UWCL fixture list confirmed

Marc Skinner's Reds completed a two-legged victory over Norwegian side Brann in the final round of qualifying on Thursday, to advance to the competition's main stage for the first time.

In Friday's draw, it was announced we'll play home matches against French giants Lyon and Paris Saint-Germain, plus Norwegian champions Valerenga of Oslo.

Trips to Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid, Italian title-holders Juventus and German side Wolfsburg also feature on the six-game slate for United.

The home tie with Valerenga will kick things off on Wednesday 8 October, before the visit to Atletico Madrid just over a week later, on the following Thursday. Atletico, like United, came through the qualifying rounds to get to this point.

Two more fixtures follow in the next month. First, a Paris Saint-Germain squad that could feature former Reds Mary Earps and Jackie Groenen comes to town on Wednesday 12 November. One week later, it's the trip to Lower Saxony for a battle with Wolfsburg, who came second in the Frauen-Bundesliga last season.

The league-phase reaches its business end in the final month of the year, with the Reds hosting French league-winners Lyon on Wednesday 10 December before going to Juventus to round up this stage, seven days after.

In this fresh format, every result counts regarding the 18-team league standings.

The top four teams qualify automatically into the knockout phase, with those positioned 5th-12th moving into the play-offs, in a bid to join them in the last eight.

All those finishing 13th or lower are eliminated.

UNITED'S LEAGUE-PHASE SCHEDULE

Matchday one: Valerenga (H) - Wed 8 Oct, 20:00 BST
Matchday two: Atletico (A) - Thu 16 Oct, 17:45 BST
Matchday three: PSG (H) - Wed 12 Nov, 20:00 GMT
Matchday four: Wolfsburg (A) - Wed 19 Nov, 17:45 GMT
Matchday five: Lyon (H) - Wed 10 Dec, 20:00 GMT
Matchday six: Juventus (A) - Wed 17 Dec, 20:00 GMT