Manchester City and Aston Villa face the most difficult Champions League fixture lists among Premier League teams, according to Opta power rankings. City's opponents have an average rating of 91.7, with only five teams overall receiving a tougher draw. They will play European giants Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain from pot one, alongside Napoli from pot three.
Aston Villa also drew Barcelona and PSG from pot one, and were assigned Club Brugge and Borussia Dortmund from pot two. Manager Unai Emery will need to navigate a challenging schedule with a squad that has seen significant changes this summer.
In contrast, Liverpool received the easiest draw among Premier League clubs, with their eight opponents having an average rating of 90.0. They will face Atlético Madrid and Inter, two of the easier pot-one opponents available. Arsenal also secured a relatively favourable draw, despite challenging fixtures against Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. Their schedule is softened by drawing Sabah and Slovan Bratislava, the two lowest-ranked teams in the competition.
Manchester United, returning to the Champions League, face a draw described as being on the more difficult side. They will play Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid from pot one, and Como, the most difficult opponent from pot four.