MONACO.- He Paris Saint-Germaincurrent champion, and the FC Barcelona They will have complicated paths in the league phase of the Champions, according to the draw held this Thursday in Monacowhere the Real Madrid, leader of the record with 15 titles, was luckier.
For the third year in a row, an automated computer system revealed the roadmaps of each team present in the unique group of 36 clubs, with former footballers David Villa and Thierry Henry on stage as collaborators in the process.
From mid-September to the end of January, for eight days, a joint classification will be determined in which the first eight will directly access the round of 16 and the teams between ninth and twenty-fourth place will have to face each other in a play-off to achieve that same goal.
All this with the final on June 5, 2027 at the stadium Metropolitan of Madrid as the ultimate goal.
Demand for the champion
As in last season, PSG will not have much room for relaxation and will have to make an effort from the beginning if they want to move towards a third Orejona in a row.
England It will be his most delicate destiny and doubly so, since he will have to visit the new Manchester City of Enzo Maresca and to Aston Villacurrent champion of the Europa League. Villarreal and As They will be his other two trips in this league phase.
For him Princes Park will pass over all Barcelona and the Romein addition to two initially more comfortable adversaries, the Galatasaray and the Slovan Bratislavawhich on Wednesday was the last of the 36 teams to validate its ticket.
After being runner-up in the tournament last season, the Arsenal He pursues his long-awaited first coronation in the European tournament and, from the outset, chance presented him with an equally delicate path, with two Spaniards (real Madrid and Betis), two Germans (Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund) and a visit to Naples of Massimiliano Allegri.
Chance also brought about that the two “Cinderellas” of the draw, the viking Norwegian and Sabah Azerbaijani, face each other in one of the matches.
Heads and tails for the great Spaniards
Among the Spanish, the eternal rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona had unequal luck, with more harshness for the latter.
The Barcelona team will have the European champion PSG from its former coach Luis Enrique as the main obstacle and in the Camp Nou will have two reunions: that of Rodri with his former team Manchester City and the visit of As of Cesc Fabregas, trained by the former Barça player and trained in The Masía.
The rest of the champion’s rivals LaLiga are completed with Aston Villa, Sporting Lisbon, Feyenoord, Galatasaray and the one that seems most affordable, the debutante Sabah of Azerbaijan.
In the case of Real Madrid, visits to the runner-up Arsenal already Romeand the reception at the Santiago Bernabéu of the Inter Milan They are the three most serious parties on an otherwise clear horizon (PSV, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar, Linz, AEK Athens).
The result of the draw for the Athletic of Diego Simeonewith Bayern Munich, Liverpool and Manchester United on the way.
Betis had a draw of medium difficulty, with Arsenal (home) and Bayern (away) as the most difficult tests, while Villarreal had especially bad luck, with a path full of traps (PSG, Liverpool, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund or Naples).
Marquinhos, UEFA Respect award
At the beginning of the drawing ceremony, the UEFA gave his first prize “UEFA Respect: Beyond the Game Award“, which went to Marquinhos in recognition of his work in favor of sportsmanship.
“Fair play is something very important in football and in everyday life. I will continue to show respect this year. This award is an honor for me,” said the Brazilian defender in a video, just after the trophy was collected on his behalf by Nasser Al Khelaifithe president of PSG.
UEFA especially highlighted how Marquinhos gave up PSG’s first celebrations after winning the May final in Budapestto go and console his compatriot Gabriel Magalhãesfrom Arsenal, who had just missed a penalty in the decisive shoot-out.
