Sport · India Bureau
PSG drawn with Barcelona, City in revamped Champions League format
Paris Saint-Germain will face Barcelona, Manchester City and Aston Villa in the league phase of this season's Champions League following the competition draw. The revamped format sees clubs compete in eight matches rather than the traditional group stage structure.
LSN India ·
The Champions League draw has produced a challenging fixture list for PSG, who will contend with meetings against Barcelona, Manchester City and Aston Villa as part of eight league-phase matches this season. The new format represents a significant departure from the traditional group stage system that has long defined European club football's premier competition.
Arsenal will take on Real Madrid and Bayern Munich among their opponents, according to the draw conducted recently. The league phase structure means clubs will play multiple fixtures against different opponents rather than being confined to groups, creating a more fluid and expanded competition schedule.
The revamped Champions League format was designed to increase the number of matches for participating clubs while maintaining competitive balance across Europe's elite teams. All qualified sides now compete in a single league phase before progression to knockout stages, fundamentally altering how the competition unfolds across the season.
The fixture list will see clubs face opponents across varying levels of continental competition, with traditional powerhouses alongside emerging challengers. Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona remain among the competition's traditional heavyweights and represent the calibre of opposition facing top-tier clubs in the new format.