Real Madrid completed the draw for the 2024/2025 competition round in Monaco on Thursday evening, after which their first opponents in the Champions League were revealed.

Carlo Ancelotti’s men play at home against Borussia Dortmund, away against Liverpool, home against AC Milan, home against Atalanta, home against Salzburg, home against Lille, home against Stuttgart and away against Brest.

Los Blancos are of course the reigning champions of the UCL, having won their 15th consecutive title at Wembley in early June.

Under Ancelotti, the competition’s most successful coach with five titles, Madrid completed a treble in 2023/24, adding to victories in La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup, by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 in the English capital to more than double AC Milan’s tally.

Although the order of the matches will not be determined until Saturday, Madrid will once again play the Germans at the Bernabeu, as well as the club that won the Champions League final in 2018 and 2022: Premier League giants Liverpool.

A home game against Ancelotti’s former club Milan will also be special for the Italian, who has had a lot to do with both clubs’ success on the continent, having been responsible for two of the Rossoneri’s UCL victories in 2003 and 2007, plus three of Madrid’s in 2014, 2022 and 2024.

The draw for the league round also sees Madrid face another opponent from Ancelotti’s home country, whom they recently met.

Europa League winners Atlanta were arguably the better team in a goalless first half of the UEFA Super Cup final in Warsaw earlier this month, but second-half goals from Fede Valverde and Kylian Mbappe secured a 2-0 victory in the Polish capital.

Mbappé was signed on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer and has not scored for his new employer since. However, he hopes to finally get his hands on the iconic trophy with the big ears in the Spanish capital. It could also be the key to winning the Ballon d’Or.

Madrid will play in seven competitions this season and could play more than 70 games. Ancelotti has already confirmed that there will be rotations in his first team once the Champions League kicks off from September 17-19.