Champions League fixtures: Arsenal get tough schedule, Liverpool get off lightly… | OneFootball

The fixtures have officially been released for the 2026-27 Champions League league phase, but how kindly have they fallen for the five Premier League entrants?

Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool have learned their fate for the league phase, with eight games before the knockout stages that run up until late January.

Navigating European commitments with the week-to-week league action is demanding, particularly on thinner squads.

It’s something that teams have previously struggled with, with Manchester United playing in the Champions League for the first time since the format change in 2024.

Aston Villa reached the quarter-finals two years ago and won the Europa League in May, making them experienced European competitors. But will the churn at Villa Park this summer change that?

Arsenal came within a penalty shoot-out of lifting the Champions League last year and will be fancied by many to go one step further this year.

But their league phase fixtures are tricky, starting with a trip to Naples and taking in matches against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid before Christmas.

Two matches will also precede crunch Premier League matches against Manchester City, making this a balancing act for Mikel Arteta.

City’s new manager, Enzo Maresca, has won European silverware before. The 2025 Conference League winner faces PSG and Barcelona in his new role, but City will have five days between their first match at Porto and the Manchester derby.

But it’s perhaps Liverpool who can feel the most satisfied with the hand dealt to them by the UEFA supercomputer.

Andoni Iraola’s side have a kind-looking run of matches, including short trips to Milan and Brugge before league matches with Everton and United.

We’ve broken down how the Champions League fixtures fall alongside their league commitments for the six Premier League clubs in the competition:

Arsenal

9 September: Napoli (A) 12 September: Sunderland (A)

13 October: Lille (H) 18 October: Nottingham Forest (A)

21 October: Bayern Munich (A) 24 October: Everton (H)

4 November: Slavia Prague (A) 7 November: Hull (H)

24 November: Borussia Dortmund (H) 28 November: Man City (H)

9 December: Real Madrid (H) 12 December: Bournemouth (H)

20 January: Real Betis (A) 23 January: Newcastle (H)

27 January: Sabah (H) 30 January: Man City (A)

Manchester City

8 September: Porto (A) 13 September: Man Utd (A)

14 October: PSG (H) 17 October: Ipswich (H)

20 October: AEK Athens (H) 24 October: Aston Villa (A)

4 November: RB Leipzig (A) 7 November: Nottingham Forest (A)

24 November: Napoli (H) 28 November: Arsenal (A)

8 December: Barcelona (A) 12 December: Chelsea (H)

20 January: Lens (A) 23 January: Brighton (A)

27 January: Sporting Lisbon (H) 30 January: Arsenal (H)

Manchester United

10 September: Sabah (H) 13 September: Man City (H)

13 October: Atletico Madrid (A) 18 October: Leeds (A)

21 October: Como (A) 25 October: Bournemouth (H)

3 November: Roma (H) 7 November: Aston Villa (H)

25 November: Sporting Lisbon (A) 28 November: Brentford (H)

8 December: RB Leipzig (H) 12 December: Crystal Palace (A)

20 January: Bayern Munich (H) 23 January: Liverpool (H)

27 January: Villarreal (A) 30 January: Brentford (A)

Aston Villa

8 September: Club Brugge (A) 12 September: Nottingham Forest (H)

14 October: Fenerbahce (H) 17 October: Newcastle (A)

21 October: Viking (H) 24 October: Man City (H)

3 November: Barcelona (A) 7 November: Man Utd (A)

24 November: Galatasaray (A) 28 November: Ipswich (A)

8 December: PSG (H) 12 December: Coventry (A)

19 January: Borussia Dortmund (H) 23 January: Fulham (A)

27 January: Slavia Prague (A) 30 January: Ipswich (H)

Liverpool

9 September: Atletico Madrid (H) 12 September: Fulham (H)

14 October: LASK (A) 17 October: Brentford (A)

20 October: Villarreal (H) 24 October: Brighton (H)

4 November: Fenerbahce (A) 7 November: Crystal Palace (A)

25 November: Club Brugge (A) 28 November: Everton (A)