{
  "id": 3864828,
  "title": "Cup Holders PSG to Take on Man City, Aston Villa, Barca in League Phase",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/cup-holders-psg-to-take-on-man-city-aston-villa-barca-in-league-phase",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-28T01:32:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/08/28/cup-holders-psg-to-take-on-man-city-aston-villa-barca-in-league-phase/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Paris St-Germain, the European champions, will face Premier League teams Manchester City, Aston Villa, and Barcelona in the league phase of this season's Champions League. The Paris-based club will host Barcelona at their Parc des Princes stadium, while they are also scheduled to play Aston Villa at Villa Park and Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.\n\nArsenal, the Premier League champions, will welcome Spanish giants Real Madrid to their Emirates Stadium, with a trip to Bayern Munich also on the cards. Mikel Arteta's team will also encounter Borussia Dortmund, Real Betis, Lille, Napoli, Azerbaijan champions Sabah, and Slavia Prague during the league phase.\n\nManchester City, playing under the leadership of Mikel Arteta, will host PSG at their Etihad Stadium and travel to Barcelona, where they will reunite with former City midfielder Rodri, who joined Barcelona in a £65m deal this summer. City will also face another of their former teammates, Kevin de Bruyne, when Napoli visit Manchester.\n\nAston Villa, the Europa League winners, will return to the competition after a season away. They will host PSG and Dortmund, with matches against Barcelona and Galatasaray also scheduled. Villa will also travel to face Club Brugge, Fenerbahce, Viking, and Slavia Prague.\n\nManchester United, returning after a two-year absence, will meet Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid, Roma, Sporting, Leipzig, Villarreal, Sabah, and Como. Liverpool, under Jürgen Klopp, will host Atlético Madrid, Porto, Villarreal, and Lens while visiting Inter Milan, Brugge, Fenerbahce, and LASK.\n\nThe first round of league-phase games will kick off on Tuesday, 8 September, with the final round taking place on 27 January 2027. The exact schedule will be released on Saturday. The season's final is set to be held in Madrid on 5 June.",
  "summary": "European champions Paris St-Germain will face Premier League duo Manchester City and Aston Villa as well as five-time winners Barcelona in the league phase of this season’s Champions League. The",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}