Real Madrid, the most successful team in the history of the UEFA Champions League, will clash in the ‘league phase’ of the 2024-2025 edition with three teams it faced in finals of this tournament at various moments in its rich history.
After the draw held this Thursday, the Merengue learned that they will meet the team they defeated in the last final, just months ago: the German Borussia Dortmund.
Additionally, they will also face one of the few teams that can boast about having beaten them in a Champions final: Liverpool, who defeated them 1-0 at the Parc des Princes in the 1980-1981 edition. Of course, the Casa Blanca would take revenge many years later, overcoming the British side 3-1 at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, in 2017-2018. They would go on to defeat them again four years later, in the ’21-’22 season, by 1-0 at the Stade de France.
The third team is Milan, whom Real Madrid overcame in the 1957-1958 edition by a score of 3-2 (after extra time), at the Stade du Heysel in Brussels.
So far, these are the rivals in Champions finals. But there is one more coincidence: among their ‘league phase’ rivals, the Merengue will meet Atalanta, their victim in the final of the last UEFA Super Cup, played a few weeks ago.
ALL RIVALS AND THE NEW FORMAT
The Champions will have a new format starting this edition. The matches will be broadcast live on Disney+ (only for South America).
The rivals of the 15-time Champions winner are Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Milan, Atalanta, Salzburg, Lille, Stuttgart, and Brest. The Real Madrid of Carlo Ancelotti will play one home game and one away game against each team drawn in the draw, held in Nyon, Switzerland.
On Saturday, August 31, UEFA will announce how the final calendar will look, detailing the date, time, and venue of the matchups.
These are Real Madrid’s rivals in the Champions League
Dortmund
The runner-up from the last edition knows it will be difficult to repeat that campaign, but they will try. They finished fifth in the last Bundesliga and qualified due to the format change. They have one title (1996/97) and this will be their ninth consecutive participation.
Liverpool
After failing to qualify for the last Champions League, the English team returns with ambitions of securing their seventh title. They will no longer have Jürgen Klopp, the champion in 2019, but trust their great squad to reach the final.
AC Milan
With seven titles, they are the second most successful team in Europe. Their last crown was in 2006/07 and their last semifinal appearance was in 2022/23. They will try to leverage their greatness to compete.
Atalanta
They will enter the Champions as the UEFA Europa League champions, the first international title in their history. They proved they can compete against anyone and will seek to be the surprise. This will be their fourth participation in the Champions League.
Salzburg
Last season, they finished second in the Austrian Bundesliga (after 10 consecutive titles) but earned a spot in the Champions’ main phase after overcoming Twente and Dynamo Kyiv in the qualifying rounds. They will contest the UCL for the fifth consecutive time. They reached the round of 16 in 2023/24.
Lille
The French team defeated Slavia Prague in the last qualifying round and returns to the main phase of the Champions League. Their best performance was in 2021/22, when they reached the round of 16.
Stuttgart
Their last participation was in 2009/10 when they reached the round of 16. They were the surprising runner-up in the Bundesliga, above Bayern Munich.
Brest
They finished third in the last Ligue 1 and achieved their best performance in history, making their absolute debut in the top European competition.