Real Madrid’s journey to Champions League glory in 2022 was nothing short of miraculous.
Not only were the teams they beat of the highest quality, but the manner of the two-legged triumphs in each of their knockout ties were astounding – and even more impossible than the last.
First arrived Karim Benzema’s 17-minute blitz of Paris Saint-Germain, then came the extra-time triumph over holders Chelsea. Carlo Ancelotti’s side were dead and buried in the semi-final against Manchester City before Rodrygo’s late late show facilitated an inevitable victory in the extra 30 minutes.
A forgettable final was won by the ever-maturing Vinicius Junior as Real claimed a 1-0 win over Liverpool in Paris.
The holders and 14-time winners of the Champions League are among the favourites to go all the way in 2022/23, and they’ve already booked their place in the round of 16 with one group stage game remaining.
Here’s who they could face in the first knockout round.
The holders currently sit atop Group F with one game remaining and have secured their place in the round of 16. However, RB Leipzig could yet pip them to top spot after they beat a depleted Blancos side 3-2 on Matchday 5.
Real started the defence of their crown with three wins from three. They superbly mitigated a hostile Celtic Park on Matchday 1 in a 3-0 victory before a 2-0 triumph over RB Leipzig ensued at the Bernabeu.
Shakhtar Donetsk gave them a scare on Matchday 3 in a 2-1 win before a last-gasp Antonio Rudiger header rescued a point for Ancelotti’s men in the reverse fixture. Remarkably, only two players (Rodrygo and Vinicius) have scored more than one goal in the group stage thus far.
After claiming one point from their last two outings, Real will need to beat Celtic on Matchday 6 to progress into the knockouts as group winners. Failing to do so would open the door for RB Leipzig, who visit Shakhtar.
While nothing is guaranteed, you’d expect Real Madrid to beat bottom-of-the-group Celtic on the final matchday and win the group.
Should that be the case, Los Blancos could take on Liverpool, Inter, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund or even PSG in the round of 16 should Benfica better their result on Matchday 6.
However, if Celtic get a result in Madrid and RB Leipzig beat Shakhtar, Real will finish second in Group F. That could see the holders take on Napoli, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Manchester City or PSG in the last 16.
So, yes, it appears that topping the group would benefit Real, but they’d fancy their chances up…
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