CHELSEA TAKES CHARGE: Michael Ballack (in blue) strides past Bordeaux’s Diego Placente on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge in London, England. Chelsea confirmed it's role as a favorite to lift the trophy. (Phil Cole/Getty Images)
The favored teams generally delivered the goods on Tuesday as Chelsea thumped Bordeaux 4–0, Inter Milan beat Panathinaikos 2–0, and Liverpool’s Steven Gerrard scored two to lead his team to a 2–1 win over Marseille. Barcelona also beat Sporting Lisbon 3–1.
The one surprise from Tuesday’s games was Champions League debutant CFR Cluj of Romania upsetting AS Roma of Italy 2–1.
Manchester United
Defending champion Manchester United take the field on Wednesday against familiar Spanish opponents Villareal, dubbed the “Yellow Submarine” for their all yellow uniforms. On paper, Villareal should prove to be United’s toughest test although the two games against Celtic will be the most exciting in the group.“It’s the Champions League and I think we are in a good group and I think we have a good chance of qualifying,” said United’s manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Villareal finished in second place in the Spanish Primera Liga last year ahead of Barcelona.
The final member of Manchester United’s group is little-known Danish team Aalborg.
This year’s Champions League features a few minnows, like Aalborg, along with the usual European powerhouses. The lesser-known teams from nations such as Cyprus (Anorthosis Famagusta), Belarus (BATE Borisov), and Romania (CFR Cluj) truly get the chance of a lifetime to participate. However, what often tends to be the case is that the huge gulf in skill between them and the big boys proves too much to overcome.
Real Madrid hosts BATE Borisov on Wednesday while the other two teams in Real’s group Juventus and Zenit St. Petersburg, last year’s UEFA Cup champion, play in Italy. This is a tricky group for Real but BATE Borisov should be awestruck against David Beckham’s former team.
Arsenal travels to Ukraine to face Dynamo Kiev. The Gunners have been firing on all cylinders lately after winning their last three games by a combined score of 11–0. Arsenal’s group also includes former champion FC Porto and Turkey’s Fenerbahce, a team that reached the quarterfinals last year.
German champion Bayern Munich returns to the Champions League after a run in the less prestigious UEFA Cup last year. Their group includes Fiorentina of Italy, French powerhouse Lyon, and Steaua Bucharest of Romania. Bayern travels to Bucharest while Lyon hosts Fiorentina in a well-balanced match.
The top two teams advance from each of the eight groups to the knockout rounds, which begin in late February. The group stage wraps up in December.
