Champions League: Ranking All 36 Teams by League Phase Fixture Difficulty

The 36 teams competing in the Champions League have been ranked according to how tough their first eight league phase matches will be. The tournament restarts on September 8, with defending champions Paris Saint-Germain aiming for a third consecutive title. They face strong rivals like last season's finalists and Premier League winners Arsenal, along with Manchester City, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Real Madrid.

This season marks the third year of the new league-phase format, offering an early glimpse of which clubs might contend for the trophy. Some teams drew easier opponents, while others face tougher schedules.

Teams with Easiest Fixtures (Rank 36-28)

• VfB Stuttgart: Opponents’ Average Elo Rating: -48
• Inter Milan: -36
• Real Madrid: -28
• Shakhtar Donetsk: -28
• LASK: -21
• Fenerbahce: -18
• Porto: -18
• Slovan Bratislava: -17
• Viking: -16

VfB Stuttgart hold the easiest path based on their opponents’ Elo score, 12 points ahead of Inter Milan. Still, no run is truly simple, with Stuttgart set to face tough teams like Italian champions Inter, Atletico Madrid, and Galatasaray. Real Madrid, under Jose Mourinho, look to bounce back after two seasons without major silverware, sharing a similar opponent strength rating to Shakhtar Donetsk, who must play all matches away due to a temporary relocation agreement.

Mid-Tier Difficulty Fixtures (Rank 27-19)

• Real Betis: -14
• AEK Athens: -10
• Liverpool: -9
• Barcelona: -9
• Roma: -8
• PSV: -6
• RB Leipzig: -2
• Borussia Dortmund: -1
• Sporting CP: 0

Real Betis and AEK Athens find themselves in the easier half of mid-table, with AEK dominating their playoff comfortably. Liverpool enjoy the easiest schedule among English clubs, easing new coach Andoni Iraola into the competition. Barcelona matches Liverpool’s rating. Roma and PSV face slightly tougher tests. Borussia Dortmund hope to advance smoothly with only two challenging opponents, Arsenal and Inter Milan. Sporting CP sits exactly in the middle, facing both Manchester teams and Barcelona, balanced by matches against less intimidating sides like RC Lens and LASK.

Moderate to Hard Fixtures (Rank 18-10)

• Lille: +3
• Napoli: +3
• Aston Villa: +5
• Galatasaray: +7
• Arsenal: +7
• Feyenoord: +11
• Villarreal: +11
• Bayern Munich: +11
• Paris Saint-Germain: +12

Lille and Napoli face average opponent ratings just above zero. Returning to the Champions League, Aston Villa have one of the more challenging draws, especially given their recent poor form and summer transfer struggles. Galatasaray and Arsenal share similar difficulty scores; many expect Arsenal to build on their progress and possibly secure their first major European trophy. Bayern Munich and holders Paris Saint-Germain have demanding schedules, facing champions from Spain, Turkey, and Slovakia, plus trips to tough venues like Manchester City and Aston Villa.

Hardest Fixtures (Rank 9-1)

• Slavia Prague: +12
• Atletico Madrid: +13
• Bodo/Glimt: +13
• Manchester United: +16
• Como: +25
• Club Brugge: +26
• RC Lens: +33
• Manchester City: +39
• Sabah: +42

Slavia Prague will rely on their home fans for support in what looks like one of the toughest group stages. Atletico Madrid remain confident under Diego Simeone, fresh from a semi-final appearance last season. Bodo/Glimt, after surprising runs last year, face a much harder route this time. Manchester United, Como, and Club Brugge may struggle due to limited recent experience at this level. RC Lens have the third hardest schedule, while Manchester City sit second toughest. The most daunting path belongs to debutants Sabah, a young club from Azerbaijan facing an almost impossible challenge.