From Liverpool to Manchester City: Real Madrid's rivals in the Champions League

The Merengue side will kick off its new season in Europe under Xabi Alonso, and the draw has already taken place. The Chamartín team, as if it were a joke, will once again face old acquaintances in the preliminary round. Manchester City, Juventus, Benfica, Marseille, Olympiacos, Monaco, Kairat Almaty, and Liverpool are its group rivals.

Clearly, this is a preliminary round that seems more complicated than last year's, except for certain teams. With this, Alonso has the chance to prove his worth at the helm of the Merengue team from the very start in Europe. However, it won't be an easy path, and they will have to come together as a team right before the first match of the competition.

A crazy preliminary round

The Merengue side, not satisfied with last season in the Champions League, seems to be outdoing itself this time. The matchups are even more demanding, with Real Madrid in a rebuilding process. Xabi Alonso will then have to show his best version and steer the preliminary round of the top club competition from the beginning.

Alonso knows the path won't be easy, starting with the toughest matchups against Manchester City, Juventus, and Liverpool. The toughest seems to be the match at Anfield, which will once again be an odyssey due to the great transfer window the English side had. However, Real Madrid has managed to compete with the "Reds" in every Champions League, and now shouldn't be the exception.

On a curious note, for the fifth consecutive year, Real Madrid will face Manchester City again, which will be the Merengues' first opponent. With this, they will have to start off on the right foot and begin with a convincing home victory against the British side. With the official match dates yet to be announced, there will be much to prepare to make sure everything goes as planned.

It will be the biggest test for the project

Beyond the Club World Cup, now with the squad almost complete, it is expected that it can be up to the level of the best. Now more than ever, the team's performance will be under the microscope, and they will have to show that it is not just a transition. The king of Europe wants to reclaim the throne, and if they find the play style Alonso wants to develop, no one will be able to stop them.