**Man City**continue to chase the illusion of perfection achieved under **Pep Guardiola**in 2023.
The treble has been the height of their sporting project, and things have not quite felt the same since. Last season was a rocky bump back to earth as the Citizens collapsed in their fight for a fifth straight Premier League crown and went without winning a major honour for the first time since 2017.
Affairs in Europe mirrored those cracks. City were on the brink of an exit after a 4-2 loss to **Paris Saint-**Germain, salvaging a playoff a spot against Real Madrid. Los Blancos were not at their best, but put in one of their most convincing displays in the second leg to sweep past their opponents.
For the second year in a row, the Champions League will follow a new format. Each team will compete in a league with all 36 clubs and have been drawn to face four sides home and away apiece.
The top eight will then qualify automatically for a place in the Round of 16 of the knockout stages, while those from 9th until 24th will have to reach this stage through a playoff in the new year.
Borussia Dortmund(Home)
Real Madrid(Away)
Bayer Leverkusen(Home)
Villarreal(Away)
Napoli(Home)
Bodø/Glimt (Away)
Galatasaray (Home)
Monaco(Away)
UEFA will confirm the kickoff times and the dates for all of the league phase fixtures on Saturday.
The headline fixtures
Pot 1 has provided the latest chapter in the battles between **Real Madrid**and City. Los Blancos were blown away in the semi-final in 2023 on the way to the treble, losing 4-0 in the second leg. But they eliminated the Citizens in 2022 and 2024, proving to be the kryptonite of Pep under Carlo Ancelotti.
The other opponent will be Borussia Dortmund. City have won three of the last four meetings with the Schwarzgelben, including both legs of a quarter-final tie in 2021. Yet, all three victories were by a scoreline of 2-1, and under Niko Kovac, the German outfit are still set to be a problematic opponent.
**Napoli**might be in Pot 3, but the **Serie A**champions rightly take their spot in the selection. Antonio Conte has masterminded another title charge at a club that fell far below their standards the year before he walked into the dugout. But the main talking point is a reunion with a legendary figure.
**Kevin de Bruyne**spent a decade with the Citizens, playing 422 times. His final blow in sky blue at the Etihad Stadium was a 3-0 win over **Bournemouth,**but he returns to his old stomping ground.
There will also be a return to the city for Scott McTominay, nominee for the Ballon d'Or and Serie A Most Valuable Player, who had come through the ranks as a box-to-box midfielder for Man United.
The rest of the schedule
**Bayer Leverkusen**are one of the two opponents from Pot 2. They broke their **Bundesliga**hoodoo with an unbeaten domestic double in 2024 under Xabi Alonso. But the Spaniard has returned to Real Madrid, while Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka, Jonathan Tah, and Jeremie Frimpong have all left.
**Erik ten Hag**has little of the spine that made history, and he now looks to be in charge of a rebuild.
**Villarreal**have been an archetypal Europa League outfit over the years, but secured a spot in the Champions League through a fifth place finish. They have added **Tajon Buchanan**and Thomas Partey to a solid setup and have shown their strength in LaLiga, sitting at the top of the table.
Bodø/Glimt are debutants in this competition, blowing past Sturm Graz 6-2 in the playoffs. But the Norwegian outfit have European pedigree, reaching the final four of the **Europa League**last year.
Galatasaray gave **Man United**nightmares in their last **Champions League**campaign, taking four points from the Red Devils. But that was their only qualification in the last five attempts, and they will look to make this moment count with the signings of Leroy Sane and Victor Osimhen this summer.
**Monaco**exited in the playoff phase with the Citizens last year. Always a hub for burgeoning French talent, they hope to prove that they are a stronger side than their seeding in Pot 4 would first suggest.