Real Madrid and Stuttgart will clash on Tuesday in the inaugural match of the new Champions League group stage.
In their first-ever encounter, defending champions Real Madrid aim for a flawless start as they pursue their 16th title.
Real Madrid, the record 15-time Champions League winners, will kick off the new campaign at Santiago Bernabeu, just three months after beating Borussia Dortmund in the final.
In June’s showdown at Wembley, Carlo Ancelotti’s squad secured their sixth crown in a decade with a 2-0 victory over Dortmund.
This season, Stuttgart will be the team facing Madrid in their opening match, marking the 16th different German side the club has encountered in the competition.
Last season, Real Madrid navigated their path to the London final by battling four German clubs: Union Berlin in the group stage, RB Leipzig in the Round of 16 and Bayern Munich in the semifinals.
The hosts will be pleased to play at home, given Real Madrid’s stellar record against German teams in the Champions League.
They have lost just one of their last 21 encounters with such opponents, winning 14.
Though last season’s cup was clinched with a 2-0 win, Ancelotti’s squad comes into this match buoyed by a recent 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad, extending their unbeaten start to six games across all competitions.
However, they trail Barcelona by four points in La Liga.
According to the UEFA coefficient, Real Madrid drew one of the more favorable groups for the league phase.
Yet, Stuttgart, despite being a pot-four team, are one of the tougher opponents on paper.
Los Blancos will also host BVB in a repeat of last season’s final and face Liverpool and Europa League winners Atalanta away.
Conversely, Stuttgart face a challenging start, with their campaign beginning against the formidable Real Madrid away.
The Swabians will also face Juventus away and host Paris Saint-Germain and Atalanta in their first Champions League campaign in 15 years.
Stuttgart have yet to win in six encounters against Spanish teams in the UCL, with two draws and four losses.
Their most recent defeat came in March 2010, when Barcelona eliminated them 4-0 in the Round of 16.
Although they participated in the Europa League later, this marks their first European match since a 2013 qualifier loss to Rijeka.
However, the visitors will be bolstered by recent success, as Sebastian Hoeness’s team secured a 3-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach last weekend, recovering from a shaky start to the season.
That win was their first league victory of the season, following a loss to Freiburg and a draw with Mainz, leaving them mid-table with four points.
Kylian Mbappe is poised to make his Champions League debut for Real Madrid after netting 48 goals in 73 appearances for PSG and Monaco.
However, Real Madrid are somewhat short on numbers ahead of this match due to injuries to several key players, which has made it challenging to name a full bench in recent weeks.
Jude Bellingham, who has been out for the past month, is back in training along with Aurelien Tchouameni, both of whom missed the recent international break.
Brahim Diaz, who was substituted early over the weekend, is expected to be sidelined for about eight weeks with a muscle injury.
Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos are also anticipated to return by the end of the month.
Ameen Al Dakhil has yet to make his Stuttgart debut as he recovers from an injury sustained during his time with Burnley.
Meanwhile, fellow defender Leonidas Stergiou is nearing a return from a back issue.
Nikolas Nartey and Frans Kratzig are not expected back until October, and young talent Justin Diehl will be out even longer due to a shoulder injury sustained while playing for the B team.
Stuttgart’s hopes of success will largely depend on their attacking prowess. Ermedin Demirovic is in exceptional form, having scored five goals this season for both club and country, including two over the weekend.
Deniz Undav also made an impact by scoring his first league goal of the season against Gladbach, following his standout performances for Germany against the Netherlands during the international break.