Real Madrid in the 2021/22 Champions League: hype, teams and which group can play

Real Madrid will meet its first rivals in the 2021-22 Champions League this Thursday, August 26. Ancelotti's team faces the group stage draw from pot 2, having been seeded last season and despite being second in the UEFA ranking. Pot 1 of the draw is reserved for one more season for the current Champions, Europa League and League champions from the six associations with the highest UEFA ranking.

That paints a picture with roosters accompanied by several more modest teams. From pot 1 they can come out as possible rivals for Madrid: Chelsea, Manchester City, Inter, Bayern, Lille and Sporting de Portugal. It should be remembered that the condition is maintained that two teams from the same country cannot face each other in the group stage, so Madrid cannot be measured against Atlético or Villarreal and that as the draw progresses, the groups are restricted, for television reasons in which the teams that remain to be drawn can fall.

To be in pot 2, Madrid avoid Juventus, PSG, Manchester United, Liverpool and Dortmund. The whites can have as rivals any of the teams from the other two pots. In number 3 are, for the moment, Porto, Ajax, Leipzig, Benfica, Atalanta and Zenit. Also Shakhtar and Salzburg if they overcome their respective previous qualifiers against Monaco and Brondby.

Finally, in pot 4 are Bruges, Young Boys, Malmoe, Wolfsburg, the winner of the tie Dinamo Zagreb-Sheriff and Milan. The team rossonero It is relegated to the last drum because in the last five seasons it has only participated in three editions of the Europa League, in which its ceiling was the round of 16 twice. Among the teams that are guaranteed their participation in the group stage, Besiktas and Dinamo Kiev are waiting to see if they go to pot 3 or 4, depending on what Shakhtar and Salzburg do.

A) Yes, Madrid can find itself in a group of death with Milan, Leipzig and one of the English representatives of Pot 1, Chelsea or Manchester City. A more benevolent a priori draw would place him in a group with Lille or Sporting and some of the lesser-named rivals in pots 3 and 4. The competition begins on 14 and 15 September.

Possible rivals of Real Madrid in the group stage of the Champions League

Pot 1: Chelsea (ENG), Manchester City (ENG), Inter (ITA), Bayern (GER), Lille (FRA) and Sporting de Portugal (POR).

Pot 3: Porto (POR), Ajax (NED), Leipzig (GER), Benfica (POR), Atalanta (ITA) and Zenit (RUS).

Pot 4: Bruges (BEL), Young Boys (SUI), Milan (ITA), Malmoe (SWE) and Wolfsburg (GER) and winner of the Dinamo Zagreb-Sheriff tie.

Previous qualifiers that remain to be resolved

Wednesday, August 25

21:00 Shakhtar-Monaco (first leg: 1-0)
21:00 Dinamo Zagreb-Sheriff (first leg: 0-3)
21:00 Brondby-Salzburg (first leg: 1-2)

Shkahtar and Salzburg will go to Pot 3 if they qualify. Monaco, Brondby and the winner of Dinamo Zagreb-Sheriff, to pot 4.