Oman today_ Real Madrid faces a very challenging start in the group stage of the new UEFA Champions League season, having to compete against five European champion teams and undertake a long journey to Kazakhstan to face Kairat Almaty.
Real Madrid’s opponents: Manchester City, Liverpool, Juventus, Benfica, Marseille, Olympiacos, Monaco, and Kairat Almaty.
Under the guidance of Xabi Alonso, the Whites will begin the group stage with crucial matches: Manchester City and Juventus at home, Liverpool and Benfica away, Marseille and Monaco at home, and Olympiacos and Kairat Almaty away. The season’s final will take place in Budapest, a city where Real has yet to secure a Champions League title.
This demanding path once again sets up the classic European rivalry with Manchester City, a familiar opponent for the Whites over the past five seasons. The challenge intensifies with Liverpool, a team that defeated Real 2-0 at Anfield last season, a match remembered for missed penalties by Mbappé and Mohamed Salah.
Juventus, Marseille, and Benfica are the other European champions that Real will face in the group stage. The matchup against Benfica recalls two historic encounters: the last meeting in 1965 when Benfica eliminated Real in the quarter-finals, and earlier, the 1962 final in which Eusebio’s Benfica won 5-3.
The non-sporting challenge of traveling to Kazakhstan for the Kairat Almaty match also represents a new difficulty. Real will be visiting the former Kazakh capital for the first time in its history, a journey of over ten hours, planned in Carlo Ancelotti’s schedule.
The Challenging Path of Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League
