Inter handed Real Madrid and Dortmund trips as Liverpool heads to San Siro

Inter have been handed one of the more demanding Champions League league-phase schedules, with Liverpool visiting San Siro and away trips to Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund forming the headline fixtures of their European campaign.

The Serie A champions learned their eight opponents following Thursday’s draw in Monaco, with the club officially confirming four home matches against Liverpool, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk and Stuttgart.

Cristian Chivu’s side will travel to face Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Feyenoord and Slovan Bratislava.

Home — San Siro

- Liverpool - Club Brugge - Shakhtar Donetsk - Stuttgart

Away

- Real Madrid - Borussia Dortmund - Feyenoord - Slovan Bratislava

The Pot 1 pairing immediately raises the level of difficulty.

Liverpool will return to San Siro after also visiting Inter during last season’s league phase, while the Nerazzurri must travel to the Santiago Bernabéu for their meeting with Real Madrid. It gives Inter two heavyweight fixtures at opposite ends of their home-and-away allocation.

Borussia Dortmund adds another demanding road assignment. Inter won 2-0 in Dortmund on the final matchday of last season’s league phase, but another visit to Germany ensures Chivu’s side will again have to negotiate one of Europe’s more intense away environments.

The remaining draw offers a better balance without providing many obvious free points.

Club Brugge and Stuttgart both visit Milan, giving Inter home advantage against two potentially awkward opponents. Shakhtar Donetsk complete the San Siro programme, while Feyenoord represent another experienced European opponent away from home.

Slovan Bratislava is the lowest-seeded side on Inter’s schedule, but even that fixture requires travel rather than giving the Italian champions a fourth potentially favourable home assignment.

That distribution could prove important. Inter finished 10th in last season’s league phase and were forced into the knockout play-offs rather than qualifying directly for the round of 16. Under the current format, the top eight advance automatically, while teams finishing ninth to 24th face an additional two-legged tie.

Avoiding that extra round therefore places significant value on Inter maximising their opportunities at San Siro.

The exact order of the eight matches has not yet been determined. UEFA will publish the complete fixture schedule, including dates and kick-off times, no later than Saturday, August 29.

Until then, the central challenge is already obvious: Liverpool provide the marquee night in Milan, but Inter’s European position may ultimately be shaped away from home, where Real Madrid, Dortmund and Feyenoord give Chivu little margin for an indifferent start.