Premier League champions Arsenal have been handed a daunting Champions League league-phase draw, with the Gunners set to face Spanish giants Real Madrid and German champions Bayern Munich.
Arsenal will also take on Borussia Dortmund and Napoli as they seek to secure a place in the top eight and qualify automatically for the round of 16.
The London club topped the Champions League league phase last season after an impressive campaign.
Meanwhile, Manchester City and Aston Villa will both face defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Aston Villa’s home clash with PSG will be a repeat of the recent Super Cup encounter, which the French side won 2-1 in Salzburg.
Liverpool have been drawn against Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid, while Manchester United will also meet Atletico in the league phase.
Champions League fixtures involving Premier League clubs
Arsenal: Real Madrid (H), Bayern Munich (A), Borussia Dortmund (H), Real Betis (A), Lille (H), Napoli (A), Sabah (H), Slavia Prague (A).
Aston Villa: Barcelona (A), PSG (H), Borussia Dortmund (H), Club Brugge (A), Fenerbahce (H), Galatasaray (A), Viking (H), Slavia Prague (A).
Liverpool: Inter Milan (A), Atletico Madrid (H), FC Porto (H), Club Brugge (A), Villarreal (H), Fenerbahce (A), Lens (H), LASK (A).
Manchester City: PSG (H), Barcelona (A), Sporting CP (H), Porto (A), Napoli (H), RB Leipzig (A), AEK Athens (H), Lens (A).
Manchester United: Atletico Madrid (A), Bayern Munich (H), Roma (H), Sporting CP (A), RB Leipzig (H), Villarreal (A), Sabah (H), Como (A).
The first round of league-phase matches will be played from September 8 to 10, with the first six rounds scheduled to run until December.
The competition will resume in January, with the eighth and final league-phase round set for January 27.
The top eight teams in the final standings will advance directly to the round of 16 in March.
Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will enter the knockout play-offs in February, where they will compete for the remaining eight round-of-16 places.
Clubs finishing between 25th and 36th will be eliminated from the competition.
The exact dates, kick-off times and full match schedule are expected to be announced on Saturday.
Four clubs will make their Champions League debut in this edition: Italian side Como, coached by former Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas, Austrian club LASK, Norwegian side Viking and Azerbaijani champions Sabah, who were founded in 2017.
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