Top 10 teams with the most difficult Champions League fixtures
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Sabah has been handed the most difficult fixture in the uefa champions league with opponent rating of 92.2
In second place is Lens with an opponent rating of 92.1
To wrap up the top 3 is Slavia Prague with an opponent rating of 92.0
The Champions League draw is complete, but not all 36 clubs have been handed the same level of difficulty. According to Opta Analyst it has assessed every club’s eight league-phase opponents using its Opta Power Rankings, which rate more than 16,000 teams on a scale of 0 to 100.
By averaging the ratings of each club’s eight opponents, Opta has produced a measure of how difficult each team’s route through the league phase looks on paper. The higher the average rating, the tougher the draw.
That makes the 2026/27 league phase particularly interesting, because every team faces a different combination of opponents. Some clubs have landed a relatively favourable schedule, while others will have to navigate a run containing several of Europe’s strongest sides.
At the extreme end, Sabah have the toughest draw, with their eight opponents averaging an Opta Power Rating of 92.2. Lens are next on 92.1, while Slavia Prague and Atlético Madrid both sit on 92.0. Among the English clubs, Manchester City have the hardest schedule, with an average opponent rating of 91.7.
Below are the 18 teams with the most difficult Champions League league-phase fixtures and their opponents, according to Opta’s assessment.
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