Real Betis Balompié now know the demanding path they must handle upon their return to Europe's top competition. The Champions League league phase draw held in Monaco paired Manuel Pellegrini's team with some of the tournament's historic kings, led by Bayern Munich and Arsenal.
The Verdiblancos, back in the Champions League after 21 seasons, will face eight matches in this new phase. At home, at the Benito Villamarín stadium, they will host Arsenal, the current Premier League champions, as well as Porto, Feyenoord, and the surprising Italian side Como. Away from home, the schedule presents even greater challenges with trips to Germany to face six-time European champions Bayern Munich and 1997 winners Borussia Dortmund. The other travels will be to Lille and Slovan Bratislava.
A group of champions
The difficulty of the draw is evident, as Betis will face four teams that have lifted the European Cup. Besides the aforementioned Bayern and Dortmund, Porto won the tournament in 1987 and 2004, while Feyenoord did so in 1970. Arsenal, although yet to conquer the Champions League, are recent finalists and dominate English football. Pellegrini's team will look for key points in these duels to advance in the competition.
The first matchday of the tournament will be played between Tuesday 8 and Thursday 10 September. The definitive schedule with exact kick-off times will be known on Saturday 29 August. The phase concludes on 27 January, with all matches on the final day played at a unified time. For the Béticos, this return represents a huge challenge but also the reward for years of work. The squad, which you can review on our squad page, will have to rise to the occasion.
UEFA will distribute a total of 3.865 billion dollars among the participating clubs in all its competitions this season. From that amount, 2.874 billion, 74.38 percent, will be shared among the Champions League and Super Cup teams. The remainder will go to the Europa League and Conference League. Revenue from television rights and sporting performance will be vital for the Seville club's economy.
The next step for Betis is to prepare a pre-season focused on this enormous challenge. Fans can already mark the duels against the European giants on their calendars. The team's entire evolution and their path in the domestic league can be followed on our standings page. The team begins this adventure with the hope of competing at the highest level and leaving a good impression on their return to the elite.
