Real Madrid in the Champions League: group, opponents, dates
The Champions League draw took place on Thursday afternoon and the LaLiga Santander winners were handed an interesting set of rivals.
On Thursday evening in Geneva, European football’s governing body UEFA were the centre of attention. A selection of pots filled with balls graced the stage along with some prize-winning professionals from the pitch. Together, under the watchful eye of Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti.
Champions League: the four pots
Pot 1: Real Madrid, Sevilla, Bayern, PSG, Liverpool, Juventus, Zenit and FC Porto.
Pot 2: Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Manchester City, Manchester United, Dortmund, Shakhtar, Ajax and Chelsea.
Pot 3: Inter, Lazio, Atalanta, Leipzig, Dinamo Kiev, Krasnodar, Salzburg and Olympiacos.
Pot 4: Rennes, Ferencvaros, Basaksehir, B. Monchengladbach, Marseilles, Brugge, Midtjylland and Lokomotive Moscow.
As one of the top seeds, a place Los Blancos are very familiar with, the potential opponents were considered. Some Madridistas had predicted their Group of Death rivals as Man City, Inter and Rennes. That would have been a challenge.
In the end, there was a much more manageable task handed to Zidane’s men, although Pot 3 did indeed turn out a double-header against the Milan giants, as Group B came together.
Real Madrid’s UCL opponents
Group B: Real Madrid, Shakhtar, Inter, Monchengladbach
So, as well as a trip to Milan to face Antonio Conte’s talented side, Madrid will also have visits to the Ukraine and Germany.
When are the fixtures confirmed?
On Friday evening, UEFA will announce the match day fixtures so that you can update your calendar to ensure you don’t miss the games. Come back here and we’ll have the details updated for you to save.