Paris Saint-Germain draw Barcelona in Champions League

Paris Saint-Germain’s defence of the Champions League title will include a meeting with Barcelona after the draw produced several high-profile fixtures. The holders, who have won the competition in each of the past two seasons, will play eight different opponents under the new league-stage format, with four matches at home and four away. Clubs cannot face teams from their own country.

PSG will host Barcelona, Manchester City, Roma, Galatasaray and Slovan Bratislava. Their away programme includes Aston Villa, Villarreal and Como. The French side defeated Arsenal on penalties in last season’s final, adding extra significance to a schedule that also brings them against several leading European clubs.

Real Madrid begin at home against Inter Milan and also face Arsenal away, PSV Eindhoven, Roma, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK and AEK Athens. Inter’s other opponents include Liverpool, Club Brugge, Borussia Dortmund, Shakhtar, Feyenoord, Stuttgart and Slovan Bratislava.

Barcelona will also meet Manchester City, Aston Villa, Sporting Lisbon, Feyenoord, Galatasaray, Como and Qarabag. Manchester City’s opponents include PSG, Barcelona, Porto, Napoli, Leipzig, AEK Athens and Lens. Other major pairings send Atletico Madrid against Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Manchester United, while Liverpool also face Atletico, Inter, Porto, Club Brugge, Villarreal, Fenerbahce, Lens and LASK.