Manchester City and Manchester United have been handed nightmare scenarios in a simulation of the Champions League league phase draw, with Real Madrid and Bayern Munich among their potential opponents.
The Premier League clubs will discover their eight league phase opponents in Monaco on Thursday at 5pm. City are competing in Europe's premier competition for a 16th consecutive year, while United return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2023/24 campaign.
Simulation pairs City with Spanish giants
In the simulation, City were drawn against Atletico Madrid at home and Real Madrid away from Pot 1. The 15-time Champions League winners have faced City 13 times since 2020.
City's schedule also includes PSV Eindhoven at home and Porto away from Pot 2, followed by Feyenoord at home and Lille away from Pot 3. Pot 4 clubs Lens and Stuttgart complete the eight-fixture list, with both matches marking the first competitive meetings between the sides.
United face Bundesliga and Serie A champions
United's simulated return to the competition begins with Bayern Munich at home and Inter Milan away from Pot 1. The club last faced Bayern in 2023, losing 4-3 and 1-0 as they exited the group stage.
Pot 2 provides Borussia Dortmund at home and Sporting CP away, while Pot 3 offers Shakhtar Donetsk at home and Bodo/Glimt away. Como, managed by Cesc Fabregas, are scheduled to visit Old Trafford in their debut Champions League campaign, and United finish the league phase away at Lens.
The league phase features 36 teams split into four pots of nine. Each club is paired with two teams from each pot, playing one match at home and one away against each pair. The two Manchester clubs cannot face each other in the league phase because teams from the same country are kept apart.
