Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

The toughest run of fixture arguably belongs to Girona, who face Liverpool, PSG, Arsenal, AC Milan, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven, Benfica and Sturm Graz.

The order of the fixtures will be confirmed over the weekend when the full fixture schedule is announced.

Listen to the brand new UEFA Champions League anthem for the 2024/25 season as Real Madrid look to retain their trophy

The fixtures come as part of a brand new shake-up for the competition in which the traditional group stage has been scrapped.

Instead, all 36 teams will compete in a single League Phase with eight fixtures each – four at home and four away.

At the end of the League Phase, the top eight teams will advance to the last-16 of the competition, while those ranked between nine and 24 in the table will compete in a play-off round to reach the last-16.

Read More on talkSPORTThe first set of League Stage fixtures are set to take place Tuesday, September 17.

Meanwhile, the dates and times of this season’s fixtures will be announced on Saturday.

JOIN THE DUGOUT

Have your say on all things talkSPORT by joining ‘The DUGOUT’ – our new listener panel.

We’re all about diving deep into your perspectives, and making sure talkSPORT is the absolute best it can be. Your voice matters, and we want to hear it!

Pitch your game-changing ideas, and join in with fun surveys, polls, and locker-room discussions.

Just by joining, you’ll enter a prize draw to win one of four £50 Amazon vouchers, with another prize draw entry for every survey you complete after that

To join the ‘The DUGOUT’ panel, please click here.