Liverpool host Real Madrid - who plays who in new-look Champions League?

Eyes on the prize: The Champions League trophy. UEFA via Getty Images

London, August 30 — Liverpool will face Champions League holders Real Madrid on their return to the competition following the draw for the new-look format.

Manchester City and Arsenal both play last season's semi-finalists Paris St-Germain in their fixtures, while Aston Villa take on Scottish champions Celtic.

Each team plays eight fixtures in the 'league phase', with this year's men's tournament seeing a radical change, including the end of a group stage.

The high-tech draw took place in Monaco on Thursday, with Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo pressing the all-important button to make a computer algorithm determine the fixtures.

A Uefa video shown before the draw used stars from across the game showing their confusion at the new format, before former Swedish star Zlatan Ibrahimovic praised it for "more football" in a comical interaction with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin.

Who will British teams play?

The order of matches will be confirmed on Saturday, after the Europa League and Conference League draws have been made.

Aston Villa

• Bayern Munich (H)
• Leipzig (A)
• Juventus (H)
• Club Bruges (A)
• Celtic (H)
• Young Boys (A)
• Bologna (H)
• Monaco (A)

Arsenal

• Paris St-Germain (H)
• Inter Milan (A)
• Shakhtar Donetsk (H)
• Atalanta (A)
• Dinamo Zagreb (H)
• Sporting Lisbon (A)
• Monaco (H)
• Girona (A)

Celtic

• Aston Villa (A)
• Leipzig (H)
• Borussia Dortmund (A)
• Club Bruges (H)
• Atalanta (A)
• Young Boys (H)
• Dinamo Zagreb (A)
• Slovan Bratislava (H)

Liverpool

• Real Madrid (H)
• Leipzig (A)
• Leverkusen (H)
• AC Milan (A)
• Lille (H)
• PSV Eindhoven (A)
• Bologna (H)
• Girona (A)

Manchester City

• Inter Milan (H)
• Paris St-Germain (A)
• Club Brugge (H)
• Juventus (A)
• Feyenoord (H)
• Sporting Lisbon (A)
• Sparta Prague (H)
• Slovan Bratislava (A)

Real face Dortmund in repeat of last year's final - games to look out for

Teams cannot play another from the same country in the league phase so there is no potential for derbies - but the new system does ensure a number of exciting matches between top sides.

Aside from the British teams, champions Real Madrid play Borussia Dortmund in a repeat of last year's final.

Real – who beat Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley to lift the 2023-24 trophy - also play Italian sides AC Milan and Atalanta.

Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso will return to Anfield with his Bayer Leverkusen side for one of their league phase games.

French champions Paris St-Germain face Bayern Munich in a repeat of the 2020 final they lost, and also take on Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona, meanwhile, have drawn both Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund from pot one.

How does the new format work?

The expanded 36-team tournament sees each team play eight games – four at home and four away – in the league system, against two opponents from each of the four seeding pots.

Teams who finish in the top eight will qualify automatically for the last 16, while those who place ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off for the chance to join them.

Whoever finishes 25th or lower will be eliminated and will not be entered into the Europa League.

The number of matches in the new format will increase from 125 to 189.

Each team will play a minimum of eight games - instead of six - and a maximum of 17.

Champions League action begins on 17-19 September, and with the increased number of fixtures, the league phase runs until 29 January rather than finishing before Christmas.