Trent Alexander-Arnold will make a swift return to Anfield after his new club, Real Madrid, were drawn to face Liverpool again in this season’s Champions League.
The right-back will meet his former teammates months after his controversial move to the Bernabéu, which drew vocal disapproval from sections of the Liverpool support towards the end of last season. Alexander-Arnold, an academy product who spent two decades on the club’s books, was booed at the match against Arsenal in May after announcing that he would leave upon the expiry of his contract.
Reunions were a running theme in the now customary sprawling draw, which paired each of the 36 contenders with eight league phase opponents and included a record six Premier League clubs. Kevin De Bruyne should receive a warm welcome to the Etihad when he comes back with Napoli; the Serie A winners will also host Chelsea in a tie that pits Antonio Conte against one of his former clubs. Arsenal will prime themselves for the latest appearance of Harry Kane, a long-time nemesis while at Spurs, in Bayern Munich colours at the Emirates.
The Manchester City director of football, Hugo Viana, hailed De Bruyne’s imminent return. The Belgian departed during the summer after winning 16 major trophies in a glittering 10 years at City. “I think Pep [Guardiola] and all of his colleagues will be really happy to receive him and our fans will be also,” he said. “It will be very exciting and we will be very happy to see him again.”
Liverpool will bring up a Madrid double, with Real’s city rivals Atlético also travelling to Merseyside. Softer-looking tasks against PSV and Qarabag, the champions of Azerbaijan, complete their home schedule; they will travel to Inter, Eintracht Frankfurt, Marseille and Galatasaray. Arne Slot’s side beat Real 2-0 a the same stage last November and the manager called their imminent rematch “a fixture that the whole world will be looking at”.
City will renew acquaintances with Real, who they have faced 10 times in the past five and a half years. Real most recently defeated them 6-3 on aggregate in February’s knock out playoff round and will host this tie. City will also visit newcomers Bodø/Glimt, Villarreal and Monaco; Guardiola’s side will host Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Galarasaray along with Napoli.
Arsenal will look to banish the memory of a Kane penalty at the Emirates in April 2024 that contributed to Bayern’s victory in that season’s quarter-finals. Atlético, Olympiacos and the Kazakhstani debutants Kairat Almaty will also visit north London; Arsenal, semi-finalists in 2024-25, will visit Inter, Club Brugge, Slavia Prague and Athletic Bilbao. “For me, it’s a moment where Arsenal can be competitive again and just go that one step further,” said Theo Walcott, present at the ceremony in Monte Carlo in his capacity as a club ambassador.
Chelsea remain aglow from their Conference League and Club World Cup successes but face a relatively tough-looking path through the league phase. They will meet Barcelona, Benfica, Ajax and the Cypriot first-timers Pafos at Stamford Bridge, playing away ties with Bayern, Atalanta, Qarabag and Conte’s impressive Napoli.
The vogue for reigniting old relationships continues with Tottenham’s journey inside the arctic circle to meet Bodø/Glimt, with their victory over the Norwegian club in May’s Europa League semi-finals still a happy memory. Spurs also face the reigning champions, Paris Saint-Germain, who edged them out on penalties in the Super Cup a fortnight ago, at Parc des Princes. Their assignments on the road also include Eintracht, another opponent from 2024-25, and Monaco. Thomas Frank’s team host Borussia Dortmund, Villarreal, Slavia Prague and FC Copenhagen from his homeland.
There will be few easy assignments for Newcastle, particularly if they find themselves shorn of Alexander Isak. St James’ Park will play host to Barcelona, Benfica, PSV and Athletic; their fans will await trips to PSG, Bayer Leverkusen, Marseille and Union Saint-Gilloise. They defeated PSG 4-1 at home and drew 1-1 away in the 2023-24 group stage.
Other noteworthy clashes include a rerun of the 2021 final between PSG and Bayern, along with an epic trip to the Kazakh capital for Real when they face Kairat.
The first set of games will take place between 16 and 18 September; five subsequent rounds are scheduled before mid-December, with two more lined up for January. The order of the fixtures, along with dates and kick-off times, will be released on Saturday.
