Track Tickets
Manchester City now know the eight sides standing between them and a place in the knockout rounds of the Champions League. It is a demanding set of opponents, headlined by a visit from back-to-back European champions Paris Saint-Germain and a trip to the Camp Nou.
City's four home fixtures at the Etihad Stadium are as tough as anything in the draw. Their away schedule is kinder on paper, with the obvious exception of Barcelona, but it takes them to three of the loudest grounds in Europe.
Manchester City's league phase opponents
| Fixture | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Home | Paris Saint-Germain | Etihad Stadium, Manchester |
| Home | Napoli | Etihad Stadium, Manchester |
| Home | Sporting Lisbon | Etihad Stadium, Manchester |
| Home | AEK Athens | Etihad Stadium, Manchester |
| Away | FC Barcelona | Camp Nou, Barcelona |
| Away | Porto | Estádio do Dragão, Porto |
| Away | RB Leipzig | Red Bull Arena, Leipzig |
| Away | RC Lens | Stade Bollaert-Delelis, Lens |
The home draw: as hard as it gets
Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad is the standout night of City's entire league phase. Luis Enrique's side have won the competition in each of the last two seasons and no club in the draw arrives with more authority. Getting them at home rather than at the Parc des Princes is the one piece of good fortune here.
Napoli bring a very different problem. Serie A sides travel well in this competition and rarely give anything away, and City can expect a compact, patient opponent that punishes loose passing in transition. Sporting Lisbon complete a heavyweight home set: the Portuguese side reached the last eight of the competition last season and have built a reputation for taking scalps under the lights.
AEK Athens are the outlier, and on paper the most straightforward of the eight. That does not make them a free pass, but it is the fixture City will look at as three points to bank early.
The away draw: Barcelona, then three hostile nights
Barcelona away is the tie neutrals will circle. The reigning Spanish champions are five-time winners of this competition, back at the Camp Nou, and this fixture has produced some of the most memorable meetings of the modern Champions League era. Whatever City's form, it is the hardest single away assignment in their draw.
Porto at the Estádio do Dragão is a classic European away day. The two-time winners have made their ground one of the most uncomfortable places to visit on the continent, and their record against English opposition at home is far better than their current coefficient standing suggests.
RB Leipzig offer the most familiar test of the away four: a high-pressing, high-tempo German side that plays the kind of open football City can exploit, but that will also carry a genuine threat at the Red Bull Arena. RC Lens are the wildcard, and a far better side than their profile abroad suggests, having finished second in Ligue 1 and won the Coupe de France last season. Bollaert-Delelis is one of the great atmospheres in French football, a compact ground in a small city where the crowd sits right on top of the pitch.
The verdict on City's draw
This is a heavy draw. Four of the eight opponents are genuine contenders for a top-eight finish, and City have been handed the European champions, one of the biggest clubs in the world, a Serie A side and a Portuguese quarter-finalist in the same set. The saving grace is the split: the two hardest opponents come one at home and one away, and the three away trips outside Barcelona are all winnable.
Only the top eight in the single league table go straight through to the round of 16, with ninth to 24th dropping into a two-legged play-off. On this schedule City will need a strong return from the Etihad fixtures, which is precisely where the toughest games sit. For supporters, that is the trade-off worth having: four of the biggest names in Europe coming to Manchester in a single campaign.
Manchester City Champions League tickets
Demand for Manchester City tickets is always high, and a home draw of this quality will only push it further. Browse the available fixtures, choose your section of the ground and book your seat for the European nights at the Etihad. The road ends with the Champions League final at the Estadio Metropolitano in Madrid.
Frequently asked questions
Who do Manchester City play in the Champions League league phase?
City face Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli, Sporting Lisbon and AEK Athens at the Etihad Stadium, and travel to Barcelona, Porto, RB Leipzig and RC Lens.
How many Champions League matches do Manchester City play?
Eight in the league phase, four at home and four away, against eight different opponents. Finishing in the top eight of the single league table means direct qualification for the round of 16.
Which is Manchester City's biggest home fixture?
Paris Saint-Germain at the Etihad. The French side have won the competition in each of the last two seasons and are the strongest team City could have drawn.
