Liverpool host Real Madrid and Arsenal face TWO trips to Italy in new Champions League format… while draw hands Aston Villa THREE home ties against former winners of the competition

Liverpool host Real Madrid, Manchester City head to Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa entertain Celtic in the first Champions League group of 36.

The British teams learned their fate at a glitzy, semi-automated ceremony in Monaco that passed by without any glitches.

For the first time, in what many view as an attempt to see off the threat of a breakaway European Super League, the old groups are gone, with one league taking over. Each side will play eight fixtures - a lucrative minimum of two more than the previous set-up.

Premier League champions City were the first team pulled out by legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, with Cristiano Ronaldo then pressing a button to trigger a computer generated schedule of opponents. 

Pep Guardiola’s side will also face the likes of Inter Milan, who they beat in the 2023 final, Juventus, Sporting Lisbon and Sparta Prague.

Aside from the Spanish defending champions, Arne Slot’s Liverpool will face clubs including former star Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen, along with Leipzig and AC Milan – in the 20th anniversary of their epic 2005 final. Alonso had been viewed as the frontrunner to replace Jurgen Klopp.

Like Liverpool, Arsenal will also play new boys Girona, along with PSG, Inter Milan and Monaco. Elsewhere, Unai Emery’s Villa, appearing in the tournament for the first time since 1982-3, were handed a stunning return. 

They will entertain Juventus, who knocked them out in that campaign, and German giants Bayern Munich. Celtic will head south to Villa Park for a battle of Britain while the Spaniard’s side will travel to Leipzig, Bruges, Young Boys and Monaco. 

While the draw provided each team with their opponents for the league stage, the order in which the teams were drawn will not necessarily correspond with the order the games will be played.

A full schedule including the dates of all fixtures is set to be announced on Saturday.

Unlike previous iterations of the competition, teams will no longer filter into the Europa League, with only the 16 highest-ranked teams progressing. Teams from the same nation also cannot to drawn against each other during the initial league phase.

City were the first team to be allocated their opponents, with Guardiola's side intent on avenging their defeat in last year's quarter-final.

The reigning Premier League champions will face Inter Milan (H), PSG (A). Club Brugge (H), Juventus (A), Feyenoord (H), Sporting Lisbon (A), Sparta Prague (H) and Slovan Bratislava (A).

In their first season since Jurgen Klopp's departure, Liverpool will be looking to continue the German's heroics on the continent under new boss Slot. 

The Reds twice suffered defeat against Real Madrid in the final of the competition under Klopp, and they will once again prepare for a showdown with Los Blancos after being drawn against Carlo Ancelotti's side at Anfield.

Liverpool will also play RB Leipzig (A), Bayer Leverkusen (H), AC Milan (A), Lille (H), PSV (A), Bologna (H), and Girona (A).

The only of the four English teams involved in this season's competition never to have won the Champions League, Arsenal will no doubt be desperate to get their hands on the famous trophy come the final at the Allianz Arena in May.

In their bid to reach the latter stages Mikel Arteta's Gunners will face the likes of PSG (H), Inter Milan (A), Shakhtar Donetsk (H), Atalanta (A), Dinamo Zagreb (H), Sporting Lisbon (A), Monaco (H) and Girona (A),

Meanwhile, Aston Villa will play host to three different former European champions as the two-time winners prepare to make their long-awaited return to the competition.

Familiar faces in the form of Harry Kane, Vincent Kompany, and Eric Dier will make their way to Villa Park as Emery's side play host to Bayern Munich. 

In addition to the Bavarian club, Villa fans can also look forward to clashes with RB Leipzig (A), Juventus (H), Club Brugge (A), Celtic (H), Young Boys (A), Bologna (H), and Monaco (A).