- Home >
- Football >
- UEFA Champions League >
- Champions League holders Real Madrid to face Liverpool and handed Dortmund reunion
Champions League holders Real Madrid to face Liverpool and handed Dortmund reunion
The draw for the new-look first round of the Champions League was made on Thursday.
Champions League holders Real Madrid will face Borussia Dortmund in a rematch of last season's final following Thursday's revamped draw.
The new league phase format sees each of the 36 teams play eight games, four at home and four away.
And Madrid, who beat Dortmund in the final at Wembley in June, will go up against BVB at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Carlo Ancelotti's team are also set to face Liverpool at Anfield in one of the headline clashes of the new-look draw, while they will play Milan and Europa League winners Atalanta.
Liverpool have failed to win each of their last eight meetings with Madrid (D1 L7), their longest winless run against an opponent in European competition.
Manchester City and Arsenal will both go up against Paris Saint-Germain, while Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen count Inter, Liverpool, Milan and Atletico Madrid among their eight opponents.
PSG will also take on Bayern Munich, who in turn have to face Barcelona away from home. The French club, meanwhile, have won just one of their six Champions League meetings with Man City.
As well as taking on PSG, Arsenal also have a clash with Inter to relish. The Gunners' only previous away game against Internazionale was a 5-1 win in November 2003, with that season being the last time the Gunners won the Premier League title.
Aston Villa fans have a pair of home matches against heavyweights Bayern and Juventus to look forward to.