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 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).

For 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.

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).

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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.

The 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.

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