Paul Smith


Early season forays into the far reaching parts of Europe are now over; Europe’s premier club competition is set to welcome the continent’s elite to the table. Much has been said and written about England’s dominance of the Champions League in recent seasons, but it should not be forgotten that the current holders are Catalan giants Barcelona, who along with big spending Real Madrid (Madrid’s Bernabeu Stadium will host this season’s final) will provide another strong Spanish challenge. It goes without saying England’s ‘top four’ of Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and last season’s finalists Manchester United will be a match for anyone and it is difficult to see a winner coming from outside this group of six clubs. 

There are many familiar names along with a few new ones and in World Cup year, with players looking to perform at the highest level of club football to secure a place at South Africa, it promises to be an exciting Champions League campaign.

Group A

        

New head coach Louis van Gaal will be pleased that despite much speculation Luca Toni and Franck Ribery remain in Bavaria and will spearhead Bayern’s challenge. They are joined by Arjen Robben from Real Madrid and Mario Gomez from Stuttgart to form an attacking force to be reckoned with. The German giants will still be hurting from the way they were eliminated by Barcelona last season; a tie that ensured Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure in Munich would be short-lived, and will be eager to progress into the knock-out stages. That is of course assuming they negotiate Group A which contains both Juventus and French champions Bordeaux . 

The Turin club will be a threat to anyone. Juventus’ big summer signing Diego will be well known to Bayern fans after his outstanding spell with Werder Bremen. With Diego looking to feed a strike force of Alessandro Del Piero, Vicenza Iaquinta and David Trezeguet, Juventus will believe they can score goals. The brilliant Gianluigi Buffon along with the returning Fabio Cannavaro will ensure they don’t concede many. 

Laurent Blanc’s Bordeaux ended Lyon’s magnificent record of seven Ligue 1 titles in a row and fully deserve to be playing in the Champions League. The future of Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh dominated their summer with a move to either Arsenal or West Ham looking likely at one stage. He is still at Bordeaux and his physical presence will provide a stern test for any defence. Positively, Bordeaux have been able to secure the permanent signing of current Ligue 1 Player of the Season Yoann Gourcuff and the French playmaker will now be able to showcase his talents on Europe’s biggest stage.

Maccabi Haifa, the Israeli champions, should be the group’s whipping boys on paper. However, with a trip to Israel not on most clubs wish lists a good home record could see them sneak third place and a chance to progress to the Europa League after the winter break. 

Bayern Munich 09/10 ROBBEN     Juventus 09/10 Home DEL PIERO
Bayern Munich 09/10 home shirt ROBBEN                Juventus 09/10 home shirt DEL PIERO

Group B

       

At first sight Group B looks a comfortable draw for Manchester United, but on closer inspection Sir Alex Ferguson will not be looking forward to trips to Istanbul or Moscow. The one saving grace is that the trip to Moscow is in the latter part of October, before the Russian winter has had time to take hold. Despite this Manchester United should be formidable at home as well as having enough experience to pick up points in chilly Moscow and the Istanbul cauldron. It would be surprising if they did not finish top comfortably.

If Manchester United claim top spot then second place is very much up for grabs and it is difficult to pick a clear winner. Besiktas will be tough opponents on the banks of the Bosphorus with their boisterous home support, but Turkish teams historically don’t travel well and this could prove to be their downfall. The Super Lig champions will be counting on Brazilian striker Bobo to fire them forward.

CSKA Moscow are without the coveted Vagner Love after he was loaned back to Palmeiras in Brazil. The loss of the eccentric but brilliant striker is a blow, but they are an experienced European team consisting of technically gifted players such as Daniel Carvalho, who won’t be afraid to keep possession away from home. CSKA should be further boosted by the arrival of Juande Ramos as their new coach.

Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg have never experienced the Champions League before and are an unknown quantity at this level, but there is no doubt they have quality within their ranks. The Volkswagen owned club lost the services of manager Felix Magath to Schalke in the summer but retained the firepower of Grafite, Zvjezdan Misimovic and Edin Dzeko, who have the potential to trouble any of Europe’s top teams. 

Group C

    

A big summer of spending and a new wave of Galacticos have arrived at Real Madrid looking to win the Champions League in their own stadium next May. Group C arguably throws up the stand-out clash of the group stage, AC Milan vs. Real Madrid, with Brazilian playmaker Kaka playing against his former club. Whilst Real will want to grab the Primera Division title back from Barcelona, they do have a special affinity with the European Cup. Having won the competition nine times the fairytale of a tenth win on home soil is something their players will strive to make come true. If the Bernabeu side are vulnerable anywhere then it is likely to be at the back.

Milan, after spending a year’s hiatus in the UEFA Cup, will be hoping to make good progress in the competition. Their fans have despaired over their club’s lack of movement in the transfer market with the majority of the money received for Kaka being used to pay down debt, so new coach Leonardo will be hoping Klaas-Jan Huntelaar can find his shooting boots. That said, Milan will remain a side that should progress given the quality they can call upon.

Marseille will hope they can produce an upset but the Stade de Velodrome isn’t the most intimidating stadium and both Milan and Madrid will enjoy playing in the mild south of France climate. Realistically, Marseille should be looking to secure third place and progress to the Europa League.

The final club in the group is FC Zurich and it is difficult to see them finishing above fourth place although hosting Milan in Zurich in December does give them a chance of an upset if the Swiss winter begins to bite.

AC Milan 09/10 Third PIRLO            Real Madrid 09/10 Away KAKA
Milan 09/10 third shirt PIRLO                  Real Madrid 09/10 away shirt KAKA

 

 

Group D

    

The Champions League is the one trophy that still eludes Roman Abramovich and Chelsea fans will again have high hopes that they will be celebrating in the Santiago Bernabeu next May. The Blues’ preparations were recently dealt a hammer blow by a FIFA imposed transfer embargo for the next two transfer windows, but they have impressive strength in-depth in every position and as a result they should have no problem in negotiating Group D. However, problems could occur further down the line if Chelsea’s appeal is upheld. With key players such as Michael Essien and Didier Drogba on African Nations Cup duty in January their squad could become stretched in the latter stages if they are unable to acquire any new players.

The battle for second spot appears to be an Iberian contest between Atletico Madrid and Porto.  Diego Forlan remains an Atletico player despite another summer of transfer speculation, and the club have also kept hold of the much coveted Sergio Aguero who was heavily linked with a move to group opponents Chelsea. With the two South Americans still on board assisted by the likes of Maxi Rodriguez, Simao and Jose Antonio Reyes scoring goals shouldn’t be a problem. In recent seasons their weakness has been at the back. A leaking defence has impeded their performance both domestically and in Europe and is an issue they need to address if they hope to progress far in the competition.

Porto’s 2004 Champions League triumph now seems a distant memory, but they have an impressive record which sees them as regulars in the knock-out stages of the competition. They will feel confident that they can progress to the last 16 again although they will be weakened by the sale of star striker Lisandro to Lyon in the summer. The Portuguese giants will hope the talented Hulk can fill the gap.

The final club in Group D are the Cypriot Champions APOEL who eliminated FC Copenhagen to reach the group stage. They are very much the group underdogs and the best they can realistically achieve is third place and a spot in the Europa League.

Group E

  

Even though Liverpool fans are pining for a first domestic title since 1990, due to the nature of this season’s Premier League the Champions League could again represent their best chance of silverware. Rafael Benitez’s tactical nous in this competition along with their ability to frustrate teams defensively, especially away from home, means that they will be a name everyone will be happy to avoid.  However, Liverpool’s strength in-depth is questionable as well as their debatable overreliance on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, meaning the Reds could struggle to compete effectively on both the European and domestic fronts. Their experience of European football should mean they comfortably progress from the group stages, but they may not have the squad to go all the way.

Fiorentina finished third in last season’s group stages and will be hoping to go one better this time around. Over the summer La Viola sold influential midfielder Felipe Melo to Serie A rivals Juventus, but the Tuscany side still maintain a strike force of Alberto Gilardino, Adrian Mutu and Steven Jovetic which will worry any defence. Last season’s experience of this competition should stand them in good stead. 

Competing with Liverpool and Fiorentina for a chance to play in the last 16 are Lyon. It will be a strange experience for the Ligue 1 side this season as they enter the Champions League without holding the French title. The club now has vast experience of this competition, especially in regards to progressing through to the knock-out stages, and have acted on the loss of their French crown by acquiring the services of Lisandro Lopez from Porto who will prove to be a genuine goal threat.

Debrecen are the first Hungarian side in 14 seasons to reach the group stage. A partisan home crowd will provide a stern test for any visiting clubs but expect them to struggle on their travels. Third place and a spot in the Europa League is the best that they can expect.

Liverpool 09/10 Away KYRGIAKOS       Barcelona 09/10 Away IBRAHIMOVIC
Liverpool 09/10 away shirt KYRGIAKOS                          Barcelona 09/10 away shirt IBRAHIMOVIC

 

 


Group F

       

A fascinating group that sees Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Samuel Eto’o reunited with their former clubs and two European giants facing arduous journeys into the depths of Eastern Europe. Barcelona will be confident they can win this competition for the second year running and how sweet it would be if they can retain their title in the Bernabeu. The Camp Nou side will be expected to finish in the top two of the group, along with Inter.

Italian clubs have been quiet in recent Champions League campaigns and Inter offer the peninsula’s best chance of making a mark in this competition. Inter’s elimination at the hands of Manchester United last season raised concerns over the gap in quality between the top Italian and the top English sides. This is something Jose Mourinho will be looking to address this term. After dominating domestically in recent seasons Inter president Massimo Moratti craves the Champions League. Mourinho may well prioritise the competition in the latter stages.

Rubin Kazan are the reigning Russian champions and enter the Champions League for the first time. Simple geography offers Rubin’s best hope of making a mark on this group. The city of Kazan is situated deep in Central European Russia heading towards the border with Kazakhstan. The result being a horrendous journey for both Inter and Barcelona, and Rubin will be confident they can take advantage of this.
 
Fresh after reaching the semi-final of last season’s UEFA Cup Dynamo Kyiv are back in the Champions League on the back of another Ukrainian Premier League title. They are a team who everyone would like to avoid fearing a trip into the inhospitable Ukrainian capital. It is most likely Dynamo will have an Eastern European duel with Rubin for that third Europa League spot.

Group G

    

Sevilla, Rangers and Stuttgart will all fancy their chances of progressing from Group G. Ironically Stuttgart and Rangers were in the same group the last time the two clubs played in the Champions League in the 2007/2008 season.

Sevilla consolidated their position of strength in Spanish football by finishing third in La Liga behind Real Madrid and Barcelona. They will have been delighted to have kept hold of Brazilian striker Luis Fabiano after he was heavily linked to a move to AC Milan over the summer, and Freddie Kanoute will again prove to be a capable striker partner. Didier Zokora’s arrival from Tottenham Hotspur will add some steel to their midfield.

Rangers came out on top in their annual duel with Celtic for the SPL title and will be formidable at home in front of a raucous Ibrox crowd. The last time they were in the Champions League they ended up contesting the UEFA Cup final in the same season. The Scots will be delighted with this draw and will be hopeful of progressing to the last 16, but must improve their away record.

A mixed summer for Stuttgart on the transfer front saw them lose Mario Gomez to Bayern Munich, but welcome a former hero, Aliaksandr Hleb from Barcelona on a season long loan. Hleb will certainly be able to create chances, but will Gomez’s replacement Russian international Pavel Pogrebnyak be able to finish them on a regular basis? This could prove to be the difference between finishing second and third.

Former Chelsea defender Dan Petrescu worked wonders to win the Romanian title with Unirea Urziceni, and they make their Champions League debut. The club came from relative obscurity to win the Romanian title last season in only their third year as a top flight club. Petrescu’s team will have to play their home games at Steaua Bucharest’s stadium due to their own 7,000 seater not fulfilling UEFA criteria. This will prove to be a fantastic experience for them but playing their home games in a different stadium will prove detrimental to their chances of finishing higher than fourth in the group.


Arsenal 09/10 Away ARSHAVIN         Olympiacos 09/10 Away MELLBERG
Arsenal 09/10 away shirt ARSHAVIN                        Olympiakos 09/10 away shirt MELLBERG

 


Group H

       

Arsenal embark on another journey to try and claim the prize they desperately want. Arsene Wenger’s young side have gained experience in this competition over the past couple of seasons and will be hoping they can make it all the way to Madrid. Standing in their way is a tough group where easy games will be few and far between.

The Gunners have many reasons to be positive ahead of their campaign. Their possession style of play is well suited to European football and with players of the calibre of Andrei Arshavin, Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie, Arsenal should win the group. If there was one criticism of their squad, for all their flair and technique they still lack a combative central midfielder who can be competitive when the going gets tough. 

No PSV, no Ajax. Followers of Dutch football would be forgiven for rubbing their eyes in disbelief at seeing AZ Alkmaar as their only representatives in the group stage. AZ have been progressively building over the past few seasons and their arrival in the Champions League is no fluke. Unfortunately, the man who guided them to this stage is no longer at the club; Louis van Gaal left for Bayern Munich. Ronald Koeman is his replacement and will be hoping to pick up where his compatriot left off.

Olympiacos are another team who are Champions League regulars but find it difficult to progress too far beyond the group stage. The Greeks have only reached the quarter-final once and that over a decade ago. Defensively Olof Mellberg has signed from Juventus to bring experience to the backline and in midfield Enzo Maresca has joined from Sevilla. Former Blackburn striker Matt Derbyshire has been a revelation in Athens since his initial loan move and will be hoping to showcase his form on Europe’s biggest stage in the hope of catching the eye of England boss Fabio Capello.

Standard Liege have made headlines in Europe in recent seasons and will be hoping to do the same in the Champions League. They gave Liverpool an almighty scare in qualification last season and went on to eliminate Everton from the UEFA Cup. Standard have done well to hold on to attacking midfielder Steven Defour but news that he will likely miss the entire group stages with a broken foot is a huge blow to the Belgian side.
 

Our Latest Articles: