The Champions League draw is complete, but which clubs were handed the kindest route to the knockout stages? Opta's Power Rankings reveal some surprising results.
The Champions League draw may have only just taken place, but Opta's numbers already offer another way to assess the road to Madrid.
With all 36 clubs now knowing their eight league-phase opponents, Opta Analyst has used its Power Rankings to assess the difficulty of every team's fixture list.
The system ranks thousands of clubs around the world on the same scale, with the average rating of each team's eight opponents used to calculate the difficulty of their Champions League schedule.
And the results make for interesting reading.
While some of Europe's biggest clubs have been handed blockbuster fixtures, others have come away with a statistically kinder route.
Liverpool Have the Easiest Champions League Draw Among Premier League Clubs
Of the five English clubs competing in this season's Champions League, Liverpool have the easiest fixture list according to Opta's data.
The Reds' opponents have an average Power Rating of 90.0, putting them ninth overall for fixture difficulty.
Their Pot 1 opponents are Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid, two sides Opta identified as among the more favourable options available to Premier League clubs from the top pot.
Liverpool will also face Porto, Villarreal, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce, Lens and LASK.
That doesn't mean an easy ride.
A trip to Fenerbahce could be particularly difficult, while Inter and Atletico bring serious Champions League pedigree.
But compared with some of their Premier League rivals, Liverpool appear to have avoided the very biggest names.
Arsenal's Champions League Draw Has a Difficult Top End but Easier Fixtures Below
Arsenal's draw tells a slightly different story.
The Gunners have been handed Bayern Munich away and Real Madrid at home, two of the toughest possible Pot 1 opponents.
They also face Borussia Dortmund from Pot 2.
On paper, that sounds like a brutal draw.
But Opta's analysis highlights an important detail.
Arsenal also received two of the lowest-ranked teams in the entire competition from Pot 4: Sabah and Slovan Bratislava.
Their complete schedule is:
Home
- Real Madrid
- Borussia Dortmund
- Lille
- Sabah
Away
- Bayern Munich
- Real Betis
- Napoli
- Slovan Bratislava
So Arsenal's draw is almost split into two halves.
The top end is extremely challenging.
The bottom end is considerably more forgiving.
That could become important when the league table begins to take shape.
Manchester City Have the Toughest Champions League Draw Among English Clubs
Manchester City have been handed the most difficult fixture list of any English club, according to Opta.
And it is easy to see why.
City will face Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain from Pot 1.
They also have Napoli from Pot 3, with the Italian side ranked 34th in the world by Opta at the time of the analysis.
City's schedule is:
Home
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Sporting CP
- Napoli
- AEK Athens
Away
- Barcelona
- Porto
- RB Leipzig
- Lens
It is the first Champions League campaign for City without Pep Guardiola in more than a decade, with Enzo Maresca now in charge.
He certainly hasn't been given an easy introduction to European competition.
Aston Villa Face Another Difficult Champions League Draw
Aston Villa are also towards the tougher end of the scale.
They were drawn against Barcelona and PSG, just like Manchester City.
But their Pot 2 opponents make the schedule even more challenging.
Villa have Borussia Dortmund and Club Brugge, with Opta identifying that pairing as statistically the toughest possible combination from Pot 2.
Their fixtures are:
Home
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Borussia Dortmund
- Fenerbahce
- Viking
Away
- Barcelona
- Club Brugge
- Galatasaray
- Slavia Bratislava
Villa will therefore need to negotiate two heavyweight opponents as well as some potentially difficult away trips.
There is at least some recent history with PSG.
Now they meet again.
Manchester United Face a Difficult Champions League League-Phase Schedule
They will host Bayern Munich, which Opta identifies as the toughest possible Pot 1 opponent, while their other fixtures include Sporting CP, Roma, RB Leipzig and Villarreal.
Their schedule is:
Home
- Bayern Munich
- Roma
- RB Leipzig
- Sabah
Away
- Atlético Madrid
- Sporting CP
- Villarreal
- Como
United's opponents have plenty of European experience, with both Roma and Sporting sitting inside Opta's top 25 teams at the time of the analysis.
Their trip to Atlético could also be a particularly difficult night.
After missing out on the Champions League in recent seasons, United's return certainly won't be straightforward.
Stuttgart Have the Easiest Champions League Draw Overall
Liverpool may have the easiest schedule among the Premier League clubs, but Stuttgart have the easiest draw across the entire Champions League, according to Opta.
Their opponents have an average Power Rating of 88.9.
That makes Stuttgart one of the clubs who could potentially benefit most from the league-phase draw.
They will still need to perform, of course.
But in a format where every team faces a different collection of opponents, having a statistically kinder schedule can make a significant difference.
Inter Milan Have the Second-Easiest Champions League Draw
One of the more surprising results concerns Inter Milan.
The Italian giants have received the second-easiest fixture list overall, with their opponents averaging an Opta Power Rating of 89.5.
That could be particularly important for Inter.
After reaching the Champions League final in 2024-25, they suffered a shock elimination to Bodø/Glimt in last season's knockout play-offs.
A favourable league-phase draw could give them a chance to avoid the play-offs altogether and go straight into the last 16.
Which Clubs Have the Toughest Champions League Schedules?
Lens have one of the toughest draws, with their opponents averaging 92.1, while Atletico Madrid are close behind on 92.0. Sabah have the toughest schedule overall, with Slavia Prague third.
It highlights how much the draw can shape a club's route to the knockout stages.
Does an easier draw guarantee success?
Not necessarily.
Last season, Arsenal topped the league phase despite having one of the easier schedules, while Bayern Munich finished second with the toughest draw.
For teams around the qualification cut-off, however, fixture difficulty could prove crucial. A couple of extra wins could be the difference between a top-eight finish and the knockout play-offs.
The numbers add another layer
The draw has always been about who you get. Now, the new format also asks how difficult your route is.
Liverpool have the kindest draw among the English clubs, while City have the toughest.
Of course, the numbers don't decide what happens on the pitch, but with 144 league-phase fixtures ahead, they give us another way to judge the challenge.
Now it's time to see whether the numbers are right.
