MADRID: The format may be new, but few would bet against the winner staying the same.
As if record 15-time winners Real Madrid’s Champions League prospects were not great enough already, superstar striker Kylian Mbappe’s arrival makes Los Blancos the most daunting team in the competition.
German side Stuttgart have the honors of facing the reigning kings of Europe in the opening week of the competition, traveling to the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.
Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund in last season’s Wembley final to claim the trophy for the sixth time in the last 11 years.
Coach Carlo Ancelotti, the most decorated manager in the history of the tournament with five triumphs, has not yet found the perfect set-up to get Mbappe firing from open play, but few doubt he will.
The 25-year-old had arguably his best game for the club in the 2-0 win over Real Sociedad on Saturday in La Liga, threatening the Basque side with his pace and connecting well with Vinicius Junior in attack.
Mbappe scored, albeit from the penalty spot, and he is looking forward to his Champions League debut in Madrid’s resplendent white.
“It will be very important for me — as I said on the first day, I came to Madrid to live these type of nights,” explained the striker.
“I am very focused on what we have to do, the Champions League has changed a lot, it’s a new competition, and we have to win to start well.”
The new-look structure has thrown up ties for Madrid at home against Dortmund, in a rematch of last season’s showpiece, and away at Liverpool, whom they defeated in the 2022 final.
First come Stuttgart, continuing a streak of German opponents for Los Blancos, after they faced Bayern Munich in the semis before Dortmund in London.
Los Blancos have played one European game already this season, defeating Atalanta to win the UEFA Super Cup in August, with Mbappe scoring on his debut.
Madrid defender Antonio Rudiger came through Stuttgart’s youth system and played in the first team for four seasons.
Ancelotti has problems in midfield with Eduardo Camavinga, Dani Ceballos, Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni out injured, although the Italian was hopeful the latter two could take part against the Germans.
While Madrid’s shiny new toy Mbappe is drawing much of the attention, Ancelotti has plenty of stars at his disposal with the talent to turn defeats into draws and draws into victories, something of a penchant for the club, particularly under the lights in Europe.
Bellingham was Madrid’s key player for the first half of last season, making an immediate impact on his arrival from Dortmund.
Brazilian forward Vinicius was vital in the home straight, netting a brace in the semis against Bayern and scoring again in the final.
The forward has struggled to find his best level at the start of the season but his coach will show plenty of patience.
“We love him here because although right now he’s not at his best, nobody can forget that with Vini we have won two Champions Leagues,” pointed out Ancelotti last week.
Mbappe says he is working on his on-pitch relationship with Vinicius, with both netting penalties in the win over La Real.
“We try to find each other in training to create the connection and help the team,” continued Mbappe.
“He’s a great player and I’m happy to play with him in Real Madrid — what’s important is goals, not who takes the penalties.”
Mbappe has three La Liga goals from four games this season, including two penalties, while Vinicius has two, both from the spot.
Once the two forward are firing on all cylinders in open play Madrid’s already sizeable chance of winning the Champions League yet again will grow further still.

DOHA, Qatar: Joao Cancelo scored his first goal for Al-Hilal as the Saudi Arabian club beat Qatari club Al-Rayyan 3-1 in the Asian Champions League Elite tournament on Tuesday.
The Portuguese international, signed from Manchester City, scored just before halftime. Earlier, Serbia international Sergej Milinkovic-Savic opened the scoring for the four-time Asian champion. Cancelo then assisted Marcos Leonardo for the third before the break.
Early in the second half Roger Guedes scored for Al-Rayyan but it was the Saudi Arabians who came closest to scoring again as Aleksandar Mitrovic missed a penalty.
Al-Hilal’s Riyadh rival Al-Nassr drew 1-1 with Al-Shorta of Iraq on Monday when Cristiano Ronaldo stayed in Saudi Arabia after being diagnosed with a viral infection.
In this revamped tournament, the 24 teams have been divided into two groups of 12, divided into east and west geographic zones, and each plays eight games. The top eight from each group progresses to the round of 16.
There were goals galore in the east. South Korean debutant Gwangju FC won 7-3 against Yokohama F.Marinos, the Japanese team that lost in May’s final.
Chinese teams enjoyed a good start. Shandong Taishan defeated Central Coast Mariners of Australia 3-1 while Shanghai Port won 4-1 against Pohang Steelers, three-time winners, of South Korea.
Elsewhere, Japan’s Vissel Kobe and Buriram United of Thailand drew 0-0.