How Far Will the Four Spanish Clubs Go in the 2022/23 UEFA Champions League?

Real Madrid put Spanish football back on the map last season when they defeated Liverpool in the Champions League final.

Their fairytale run to the final – which included back-from-the-dead wins against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Manchester City – culminated with Vinicius Junior’s second-half winner against Jurgen Klopp’s Reds in the Paris showpiece. The match was the first final in four years that a Spanish side had contested, with the English clubs dominating in the years since. But following on from that victory, Carlo Ancelotti’s side appear to have gone from strength to strength. The arrivals of Antonio Rüdiger and Aurélien Tchouaméni have only strengthened their squad, and they are expected to be among the contenders once again this season. 

Barcelona’s campaign on the continent last season is something that the club will be keen to leave firmly in the rearview mirror. Firstly, they finished third in Group C behind Bayern Munich – who thumped them by an aggregate score of 6-0 – and Benfica, meaning that they dropped into the Europa League for the first time in their history. Then, in Europe’s secondary competition, they couldn’t progress passed the last eight despite being the favourites for the tournament. They lost to eventual winners Eintracht Frankfurt in front of an estimated 30,000 travelling away fans in the Camp Nou, which added insult to injury. But this season, the Blaugrana have strengthened heavily, and they will be aiming to restore the image on the continent.  

Let’s take a look at what we can expect from the four Spanish teams playing in club football’s most prestigious competition this season.  

Real Madrid  

The run to glory last season was the stuff of dreams for Real Madrid. They looked dead and buried on numerous occasions on their way to Paris, but lady luck – and perhaps fate itself – intervened. Spurred on by Karim Benzema’s fifteen goals, the club from the Spanish capital would go all the way, winning the trophy for the 14th time in their illustrious history.  

It’s a victory that’s even more impressive considering the disastrous start they made to the competition. On matchday two, they were stunned 2-1 by Moldovan debutants Sheriff Tiraspol at the Bernabeu. The result will, without a doubt, feature on lists of football’s most shocking results in the future – and Sébastien Thill’s last-minute thunderbolt will live long in the memory. 

This season, Carlo Ancelotti’s side are arguably stronger than they were last season. While they aren’t currently among the tournament favorites – an honor which goes to Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain – they should still expect to reach the latter stages of the competition.

Barcelona 

Fans of the Blaugrana thought it couldn’t get any worse than the back-to-back comeback defeats at the hands of Roma and Liverpool. Those results were then surpassed by the 8-2 thumping at the hands of Bayern Munich two years ago. Last season however, they somehow managed to go one better, exiting at the group stages for the first time in 20 years.

Despite being over €1bn in debt, however, the club have managed to strengthen heavily this summer. Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Koundé, Franck Kessié, Andreas Christensen, Hector Bellerin, and Marcos Alonso have all joined the club this summer and manager Xavi will be hoping their early season form continues.  

Atletico Madrid 

The job that Diego Simeone has done during his eleven years in charge of Atletico Madrid has been one of the most impressive reigns in the history of Spanish football. He has taken Los Rojiblancos from midtable mediocrity and perennial underachievers to the pinnacle of both domestic and European football. 

He has led the club to La Liga success on two occasions and the Copa Del Rey, as well as Europa League glory in 2018 and two Champions League finals. Last season, he masterminded victory over Manchester United before narrowly losing out to their city rivals Manchester City. Don’t be surprised to see Los Colchoneros in the latter stages of the competition once again this term.  

Sevilla  

Sevilla are usually Europa League specialists. They have won the tournament on six separate occasions, more than any other club on the continent. They are still waiting for success in the Champions League, however. Their best finish in the tournament was a solitary quarter-final appearance back in 2018 when they lost out to Bayern Munich. 

This year, they are already up against it. They’ve been drawn in Group G alongside Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund. If they can manage the knockout stages, it would be quite an achievement. Failing that, finishing third and dropping into the Europa League may be the best-case scenario.