Champions League draw set for: Liverpool staged reunion, Arsenal hosted Real Madrid

Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa are all eagerly awaiting the news of who they will face tonight (5pm) in the all-new Champions League group stage format. The group structure has been radically changed by UEFA for the 2024-25 campaign.

Until now, 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four. The top two teams in each group, after six matches, advanced to the round of 16. The third-placed teams qualified for the play-offs for the round of 16 of the Europa League.

The Champions League will now be played in a 36-team league format, with the top eight teams automatically qualifying for the round of 16. The remaining eight teams will be seeded between ninth and twenty-fourth place.

These 16 teams will face off in a two-legged play-off round, with the winners joining the first-placed teams in the round of 16, which will be followed by the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final as usual.

To determine the league standings, teams will play eight games against eight different opponents – four at home and four away – instead of playing the same three teams home and away.

With the help of some experts, Express Sport has put together a mock draw which sees all five British clubs – including Scottish champions Celtic – handed some thrilling clashes…

LIVERPOOL

Stuttgart (A)

Sparta of Prague (H)

Borussia Dortmund (A)

Feyenoord (H)

RB Salzburg (A)

Club Bruges (H)

Shakhtar Donetsk (A)

Barcelona (H)

Two of the most significant matches for Liverpool would be the reunions it would provide. One would see Arne Slot face his former club, Feyenoord, and the other would see the Reds take on Pep Lijnders, Jürgen Klopp's former number 2, now manager of Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg.

Arne Slot's first European night at Anfield would see him face a side the Reds crushed in the Europa League last season, 6-1 at home and 5-1 away, at Sparta Prague.

While none of their away games are easy, with another return to Klopp's old club Borussia Dortmund, where former Liverpool player Emre Can is now captain, the Reds would expect to take between nine and 12 points at home.

That would give them a good chance of reaching at least the play-offs. A knockout stage clash against Barcelona would be their first since that iconic 4-0 win at Anfield in May 2019.

ARSENAL

RB Salzburg (D)

Girona (A)

Lille (A)

Real Madrid (D)

Stuttgart (H)

Inter Milan (A)

Bayer Leverkusen (H)

Juventus (A)

Arsenal were knocked out in the quarter-finals last season by regular opponents Bayern Munich and have been handed blockbuster fixtures this time around in the draw predicted by Express Sport.

The most exciting game will see them take on reigning European champions and 15-time European Cup winners Real Madrid at the Emirates Stadium. Two trips to Italy to face Inter Milan and Juventus could also test the Gunners' strengths.

They would also face Lijnders' Salzburg. And the visit of unbeaten Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen is also a tantalising prospect and would see Mikel Arteta face his childhood friend Xabi Alonso on the bench.

The north Londoners will need to start strongly to finish in the top eight. Even with such tough fixtures, they would be overwhelming favourites to finish in the top 24 given their performances in the Premier League under Arteta over the last two years.

Manchester City

Graz Storm (H)

Bologna (A)

Barcelona (A)

Bayer Leverkusen (H)

Club Bruges (A)

Sportsman (M)

Lille (A)

Borussia Dortmund (D)

Manchester City will be betting on themselves, no matter who they face. And with this relatively favourable draw, they are expected to automatically qualify for the round of 16.

Pep Guardiola's men failed to retain their European crown last season but would be favourites in each of those eight games – including against Alonso's German champions Leverkusen and away to Guardiola's former club Barcelona, ​​now managed by Hansi Flick.

Top scorer Erling Haaland already has 41 career Champions League goals – including 18 in 20 games for City – and would be confident of extending that tally in some of those games against the likes of Sturm Graz, Bologna and Club Brugge.

VILLA ASTON

PSG (A)

Dinamo Zagreb (H)

Benfica (A)

Girona (H)

Inter Milan (D)

Young boys (A)

Atletico Madrid (D)

Brest (A)

Returning to Europe's premier competition for the first time in 41 years, 1982 European Cup winners Villa are bracing for some high-profile clashes on their return.

This draw would still give them winnable games and exciting glamour competitions that their fans will crave. Unai Emery is a four-time Europa League winning manager and will be keen to play in the big leagues with Villa in the Champions League, having already done an incredible job domestically.

Villa Park would be electric for the visits of Inter and Atletico in particular, and any result for the Villans in Emery's reunion with PSG would mark the perfect start to their group stage campaign.

Although they have not played in this tournament for a long time, they will be hoping to take part thanks to their lively family atmosphere – and also Emery's pedigree in cup competitions – by finishing between ninth and 24th to give themselves a chance of reaching the knockout stages.

CELTIC

Feyenoord (A)

Borussia Dortmund (D)

Atalanta (H)

Benfica (A)

Barcelona (A)

Lille (H)

Girona (H)

Slovakian Bratislava (A)

Celtic have not played a Champions League knockout game since 2013. Will the new format end that hopeless spell? Brendan Rodgers hopes so.

The draw would see the favourites to win the competition ruled out, although facing Barcelona away from home is never an easy task. A trip to Rotterdam first would give them the chance to exact revenge after last year's 2-0 group stage defeat at De Kuip.

The Hoops are said to be optimistic that they can pick up enough points to avoid the ignominy of finishing 25th or lower and being knocked out. But it will be a tough task to reach the knockout stages given the difference in financial circumstances between the Scottish league and other top divisions in Europe.