Real Madrid executive reacts to Champions League draw: ‘Objective is to finish among the top eight’

Real Madrid executive reacts to Champions League draw: ‘Objective is to finish among the top eight’ Former Real Madrid player Emilio Butragueno, now the club’s Director of Institutional Relations, discussed the team’s mood on Movistar following the 2026/27 Champions League league-phase draw. The draw has handed Jose Mourinho’s side several difficult fixtures , including a trip to Arsenal in London and a meeting with Inter Milan at the Bernabeu. Apart from that, Los Blancos will also face PSV Eindhove, AS Roma, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK, and AEK Athens in the league phase of Europe’s premier club competition. Butragueno reacts Butragueno, who was present at the draw in Monaco, representing Real Madrid, discussed the club’s opponents for the first phase of the Champions League. “This competition is always very demanding. Every match is difficult and closely contested. You have to have the right mentality and you have to play,” Butragueno said. “We’re experiencing this competition with tremendous excitement and, as always, we’ll do everything possible to qualify,” he added. Butragueno also confirmed that, after finishing outside the top eight in each of the last two editions, Real Madrid’s objective this season is to reach the knockout stage directly. “The objective is to finish among the top eight to avoid the first knockout round and go directly through to the round of 16. With all the excitement, as always,” he concluded. Real Madrid aim to reclaim Champions League crown Real Madrid face a major challenge in this year’s competition after two consecutive seasons in which they were eliminated at the quarter-final stages by Arsenal and Bayern Munich. With Mourinho returning and several new signings arriving, Real Madrid hope to overcome the setbacks of recent European campaigns and make a serious run at the title. The club’s pursuit of a 16th Champions League trophy is now underway. The competition’s new format means the Merengues must maintain consistency from the opening match. A big test awaits Mourinho in the UCL. (Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez Rey/Getty Images) There is no traditional group stage in which teams can afford to ease into the campaign: every result contributes to a single league table, with the top eight advancing directly to the round of 16. For Real Madrid, finishing in those eight places is therefore the first major European objective, as it would also spare the squad the additional physical burden of playing two playoff matches. The trip to Arsenal will be one of the biggest tests of the opening phase, while the clash with Inter at the Santiago Bernabeu will provide another measure of Real Madrid’s ability to compete against a top-level European contender. In the other matches, Real Madrid will generally start as favourites, but they cannot afford unnecessary slip-ups that could damage their position in the table.