Real Madrid’s seven-club Champions League challenge sparks Butragueno warning

Real Madrid institutional relations director Emilio Butragueno has warned the club’s players and coaching staff that they must avoid another difficult start to their Champions League campaign after a daunting draw in Monaco.

The draw placed the European champions in a league-stage schedule featuring seven high-profile opponents: Inter Milan, Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, Roma, RB Leipzig, LASK and AEK Athens.

Butragueno, representing Real Madrid at the draw, said the club’s priority was to qualify directly for the last 16 and avoid the additional knockout round.

“This competition is extremely difficult; all the matches are evenly matched and closely contested, and we must have the right mentality,” Butragueno told Movistar.

The former Real Madrid forward also urged the squad and coaching staff not to repeat what he described as the pattern of the past two seasons, when the club failed to progress directly to the last 16 under the Champions League’s new format.

“We will do everything possible to qualify directly for the last 16 and avoid the first knockout round,” he added. “We will take part with great enthusiasm and approach this competition with the same enthusiasm as always.”

Butragueno’s comments reflect Real Madrid’s recent experience of the revised tournament structure. Since the new system was introduced two seasons ago, the club has not secured direct qualification for the last 16 and has instead had to play in the additional knockout stage on two occasions.

In the 2024-25 season, Real Madrid were required to face Manchester City and progressed with difficulty. Last season, they met Benfica, managed by Jose Mourinho, and also advanced.

At the same time, the warning referred to the club’s failure to go beyond the quarter-finals in the previous two campaigns. Real Madrid were eliminated by Bayern Munich last season, while Arsenal ended their run in the 2024-25 season.

The league-stage draw therefore gives Real Madrid a demanding route, with matches against some of Europe’s leading clubs alongside fixtures against PSV Eindhoven, Roma, RB Leipzig, LASK and AEK Athens. The club’s stated aim is to finish among the leading sides and secure a place in the last 16 without needing another play-off.

A full fixture schedule for the Champions League league stage is expected to be announced on Saturday, 29 August.

In a message published after the draw, Butragueno said: “Vivimos esta#UCLcon muchisima ilusion y queremos estar en ese Top8”. The statement translates as: “We are approaching this Champions League with great excitement and we want to be in that top eight.”

The draw has prompted considerable discussion among supporters, with the Champions League route presenting Real Madrid with a series of major tests from the opening phase of the competition. Fans can also discuss the news and related topics in the Kooora forums.