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Holders Real Madrid drawn to face Liverpool in new-look Champions League draw

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The Champions League trophy ahead of the draw
The Champions League trophy ahead of the drawVALERY HACHE / AFP
Real Madrid will travel to Liverpool for a blockbuster tie at Anfield while Paris Saint-Germain have been handed a nightmare draw in the Champions League’s inaugural 36-team league phase.

Catch up on how the draw unfolded right here.

The draw marked the start of a new era for European football’s elite club competition, as a fresh format pitted several of the world’s best sides against one another straight from the off.

Holders Real will take on Liverpool in a repeat of the 2022 final, as well as Borussia Dortmund, Milan, Atalanta, Salzburg, Lille, Stuttgart and Brest.

Paris Saint-Germain were handed the most difficult draw of all Pot One teams on paper, with games against Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, PSV, Girona, Salzburg and Stuttgart.

One of the favourites for the trophy, Manchester City, were first to find out their pathway, and Pep Guardiola's side will come up against Inter, Paris Saint-Germain, Club Brugge, Juventus, Feyenoord, Sporting CP, Sparta Prague and Slovan Bratislava.

Fellow Premier League club Liverpool have been drawn against Real Madrid, Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, Milan, Lille, PSV, Bologna and Girona.

Six-time winners Bayern Munich will fancy their chances of progression, with Vincent Kompany's men taking on Paris Saint-Germain, Barcelona, Benfica, Shakhtar Donetsk, Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord, Slovan Bratislava and Aston Villa.

The draw took place in Monaco, and it was the tournament's all-time top scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was tasked with pressing the all-important button to automatically generate the fixtures.

All 36 teams will compete in one big league table as a replacement for the group stage, with each side playing eight games rather than the original six.

More to follow...