Man City, Liverpool and Juventus: Madrid face tough path to Champions League glory

Real Madrid, perennial contenders and serial winners of the Champions League in its past and present iterations, are always among the favourites. However, the group stage draw has presented them with a stern test. The list of rivals awaiting them in the tournament's opening phase is a gauntlet of familiar faces.

Manchester City, Juventus, Olympique Marseille and Monaco will visit the Bernabeu, while Real Madrid must travel to the pitches of Liverpool, Benfica, Olympiacos and Kairat Almaty.

Xabi Alonso's side can scarcely consider themselves fortunate. Indeed, from the potentially easier options in pots 3 and 4, they drew some historic names and worthy opponents. Even the inclusion of debutants Kairat Almaty offers scant consolation, given the daunting 7,500-kilometre journey to Kazakhstan – Real Madrid's longest-ever European away trip. The fixture list on Saturday will reveal whether they must undertake this journey in potentially challenging weather conditions.

If the Real Madrid faithful believe their draw is the toughest, they have ample justification. The clashes against Liverpool and Juventus are reruns of recent Champions League finals, while the match against Benfica evokes memories of classic encounters from the black and white era. To compound matters, Pep Guardiola once again stands in their path. The two most feared English teams in the draw will face Real Madrid for the fifth consecutive season.

Olympique Marseille and Benfica, two more former European champions (making six in total, including Real Madrid), and Monaco, another team to avoid from pot 3, also lie in wait. The two French sides will visit the Bernabeu, completing a quartet of high-calibre visitors in this Champions League campaign for the 'Blancos'.

Olympiacos, under the guidance of Mendilibar, reappear as opponents after 17 years, while Monaco have not crossed swords with Real Madrid since that painful quarter-final comeback inspired by former player Fernando Morientes.

While the latter match will hold special significance for Tchouameni, facing Benfica – the club he belonged to until June – will be particularly poignant for Alvaro Carreras. Sixty years have passed since these two giants of the old European Cup last met.