Kevin De Bruyne Returns Home To Man City, Bayern Hosts Chelsea On Opening CL Week

Last Updated:August 30, 2025, 18:59 IST

Kevin De Bruyne returns to Etihad as Manchester City face Napoli in the Champions League opener. Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, and others also begin against top clubs.

Kevin De Bruyne at Napoli (X)

Manchester City are set to reunite with Kevin De Bruyne soon, as the English team faces a home fixture against the Belgian’s new club Napoli to start their Champions League campaign.

City will host Italian champions Napoli at the Etihad Stadium on Thursday, September 18, marking the first matchday of this season’s league phase, which spans three days.

De Bruyne signed with Napoli in June after a successful decade at Manchester City, which included winning the Champions League with Pep Guardiola’s side in 2023.

The draw for the 36-team league phase of the competition occurred on Thursday, but UEFA, the governing body of European football, only released the full fixture list on Saturday.

Club World Cup winners Chelsea will begin on Wednesday, September 17, with a match against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, the venue where they triumphed over the German side in the 2012 Champions League final.

Premier League champions Liverpool will kick off their campaign at home against Atletico Madrid on the same night, while Newcastle United will celebrate their return to Europe’s elite club competition by hosting Spanish champions Barcelona at St James’ Park the following day.

Arsenal, semi-finalists last season, will start their journey away to Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday, September 16.

Tottenham Hotspur, who qualified for the Champions League after defeating Manchester United in last season’s Europa League final in Bilbao, will begin with a home game against Villarreal.

Reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain will start with a home match against Atalanta in Paris, with other notable opening fixtures including Juventus versus Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid at home against Marseille, and Ajax facing last season’s beaten finalists Inter Milan.

Opening Champions League fixtures

Tuesday, September 16

• Athletic Bilbao (ESP) v Arsenal (ENG) — 22:15 IST (16:45 GMT)

• PSV Eindhoven (NED) v Union Saint-Gilloise (BEL) — 22:15 IST (16:45 GMT)

• Juventus (ITA) v Borussia Dortmund (GER) — 00:30 IST (Sep 17) (19:00 GMT)

• Real Madrid (ESP) v Marseille (FRA) — 00:30 IST (Sep 17) (19:00 GMT)

• Benfica (POR) v Qarabag (AZE) — 00:30 IST (Sep 17) (19:00 GMT)

• Tottenham Hotspur (ENG) v Villarreal (ESP) — 00:30 IST (Sep 17) (19:00 GMT)

Wednesday, September 17

• Olympiacos (GRE) v Pafos (CYP) — 22:15 IST (16:45 GMT)

• Slavia Prague (CZE) v Bodo/Glimt (NOR) — 22:15 IST (16:45 GMT)

• Ajax (NED) v Inter Milan (ITA) — 00:30 IST (Sep 18) (19:00 GMT)

• Bayern Munich (GER) v Chelsea (ENG) — 00:30 IST (Sep 18) (19:00 GMT)

• Liverpool (ENG) v Atletico Madrid (ESP) — 00:30 IST (Sep 18) (19:00 GMT)

• Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) v Atalanta (ITA) — 00:30 IST (Sep 18) (19:00 GMT)

Thursday, September 18

• Club Brugge (BEL) v Monaco (FRA) — 22:15 IST (16:45 GMT)

• FC Copenhagen (DEN) v Bayer Leverkusen (GER) — 22:15 IST (16:45 GMT)

• Eintracht Frankfurt (GER) v Galatasaray (TUR) — 00:30 IST (Sep 19) (19:00 GMT)

• Manchester City (ENG) v Napoli (ITA) — 00:30 IST (Sep 19) (19:00 GMT)

• Newcastle United (ENG) v Barcelona (ESP) — 00:30 IST (Sep 19) (19:00 GMT)

• Sporting (POR) v Kairat Almaty (KAZ) — 00:30 IST (Sep 19) (19:00 GMT)

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First Published:

August 30, 2025, 18:59 IST

News sports Kevin De Bruyne Returns Home To Man City, Bayern Hosts Chelsea On Opening CL Week

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