Monaco: Holders Real Madrid will face Liverpool away and host Borussia Dortmund in a repeat of last season’s final in the league stage of the new-look Champions League, the draw for which took place on Thursday.

Every team will play eight games against eight different opponents in the new format of Europe’s elite club competition, with all 36 clubs now pooled together into one league rather than split into groups.

Madrid, who have signed France superstar Kylian Mbappe since winning a record-extending 15th European Cup, will also notably play AC Milan at home and will go to Atalanta.

Real beat last season’s Europa League winners Atalanta in the UEFA Super Cup in Warsaw earlier this month.

Liverpool, who are back in the Champions League after a one-season absence, will also notably meet Milan and take on tournament debutants Girona.

However, supporters of the Anfield club will perhaps be most excited about the prospect of hosting German champions Bayer Leverkusen, coached by former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, winners of the competition in 2023, will play at home to Italian champions Inter Milan and go to both Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

However, they were also handed more comfortable opponents including Club Brugge, Sparta Prague and Slovan Bratislava, who have never played in the modern Champions League proper.

Other standout head-to-heads will include Bayern Munich against both PSG and Barcelona, and Arsenal against Inter and Paris.

The number of clubs in the Champions League has increased from 32 in the past, with the 36 participants split into four seeded pots of nine for the draw.

Every team faces two teams from each of the four pots, one at home and one away. The first matches will be played on September 17, 18 and 19.

The two extra matchdays in the new league phase will take place in January, at the end of which the top eight clubs in the 36-team classification will advance directly to the last 16.

Those ranked between ninth and 24th place will go through to play a play-off round from which will emerge the remaining eight sides advancing to the last 16.

The bottom 12 in the league phase will be eliminated altogether, with no clubs parachuting down into the Europa League as in the past.

The Europa League and third-tier Conference League, the draws for which take place on Friday, will also now feature 36 clubs, although the latter competition will involve only six matchdays in the league phase.

The draw

Pot 1

Manchester City vs Inter, PSG, Club Brugge, Juventus, Feyenoord, Sporting, Sparta Prague, Slovan Bratislava

Inter vs Manchester City, RB Leipzig, Arsenal, Leverkusen, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys, Monaco, Sparta Prague

Bayern Munich vs PSG, Barcelona, Benfica, Shakhtar, Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord, Slovan Bratislava, Aston Villa

RB Leipzig vs Liverpool, Inter, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sporting, Celtic, Aston Villa, Sturm Graz

Borussia Dortmund vs Barcelona, Real Madrid, Shakhtar, Club Brugge, Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb, Sturm Graz, Bologna

Barcelona vs Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Benfica, Young Boys, Red Star Belgrade, Brest, Monaco

Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, AC Milan, Atalanta, Salzburg, Lille, Stuttgart, Brest

Liverpool vs Real Madrid, Leipzig, Leverkusen, AC Milan, Lille, PSV, Bologna, Girona

PSG vs Man City, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, PSV, Salzburg, Girona, Stuttgart

Pot 2

Atletico Madrid vs Leipzig, PSG, Leverkusen, Benfica, Lille, Salzburg, Slovan Bratislava, Sparta Prague

Atalanta vs Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Shakhtar, Celtic, Young Boys, Sturm Graz, Stuttgart

Club Brugge vs Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City, Juventus, AC Milan, Sporting, Celtic, Aston Villa, Sturm Graz

Bayer Leverkusen vs Inter, Liverpool, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Salzburg, Feyenoord, Sparta Prague, Brest

Arsenal vs PSG, Inter, Shakhtar, Atalanta, Dinamo Zagreb, Sporting, Monaco, Girona

Benfica vs Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Feyenoord, Red Star Belgrade, Bologna, Monaco

AC Milan vs Liverpool, Real Madrid, Club Brugge, Leverkusen, Red Star Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb, Girona, Slovan Bratislava

Juventus vs Manchester City, Leipzig, Benfica, Club Brugge, PSV, Lille, Stuttgart, Aston Villa

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta, Arsenal, Young Boys, PSV, Brest, Bologna

Pot 3

Young Boys vs Inter, Barcelona, Atalanta, Shakhtar, Red Star Belgrade, Celtic, Aston Villa, Stuttgart

Lille vs Real Madrid, Liverpool, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Feyenoord, Sporting, Sturm Graz, Bologna

PSV vs Liverpool, PSG, Shakhtar, Juventus, Sporting, Red Star Belgrade, Girona, Brest

Feyenoord vs Bayern Munich, Man City, Leverkusen, Benfica, Salzburg, Lille, Sparta Prague, Girona

Dinamo Zagreb vs Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Arsenal, Celtic, Salzburg, Monaco, Slovan Bratislava

Red Star Belgrade vs Barcelona, Inter, Benfica, AC Milan, PSV, Young Boys, Stuttgart, Monaco

Salzburg vs PSG, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Leverkusen, Dinamo Zagreb, Feyenoord, Brest, Sparta Prague

Celtic vs Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Atalanta, Young Boys, Dinamo Zagreb, Slovan Bratislava, Aston Villa

Sporting vs Manchester City, Leipzig, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Lille, PSV, Bologna, Sturm Graz

Pot 4

Stuttgart vs PSG, Real Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Young Boys, Red Star Belgrade, Sparta Prague, Slovan Bratislava

Girona vs Liverpool, PSG, Arsenal, AC Milan, Feyenoord, PSV, Slovan Bratislava, Sturm Graz

Bologna vs Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Shakhtar, Benfica, Lille, Sporting, Monaco, Aston Villa

Brest vs Real Madrid, Barcelona, Leverkusen, Shakhtar, PSV, Salzburg, Sturm Graz, Sparta Prague

Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich, Leipzig, Juventus, Club Brugge, Celtic, Young Boys, Bologna, Monaco

Sparta Prague vs Inter, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid, Leverkusen, Salzburg, Feyenoord, Brest, Stuttgart

Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Dinamo Zagreb, Celtic, Stuttgart, Girona

Monaco vs Barcelona, Inter, Benfica, Arsenal, Red Star Belgrade, Dinamo Zagreb, Aston Villa, Bologna

Sturm Graz vs Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Atalanta, Sporting, Lille, Girona, Brest