CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Real Madrid to be ‘punished’ for Champions League thrashing by Manchester City in 2023-24 group stage
Los Blancos have had recent run-ins with City, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich and may have to face them once again.
Real Madrid’s 4-0 Champions League thrashing at the hands of Manchester City saw them tamely exit this year’s competition and will also have a negative effect on the next one. As a result of the defeat, Carlo Ancelotti’s side already know that they will be in pot two for the 2023-24 group stage draw, which will take place on 7 August.
Real Madrid’s potential Champions League ‘group of death’
Dropping out of the top pot these days is not quite as serious as in the past after UEFA redid the seeding system in order to reward a greater number of domestic league winners. But it could see Los Blancos come up against some familiar foes early on and, were they to come up against a heavyweight first seed and one of the most difficult third seeds, could end up in the situation Barcelona found themselves in this season, when they were drawn alongside Bayern Munich and Inter.
Which clubs could Madrid face in the UCL group stage in 2023-24?
As things stand, the only top seed that Madrid know they could face is Napoli, who have already wrapped up the Serie A title. Barça will also be in pot one but cannot face their Clásico rivals due to country protection.
Other potential opponents will become known in the next few weeks as league around Europe reach their conclusions. This weekend, City and Paris Saint-Germain look very likely to win the Premier League and Ligue 1 respectively and would be top seeds which Madrid could be drawn against. Los Merengues have had some - very recent - tense match-ups against both, although group-stage meetings would likely be less explosive. Bayern could also face the Spaniards, although they still have some work to do to pip Borussia Dortmund to the Bundesliga title in the last two games of the season.
What happens if City win the Champions League and the Premier League?
The winners of this season’s Europa League, which could be Italian giants Juventus or Roma, will also be in top seeds, as will the Champions League winners. If Inter win in Istanbul on 10 June, they will go directly into pot one. If City are victorious, however, will probably be slightly more complex. Should they, as expected, also win the Premier League, then one spot will open up for another domestic league winner. The winners of the Portuguese league (Benfica or Porto) are guaranteed top seeding, with Dutch champions Feyenoord the team to benefit if Pep Guardiola’s side do the double.