Every season, I indulge in the same thought experiment… What can I make out of the wreckage of the three relegated teams? Inevitably teams that get relegated tend to shed players and rebuild (Burnley and Norwich being two recent teams to go against that trend).

This year’s relegated Premier League sides are an odd mix. Let’s start with Newcastle United. They had a staggeringly good home record (10th overall) compared to their away form.  Over the summer a lot of money was splashed out — Aleksandar Mitrovic (£12m), Georginio Wijnaldum (£14.5m), Chancel Mbemba (£8m) and Florian Thauvin (£12m). Mitrovic was wildly inconsistent and at times very undisciplined. On the surface, it looks like Georginio Wijnaldum had an okay season with 11 goals and 5 assists. However, when one looks a little closer, it’s not quite so rosy. All 11 goals came at home, 7 in the first half of the season including 4 against Norwich.

Then came the January debacle — not bringing in Benitez sooner and some panic buys with mixed results. Jonjo Shelvey and Andros Townsend cost Newcastle £12m each. Townsend added some spark but Shelvey couldn’t make the starting XI under Benitez. Promising central midfielder Henri Saivet was bought for £5m but was rarely used. The most grievous error was dithering on the decision to replace McLaren with Benitez. Had that been done in January, Newcastle would very likely have stayed up.

After a promising start (2W-2L-3D after 7 matchdays), Norwich City tailed off and were never far away from the relegation zone the rest of the season. Their overall performance level was basically the same at home and away. Where it seemed to fall apart for them was during the second half of matches. It’s no surprise that the three relegated teams conceded the most second half goals of all teams in the league. This is where Norwich’s season could have been different. They were a much better first half team (almost 1/2 the number of goals conceded). Their collapse in the second half no doubt cost them several vital points over the course of the season.

What can I say about Aston Villa? It was a rough season for fans of this club. There never seemed to be any sense of fight or cohesion in the team. Without recounting the horrors, we can all agree that this relegation was several seasons in the making. They were the lowest scorers, and the side that conceded the most goals. To say anymore feels cruel, so let’s move along.

First, some notable omissions from the squad:

Micah Richards was praised highly by Tim Sherwood but it was a disastrous season for both of them. Richards did not play well and managed to turn the fans against him with repeated unprofessional conduct off the field. The same can be said of Joleon Lescott.

Sebastien Bassong won’t be on my team. Sorry Seb but you’ve been involved in six demotions over the past decade, including a staggering four relegations (Newcastle, Wolves and now twice with Norwich) from the Premier League since 2009.

Seydou Doumbia. Apparently his fitness levels didn’t warrant him getting a shot in the Newcastle shirt despite his decent goal scoring rate in the past. For this experiment, I’d give him a shot in the side if he were not a loan player. I kept the thought experiment to players whose rights are owned by the relegated sides, so it would be unfair to include him in the team.

Robbie Brady — Had some good outings for Norwich this year and provides solid two-way play. I opted for Redmond’s explosive pace. Brady would make a squad of 23 for certain but I kept this to a starting XI + 7 substitutes.

Here’s my all-star starting XI made up from the relegated teams:

Starting XI

GK – Tim Krul (Newcastle)
CB – Jamal Lascelles (Newcastle)
CB– Timm Klose (Norwich)
CB – Chancel Mbemba (Newcastle)
RB – Steven Whittaker (Norwich)
LB – Martin Olsson (Norwich)
CM – Alexander Tettey (Norwich)
CM– Idrissa Gueye (Aston Villa)
LM – Jordan Ayew (Aston Villa)
RM – Andros Townsend (Newcastle)
FW – Dieumerci Mbokani (Norwich)

As we’ve discussed, preventing goals is historically a major concern for sides fighting against relegation, so I went for a 5-4-1 formation that plays very deep and waits to counter-attack. The trio of Darlow, Lascelles and Mbemba helped Newcastle keep three clean sheets in the five appearances they made together to end the season. It took Benitez a few games to find the right pairing, which only underlines the bad decision to wait so late to change the manager. Even though Darlow looked good, I relegated him to the bench here and chose the experienced Tim Krul as my starting keeper.

In the midfield, it was important to draft in a couple of central midfielders to both provide a bit of cover to the defense as well as have some ability to get the attacks started with a good pass. Both Tettey and Gueye fit that requirement. Gueye was labeled a flop by some, and there’s no hiding that he had some rough outings. However, when we look at some of the stats, there is actually a favorable comparison to Leicester star N’Golo Kanté. I’m not suggesting that Gueye was as good as Kanté but I don’t think he’s as terrible as he’s been made to seem either. From an article on premierleague.com we can see the comparison:

Picking the forwards was really the hardest part of this process. None of the relegated sides really have a lethal goal-scoring threat. If they did, like Sunderland’s Jermain Defoe, then their seasons might have ended better.

Failure to score

Sunderland 34%
Newcastle 37%
Norwich  40%
Aston Villa 47%

I decided on two wide players with pace to deliver crosses to a tall, physical striker in Mbokani. Alternately, the CF can hold up the ball and play in one of the wide-men when they make an overlapping run on the counter-attack.  I had to drill down deep into the numbers to find someone to fill the center forward role. Mbokani’s numbers initially did not look that favorable 7 goals in 29 appearances. However, when you convert his 7 goals into a minutes per goal ratio, it’s one goal for every 226 minutes (compare that with Watford’s Odion Igahlo at 210 minutes or Southampton’s Shane Long at 211 minutes).

Bench

GK – Karl Darlow (Newcastle)

As discussed above, he was solid in Newcastle’s last matches of the season and would be familiar with the backup role he’d be asked to play here.

RB – Daryl Janmaat (Newcastle)

He was a solid attacking outlet in the early going but his performances and in particular, his defensive work, were increasingly shoddy as the season heated up. In this particular formation, he’d be useful as a wingback.

LB – Jordan Amavi (Aston Villa)

Amavi’s season ended  just months after joining Villa from Nice last summer. The French left-back had shown glimpses of promise before rupturing his cruciate ligament in November.

MF – Nathan Redmond (Norwich)

A bit one-dimensional but his pace can unnerve defenders and he has shown ability to score from long range. His crossing and passing could be better but he does create chances for himself and his teammates.

MF – Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle)

Sissoko can play in a few positions so adds value in that regard. The knock against Sissoko is that he goes missing in less glamorous fixtures. When his motivation is right he certainly has the physical tools to excel in the Premier League. I felt the potential rewards were worth the risk.

FW – Ayoze Pérez (Newcastle)

Another forward with pace to help with counter-attacking. Perez had hot and cold streaks this season and couldn’t seem to secure a regular starting spot for much of the year. I like the trickery and willingness to attack defenders that he showed.

CM – Johnny Howson (Norwich)

Howson offers cover for the central midfield and matches the combative spirit of the two starters I’ve selected. It was a bit of a struggle whether I wanted Howson or Westwood. Westwood is a better passer of the ball based on the stats but Howson offers a bit more on the defensive side.

UEFA’s ‘other’ competition, the Europa League, begins on Thursday, with 48 teams starting their journeys toward spring final in Basel, where one club will earn a berth in the 2016-17 Champions League.

Here is World Soccer Talk’s preview:

Group A

The groupings start off with what could be the toughest of the lot: Ajax (Netherlands), Celtic (Scotland), Fenerbahçe (Turkey) and Molde (Norway). Ajax and Celtic shifted into this competition after UEFA Champions League playoff round defeats. Their rivals entered after third qualifying round losses – Fenerbahçe lost out to Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine); Molde to Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia).

Ajax have made it through to the round of 32 in all three of their previous UEFA Cup and Europa League group stage campaigns. I see that trend continuing this season. Ajax have long had one of the best academies in Europe, and a recent product to keep your eye on is midfielder Davy Klaassen. Klaassen replaces the departed Niklas Moisander (transfer to Fiorentina) as club captain. Another academy product leading the scoring charts is winger Anwar El Ghazi. El Ghazi spent time in the youth academy of Feyenoord and Sparta Rotterdam before going to “finishing school” at Ajax. He’s started the domestic season on a tear, scoring six times in five matches.

Fenerbahçe had a busy summer in the transfer market, signing former Manchester United players Robin van Persie and Nani. It will be hoped that van Persie can replace the goals of the departed Moussa Sow (transfer to Dubai side Al-Ahli). With that added experience and firepower, not to mention the intimidating home atmosphere, Fenerbahçe are the team to beat in this group.

Celtic will have to find a way to improve both their set piece defending and their ability to close out games once if they hope to progress. Compounding their issues is the loss of center back Virgil van Dijk (transfer deadline day move to Southampton). Manchester United prospect Tyler Blackett arrived on a season-long loan, and having put in some impressive performances last season, Celtic will be optimistic that he can replace van Dijk.

Molde are struggling this season after winning the Tippeligaen in 2014. Manager Tor Ole Skullerud was fired after the club lost in the third round of Champions League qualifying. They are well off the pace domestically, trailing leaders Rosenborg by 21 points. Despite the struggles, Molde still possess some capable attackers in Mohamed Elyounoussi, Ola Kamara and Tommy Høiland. Being in late season form could help.

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

Fenerbahce vs. Molde, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Ajax vs. Celtic, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer Plus, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

Celtic vs. Fenerbahce, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Molde vs. Ajax, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Molde vs. Celtic, 3pm ET, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Fenerbahce vs. Ajax, 3pm ET, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Ajax vs. Fenerbahce, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Celtic vs. Molde, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

Celtic vs. Ajax, 3pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Molde vs. Fenerbahce, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

Fenerbahce vs. Celtic, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
Ajax vs. Molde, 1pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group B

Liverpool (England) will be the favorites to finish top and can be thankful for a favorable draw as the Reds are still a work in progress. They have attempted to strengthen their squad with the summer signings of James Milner, Danny Ings, Christian Benteke, Nathaniel Clyne and Roberto Firmino. However, they sold Raheem Sterling to Manchester City, and so far the goals have dried up for Liverpool. They started the domestic campaign with a pair of 1-0 wins, but their form has dropped dramatically since. Back to back losses have raised many questions about the defensive, as well. In both losses they conceded three goals, and the central pairing of Lovren and Skrtel have not covered themselves in glory.

FC Girondins de Bordeaux (France) have a poor record against English clubs — one win and two draws in 10 game — so they will hope for a change in fortunes against Liverpool on Matchday 1. Bordeaux finished sixth in Ligue 1 last season and currently sit 10th after five matches.

Their main attacking threat is midfielder Wahbi Khazri, a former France under-21 international who now plays for Tunisia at the international level. Khazri has started the domestic campaign with three goals in five matches and also scored in their playoff round first leg against FC Kairat Almaty (Kazakhstan). Bordeaux just held Paris Saint-Germain to a 2-2 draw, and if they continue to play in that manner, they’ll grab a spot in the Round of 32 ahead of Rubin Kazan and Sion.

FC Rubin Kazan (Russia) have successfully navigated their way through to the round of 32 in all three of their previous Europa League group stage appearances. However, they only entered into the Europa League this season because Dynamo Moscow failed to comply with UEFA’s financial fair play rules. They currently sit 12th in the Russian Premier League and have been held scoreless in four of their eight matches. Their main threat for goals is forward Igor Portnyagin.

FC Sion (Switzerland) are making their Europa League group stage debut, having qualified by winning the Swiss Cup. They finished seventh in the Swiss League last season and currently sit fifth this campaign. The player to watch for Sion is Pape Moussa Konaté, a Senegalese striker who currently has four goals in six domestic matches. I wouldn’t expect Sion to advance from this group, and they are likely to struggle against the quartet’s more experienced clubs.

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

Bordeaux vs. Liverpool, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.
FC Sion vs. Rubin Kazan, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

Liverpool vs. FC Sion, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN3.com (Spanish) and FOX Soccer 2GO (English)
Rubin Kazan vs. Bordeaux, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Liverpool vs. Rubin Kazan, 3pm ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Bordeaux vs. Sion, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Rubin Kazan vs. Liverpool, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Sion vs. Bordeaux, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

Rubin Kazan vs. Sion, 11am ET, FOX Sports 2, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Liverpool vs. Bordeaux, 3pm ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

Bordeaux vs. Rubin Kazan, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
Sion vs. Liverpool, 1pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group C

First place in the group should be Borussia Dortmund’s (Germany) to lose. The club still has many veterans of their Champions League quarterfinal run from 2013-14. Top players such as Mats Hummels, Marco Reus and Nuri Şahin give Dortmund a depth that other clubs in the group cannot match. Over the summer they added a mix of veterans like midfielder Gonzalo Castro (€11 million transfer from Bayer Leverkusen) as well as exciting young talent like Adnan Januzaj, who is on a season-long loan from Manchester United. Gone are forwards Kevin Großkreutz and Ciro Immobile, but the impact of their loss should be minimal.

Dortmund’s opposition in the group includes Greek side PAOK, who finished third in the Superleague last season. Their main attacking threats are Greek international Stefanos Athanasiadis and Slovak winger Róbert Mak, who paced them in qualifying with three goals. Last season’s joint top scorer, Facundo Pereyra, was shipped out by sporting director Frank Arnesen. You might recall the name from his time with Tottenham, Chelsea and Hamburger SV. Arnesen brought in Dimitar Berbatov on deadline day to help bolster the attack.

PAOK face Azerbaijani side Qäbäla FK, who signed Pereyra on loan. Qäbäla (often written as Gabala FK) have reason to be proud, having made it all the way from the first qualifying round to group stage. They knocked off some bigger sides on their way through, being well organized and maintaining a compact team shape at home (no goals conceded in four home games). Goals are an issue for this side, and they’ve struggled in away matches during qualifying. Unless there is a change in form, they will be facing an early exit.

FC Krasnodar (Russia) entered the Europa League at the third-qualifying round and defeated Slovan Bratislava on aggregate, 5-3. A true United Nations squad with 11 different nations represented, Krasnodar were founded just seven years ago and have now reached the group stage in consecutive seasons. To reach this level already is an amazing accomplishment for the ownership and current manager Oleg Kononov.

Some would say they’re doing it in the right way, as owner Sergey Galitsky has stated that rather than continue to buy players, the aim in the next few years is for more than half of FC Krasnodar first team to comprised of players developed by their extensive academy network. FC Krasnodar runs a network of youth football schools throughout the Krasnodar Krai and Adyghe regions. They finished third in their group last season, and I’m picking them to go one better this time and qualify for the Round of 32.

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

Borussia Dortmund vs. FC Krasnodar, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 2, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Gabala vs. PAOK, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

PAOK vs. Borussia Dortmund, 3pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Krasnodar vs. Gabala, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Gabala vs. Dortmund, 11am ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
PAOK vs. Krasnodar, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Krasnodar vs. PAOK, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Dortmund vs. Gabala, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 2, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

Krasnodar vs. Borussia Dortmund, 11am ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
PAOK vs. Gabala, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

Gabala vs. Krasnodar, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
Borussia Dortmund vs. PAOK, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group D

This could well be the dreaded “Group of Death” that every cup competition seems to provide.

Club Brugge (Belgium) will hope to put aside the heavy defeat in Champions League playoffs against Manchester United (7-1 on aggregate). Brugge made it to the quarterfinals of last season’s Europa League but are drawn into a tricky group this time around.

What I learned by watching Brugge against Manchester United was that they have players that can create chances. I was aware of Victor Vazquez, the former Barcelona academy player, before the playoffs, but the two legs against the Red Devils brought forward Tuur Dierckx to my attention. Playing out on the left, he was eager to attack defenders and sent a few good looking crosses into the penalty area. If they can have a bit more solidity at the back (they’ve conceded eight times in seven domestic matches), their chances of progressing will improve.

Napoli (Italy) are off to a slow start in Serie A with only two points from three matches. There’s been no major change in the squad (Gökhan Inler was the only departure), but there has been a change in managers. Rafa Benitez left to take over at Real Madrid and Maurizio Sarri was hired to lead Napoli.

Sarri has bounced around several Italian clubs but is best known for his recent work with Empoli. He managed them to promotion from Serie B in 2013-14 and against the odds kept them in Serie A with a 15th place finish last season. If the wins don’t start rolling in, Sarri will quickly find himself under pressure. This squad has the talent to progress to the Round of 32 but must show a more complete game to advance.

One might be tempted to overlook Legia Warszawa (Poland) in this group, but they have made it to the round of 32 in two of their three UEFA Cup and Europa League group stage campaigns. More relevantly, Legia are in great form, having won all six of their qualifying games to make it to the group stage.

FC Midtjylland (Denmark) are a club that I got interested in at the start of last season. Matthew Benham (owner of English Championship side Brentford) saw value in a club that was knocking on the door of European cup competitions for several seasons. He became the majority shareholder of FC Midtjylland and they went on to win their first major trophy — the Danish Championship.

Benham has instilled a data-driven approach to ­developing players based on the ‘Moneyball’ methods introduced by the Oakland Athletics baseball club in the 1990s. Much like FC Krasnodar, they are rejecting the big money deals of the transfer market and are continuing the good work started by their academy in 2004. That’s not to say they don’t spend, just carefully. An example would be their €1 million deal for striker Martin Pušić in last season’s winter transfer window. He went on to score eight times in 16 matches and helped them to secure their first title.

This group seems impossible to predict, so a prediction is obviously in order. I’m going to go with Midtjylland and Legia Warszawa strictly based on current form.

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

Midtjylland vs. Legia Warsaw, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Napoli vs. Brugge, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

Legia Warsaw vs. Napoli, 3pm ET, ESPN3.com (Spanish) and FOX Soccer 2GO (English)
Brugge vs. Midtjylland, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Legia vs. Brugge, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Midtjylland vs. Brugge, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Napoli vs. Midtjylland, 1pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Brugge vs. Legia Warsaw, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

Legia Warsaw vs. Midtjylland, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Brugge vs. Napoli, 3pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

Midtjylland vs. Brugge, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
Napoli vs. Legia Warsaw, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Group E

Czech league champions FC Viktoria Plzeň should be considered favorites to progress. They lost in the third round of Champions League qualifying to Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) but breezed past Serbian side Vojvodina in the Europa League playoff round (5-0 on aggregate).

Plzeň successfully navigated their way through their only previous Europa League group stage in 2012-13. The squad is largely comprised of Czech or Slovak born players except for top scorer Aidin Mahmutović. The Bosnian striker led the team with 12 goals last season. However, a new threat is emerging in Slovak forward Michal Ďuriš, who is the leading scorer this season with four goals in six domestic matches.

Villarreal (Spain) finished sixth in La Liga and gained automatic entry to the group stage. Goals were in short supply last season, when the Spanish club finished with a mere 48 goals in 38 games but only conceded 37. They’ve attempted to add some spark by signing Congo international Cédric Bakambu, who scored 21 times in 35 games for Turkish club Bursaspor. He’s already paying off, having scored three times in his first two appearances for the club. Another big signing that’s off to a flying start is Roberto Soldado who joined from Tottenham for a reported £10 million (less than half what Tottenham paid for him in the summer of 2013). Soldado has two goals and two assists in three matches. With this new attacking verve, I like Villareal’s chances of advancing.

Rapid Wien finished second in the Austrian Bundesliga last campaign and find themselves again second so far this term. They are without striker Robert Berić, last season’s top scorer with 27 goals, who has moved to French club Saint-Étienne. Since his departure, the goals have largely been coming from midfield, with Austrian under-21 Florian Kainz and Germans Louis Schaub and Steffen Hofmann leading the way. But results have started to slip since Berić departed, and unless either Deni Alar or Matej Jelić emerge as a consistent threat, their chances to progress are shaky.

Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) needed extra time against FC Zurich (Switzerland) in the third qualifying round and went to a penalty shootout to defeat Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) in the playoffs. There’s no such outlet for them in the group stage, so they will need to improve on their ability to close out matches. In both cases, they led after the first leg and simply could not hang onto their lead.

Goal production has been coming from Serbian winger Nenad Adamović (six league goals) and Montenegrin striker Fatos Bećiraj (eight league goals). Bećiraj also scored the extra-time winner over Zürich.

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

Rapid Vienna vs. Villarreal, 1pm ET, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Viktoria Plzen vs. Dinamo Minsk, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

Villarreal vs. Viktoria Plzen, 3pm ET, ESPN Deportes (Spanish) and FOX Soccer 2GO (English)
Dinamo Minsk vs. Rapid Vienna, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Villarreal vs. Dinamo Minsk, 3pm ET, FOX Sports 2, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Rapid Vienna vs. Plzen, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Dinamo Minsk vs. Villarreal, 1pm ET, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Plzen vs. Rapid Vienna, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

Dinamo Minsk vs. Plzen, 11am ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
Villarreal vs. Rapid Vienna, 3pm ET, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

Rapid Vienna vs. Dinamo Minsk, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
Plzen vs. Villarreal, 1pm ET, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group F

It’s been a summer of change at Olympique de Marseille (France), with forwards André Ayew (10 league goals) and André-Pierre Gignac (21 league goals), playmaker Dimitri Payet (17 assists in 36 league appearances) and midfielder Florian Thauvin (5 goals, 8 assists) all departing. Gignac’s 21 Ligue 1 goals put him second in the league. Marseille has dipped into the loan market to try and bolster the squad. Mauricio Isla has joined from Juventus, Remy Cabella from Newcastle United and young talents Javier Manquillo and Lucas Silva have joined from Atletico and Real Madrid, respectively.

Former Real Madrid midfielder Míchel has a big job on his hands getting the squad to gel. So far, the results have not been going there way, and they sit mid-table. Marseille were shut out in three of their first five games, a trend that has to reverse if they want to progress.

FC Groningen (Netherlands) embark on their first Europa League group stage campaign and face Marseille on Matchday 1. Could an upset result be on the cards? Well, Groningen lost some key components this summer, including attacking midfielder Tjaronn Chery, who joined Queens Park Rangers in England’s second division. Chery netted 15 times in 34 league matches. His goals could be replaced by new signing Jesper Drost. Drost is a 22-year-old attacking midfielder who has great skill and the ability to accelerate quickly with the ball at his feet. Definitely one to watch in this group.

In what is the recurring theme in this group, Braga (Portugal) also lost their top scorer from last season when Éder moved to English Premier League club Swansea City for an estimated £5 million fee. Braga have a replacement in Ahmed Hassan, who they signed from Rio Ave.

Braga qualified directly for the group stage based on last season’s fourth place finish. They’re a defensively solid team and that will continue to be their strength. I like their chances of progressing based on that.

FC Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic) have won all four of their European games this season, conceding just once in the process. Their defense was nowhere near that solid last season (43 goals conceded in 30 league matches), so it will be interesting to see how they hold up against sterner competition.

Liberec finished 12th in the Czech League and gained entry to the tournament via their winning the Czech Cup. They have made significant personnel changes in their backline (several players moved on, Ondrej Svedjik was brought in on loan from Sparta Prague, and the club made the permanent signing of goalkeeper Tomas Koubek, also from Sparta Prague).

Liberec made it through to the round of 32 in 2013-14, but I’m less convinced about their chances this season.

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

Slovan Liberec vs. Braga, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Groningen vs. Marseille, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

Marseille vs. Slovan Liberec, 3pm ET, ESPN3.com (Spanish) and FOX Soccer 2GO (English)
Braga vs. Groningen, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Braga vs. Marseille, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Liberec vs. Groningen, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Marseille vs. Braga, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Groningen vs. Liberec, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

Braga vs. Liberec, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Marseille vs. Groningen, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

Liberec vs. Marseille, 1pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Groningen vs. Braga, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Group G

FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) have redemption on their mind after being beaten by Sevilla in last season’s final. They have to be an early favorite in this group, having successfully made it through their previous three group stage campaigns. Yevhen Seleznov is deployed as a lone striker and is off to a hot start with five goals in seven domestic matches. Dnipro are usually tough for other teams to score against, and I would expect a similar approach this season, with 1-0 being a frequent scoreline. Dnipro will hope they are on the right side of that outcome more often than not.

As previously discussed in our Champions League playoff preview, Lazio (Italy) are largely an unchanged squad from last season. They relied on goals from a variety of sources without an out and out main threat. Miroslav Klose led the way with 16 in all competitions while Antonio Candreva, Felipe Anderson and Marco Parolo all reached double figures. A late summer signing has been the top goal-getter thus far this season. Alessandro Matri joined at the end of the transfer period on a loan deal from AC Milan and scored two goals in his debut in a 2–0 win over Udinese.

Overall, Lazio are off to a slow start, losing to Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana, being soundly defeated by Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League playoffs and suffering a crushing 4-0 defeat away to Chievo in their second match of the Serie A campaign. Manager Stefano Pioli has a lot of work to do to get the side in more consistent form.

AS Saint-Étienne (France) finished fifth in Ligue 1 last season and defeated Romania club Târgu Mureș and Moldovian side Milsami to reach the group stage. I felt that Saint-Étienne had made a couple of really clever signings during the transfer season and could be a surprise performer in this group. I enjoyed watching Kévin Théophile-Catherine play for Cardiff City during their Premier League campaign. He added an attacking threat to the left side of the team while still defending well. Unfortunately, he broke a bone in his foot and will be out for up to three months. The other signing I liked was the addition of Robert Berić from Rapid Wien. Nolan Roux, a summer signing from Lille, has been playing as a No. 9 but has never been a prolific scorer. Ligue 1 is a step up in competition for Berić, but I think he’ll still produce goals given time to settle into the team.

Rosenborg (Norway) is one of two sides (Gabala FK the other) who have made it all the way from the first qualifying round to the group stage of this season’s competition. Along the way, the Norwegian champions have defeated some famous names – Romania’s FC Steaua Bucureşti and Hungary’s Debreceni VSC. The club is also leading the Tippeligaen
by a wide margin.

Rosenborg play with an attack minded 4-3-3 formation and forwards Alexander Søderlund and Pål André Helland have been scoring goals by the bucket load this season. Søderlund has tallied 25 goals in 32 total appearances in 2015 while Helland has 22 in 27. The third member of the front trio, Tobias Pilegaard Mikkelsen has chipped in 10 goals.

Rosenborg will hope this dominant form continues and gets them into the Round of 32, a place they have not been to since 2007-08.

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

Dnipro vs. Lazio, 3pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Saint Etienne vs. Rosenborg, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

Rosenborg vs. Dnipro, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Lazio vs. Saint Etienne, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Lazio vs. Rosenborg, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Dnipro vs. St. Etienne, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Rosenborg vs. Lazio, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
St. Etienne vs. Dnipro, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

Lazio vs. Dnipro, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Rosenborg vs. St. Etienne, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

Dnipro vs. Rosenborg, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
St Etienne vs. Lazio, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Group H

My choice for top spot will be Beşiktaş JK. The Turkish club finished third in the Superlig last season and are off to a solid start again this campaign. They have also turned to some veterans for help, bringing in Ricardo Quaresma and Mario Gomez.

I do have a bit of personal bias, as I’m a fan of Canadian Atiba Hutchinson, one of our best players ever. He predominantly plays as a holding midfielder with Beşiktaş but in the past has also played on the right side of midfield or as a full back on either side of the pitch.

Beyond the familiar names are the real key components for Beşiktaş. Wingers Gökhan Töre and Olcay Şahan are the driving force in the squad and shone in last season’s Europa League campaign. Expect more dazzling wing play from the pair this time around.

Sporting Clube de Portugal had a busy offseason. Gone are the likes of Nani and Diego Capel, but what might hurt a bit more is the loss of young, talented defenders Cédric Soares and Naby Sarr. Joining the club are central defender Naldo (from Udinese), creative winger Bryan Ruiz (from Fulham) and a couple of veterans in right back João Pereira and central midfielder Alberto Aquilani. After narrowly missing out on advancing to the Champions League Round of 16 last season, Sporting will have a point to prove and should be able to advance out of this group.

Lokomotiv Moskva’s capture of the Russian Cup gave them direct entry to the Europa League group stage. Lokomotiv struggled for goals last season (41 goals in 37 total matches), but so far this campaign things have gone a bit differently. They are using the same 4-2-3-1 formation as last season but have changed personnel in the striker and trequarista positions. No one has established themselves as the dominant players in either role, but more goals are being produced. Striker Oumar Niasse has performed best in the early going with three goals in fiveappearances. Winger Alan Kasaev has already equalled his three league goals from last season. If Lokomotiv can continue to find goals then they will push Sporting for second.

Albanian club Klubi Futbollistik Skënderbeu Korçë are making their debut appearance at the group stage level of any UEFA competition. Not only is it Skënderbeu’s debut, it marks the first time an Albanian club has progressed to the group stage of a European competition. Their march to this point started back on July 14th in the Champions League second qualifying round. They lasted until the final hurdle, when they were simply outclassed by Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia). Based on what I saw in those two matches, I’m afraid that more of the same is the likely result for Bardhekuqtë (The White and Reds).

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

Sporting vs. Lokomotiv Moscow, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Skenderbeu vs. Besiktas, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

Besiktas vs. Sporting, 1pm ET, ESPN3.com (Spanish) and FOX Soccer 2GO (English)
Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Skenderbeu, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Besiktas, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Sporting vs. Skenderbeu, 1pm ET, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Besiktas vs. Lokomotiv Moscow, 11am ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Skenderbeu vs. Sporting, 3pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

Lokomotiv Moscow vs. Sporting, 1pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Besiktas vs. Skenderbeu, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

Sporting vs. Besiktas, 3pm ET, FOX Sports 2, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Skenderbeu vs. Lokomotiv Moscow, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Group I

Basel (Switzerland) would love to reach the final this season, as it is being played in their home stadium. First things first though, Basel will feel some confidence in this grouping having already overcome the Lech Poznań 4-1 on aggregate in this season’s UEFA Champions League third qualifying round. In case that didn’t provide enough headlines, Basel also face their ex-manager Paulo Sousa, who is now the Fiorentina boss. With their wealth of European experience and current form (they are undefeated in eight domestic league matches with a +15 goal difference), I’m picking Basel as the winner of this group.

Fiorentina (Italy) are another club with redemption on their minds. On their run to the semifinals last season, the Viola defeated Tottenham and Roma before they lost to eventual winners Sevilla. Gone are Mario Gómez (on loan to Beşiktaş), winger Mohamed Salah (loan from Chelsea ended), and midfielders Joaquín, Alberto Aquilani, Juan Manuel Vargas and David Pizarro. As the transfer period was coming to a close, Fiorentina brought in Jakub Błaszczykowski on loan from Borussia Dortmund to try and replace the speed and wing play that Salah had contributed last campaign. The club is also hoping that a fit Giuseppe Rossi will translate into a steady supply of goals. After two major knee injuries have cost him two seasons, can he hold up? Let’s hope so, as his goal scoring rate with Fiorentina has been good (17 in 26 appearances). Fiorentina and Basel should be able to advance from this group thanks to drawing some weaker opposition.

Polish champions Lech Poznań, nicknamed Kolejorz or The Railwayman, are back in the group stage for the first time since the 2010-11 season. They were knocked out at the third round of qualifying in three consecutive seasons. This year’s path was a little different as they lost to Basel in the third round of Champions League qualifying before defeating Hungarian side Videoton in the Europa League playoff round.

Their talisman is Finnish attacking midfielder Kasper Hämäläinen, who lead the way with 15 goals and eight assists in all competitions last season. They’ve added center forward Denis Thomalla from German second division club Rasenballsport Leipzig. Thomalla spent last season on loan in the Austrian Bundesliga with SV Reid where he scored 10 goals and added seven assists in 29 matches. Despite that, I don’t see them being able to take any points off the top two clubs in the group.

Belenenses (Portugal) are the likely last place finishers in this group. They finished sixth in the Primeira Liga. No matter the outcome, Belenenses will be proud of making their UEFA group stage debut. This will be the longest campaign in their European history (at least 10 games). Their longest previous outing was a four-game trip to the 1988-89 UEFA Cup second round. Belenenses will not be simple to beat but I feel their cautious approach and lack of goals (no player reached double digits last season) will be their ultimate undoing.

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

Fiorentina vs. FC Basel, 3pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Lech Poznan vs. Belenenses, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

Belenenses vs. Fiorentina, 1pm ET, ESPN3.com (Spanish) and FOX Soccer 2GO (English)
FC Basel vs. Lech Poznan, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Fiorentina vs. Lech Poznan, 1pm ET, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Basel vs. Belenenses, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Belenenses vs. FC Basel, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Lech Poznan vs. Fiorentina, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

FC Basel vs. Fiorentina, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Belenenses vs. Lech Poznan, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

Fiorentina vs. Belenenses, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
Lech Poznan vs. FC Basel, 3pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group J

Tottenham Hotspur crashed out in the Round of 32 last season and will look to go much further this time around. The overhaul of the squad continued this offseason with more departures than arrivals. The big summer signings were forward Heung-Min Son (£22 million from Bayer Leverkusen) and central defender Toby Alderweireld (£11.5 million from Atlético Madrid). They should be improvements on the players in those positions that have departed — Vlad Chiricheș and Roberto Soldado. The team is built around English striker Harry Kane and so far he’s not found the scoresheet. Spurs will need to find some goals from Kane and others if they are to progress.

Anderlecht finished third in the Belgian league last season, which granted them automatic entry to the Europa League group stage. The player to watch is 18-year-old Youri Tielemans, the youngest Belgian player to play in the UEFA Champions League, making his debut in 2013 when he was just 16 years old. He’s off to a hot start this season with three goals and an assist in six domestic matches.

Of worry for Anderlecht is that they have won only one of their last eight European home games. I don’t see their fortunes changing anytime soon as they face Monaco on Matchday 1 and their record against French clubs is quite poor — they are without a win in their last five encounters with Ligue 1 sides.

Monaco (France) missed out on the Champions League group stage after being defeated by Valencia. The big sale was Anthony Martial to Manchester United for a reported initial fee of £36 million in a deal that could net the club as much as £58m, including the percentages Martial’s former clubs Lyon and CO Les Ulis will claim. However, Monaco also attracted some top players on loan — defender Fábio Coentrão from Real Madrid and Stephan El Shaarawy from AC Milan.

Shaarawy is a particularly interesting prospect. He’s been hampered by injuries the past couple of seasons but has pace, agility, dribbling ability, and technical skill to be a star player. If he can stay healthy, Shaarawy could add the creative spark that Monaco is lacking at the moment. I see them battling for second place in the group with Anderlecht.

Azerbaijani champions Qarabağ Futbol Klubu are the the second team from their nation to advance to the group stage of a European competition. They missed out on the Champions League, losing to Red Bull Salzburg in the third qualifying round. They have struggled every season as they face bigger and more experienced clubs, and I don’t see that trend reversing. Even domestically they did not have a dominant goal scorer, and that will not help them get results in this competition.

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Qarabag, 3pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Anderlecht vs. Monaco, 3pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

AS Monaco vs. Spurs, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN3 (Spanish) and FOX Soccer 2GO (English)
Qarabag vs. Anderlecht, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Monaco vs. Qarabag, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Anderlecht vs. Spurs, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Qarabag vs. Monaco, 11am ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Tottenham vs. Anderlecht, 3pm ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

Monaco vs. Anderlecht, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Qarabag vs. Spurs, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

Anderlecht vs. Qarabag, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
Spurs vs. Monaco, 3pm ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group K

Schalke (Germany) automatically qualified for the group stage because of their sixth place finish in the Bundesliga last season. They had a strong run in last season’s Champions League and narrowly lost to Real Madrid by a 5-4 aggregate in the Round of 16.

All’s not rosy, though, as midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng remains suspended by the club for incidents back in May of this year. Forward Sidney Sam was also on the outside looking in but the transfer of Jefferson Farfan to Al-Jazira in the United Arab Emirates gave him an opportunity to rejoin the squad. Star winger Julian Draxler has also been sold to Wolfsburg for €36 million.

In response Schalke have added more depth in the defensive end with the signings of holding midfielder Johannes Geis from Mainz and central defender Matija Nastasić from Manchester City. Argentine Franco Di Santo was added from Werder Bremen, but I don’t see that resulting in a large upswing in goals.

Schalke are not a prolific scoring team, but they are well experienced ,and despite the ups and downs of the summer, they have more talent than the other sides in this group. Schalke will progress, but likely through a good helping of 1-0 victories.

Czech champions Sparta Praha, or Železná Sparta (Iron Sparta) as they are nicknamed, should be the odds on favorites to progress along with Schalke. They had a tough draw in the third qualifying round for the Champions League and ultimately lost to CSKA Moscow by a single goal. The two legs were thrilling, and Sparta gave a great accounting of themselves. They then had another entertaining pair of matches against FC Thun of Switzerland in the Europa League playoff round. Sparta were up 3-1 from the home leg and drew 3-3 away to progress. It probably didn’t help that their back four was a bit unsettled by the transfer of Pavel Kaderábek to TSG 1899 Hoffenheim of the German Bundesliga. They look to have settled on Markus Steinhöfer who joined from VfR Aalen who were relegated from the German second division last season.

Sparta’s key man, captain David Lafata, was their leading scorer last season and looks to lead them again this year, even though he will turn 34 this week. He scored a staggering 13 goals in 11 European club games last season. Definitely one to watch out for.

APOEL were double winners last season, capturing the Cypriot First Division and Cypriot Cup honors. They did lose some key elements from last season’s squad – striker Rafik Djebbour (17 goals in 28 matches) jumped to AEK Athens and left back John Arne Riise left to play for Delhi Dynamos in the Indian Super League.

Fernando Cavenaghi has joined from Argentine club River Plate to try and provide goals. So far so good, as he’s scored three in two domestic matches. Cavenaghi has never had a great goal scoring record when he’s played in stronger leagues (Russia, France or Spain), so his impact in this adventure may be limited.

Asteras Tripolis FC finished third in the Greek Superleague last season, their highest finish ever. They also reached the finals of the Greek Cup and took Olympiacos to extra time before losing.

Like many of the smaller clubs in this competition, they lost their top scorer from last season during the summer transfer window when Jerónimo Barrales moved to Turkish club Sivasspor. With that loss of goals, they will struggle against the Schalke and Sparta in particular. Their European adventure will almost certainly end at the group stage this year.

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

APOEL vs. Schalke, 3pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Asteras Tripolis vs. Sparta Praha, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

Schalke vs. Asteras, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Sparta Praha vs. APOEL, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Schalke vs. Sparta Praha, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
APOEL vs. Asteras, 1pm ET, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Sparta Praha vs. Schalke, 3pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Asteras vs. APOEL, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

Schalke vs. APOEL, 1pm ET, FOX Sports 2, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Sparta Praha vs. Asteras, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

APOEL vs. Sparta Praha, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
Asteras vs. Schalke, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Group L

This is another tough group to predict. Let’s start by looking at Athletic Club de Bilbao (Spain). They lost to Italian club Torino in the Round of 32 last season after dropping into the competition from the Champions League. They finished their domestic campaign in seventh and had to go through Europa League qualifying to reach the group stage this year. They did just enough to defeat Slovak club MŠK Žilina in the playoffs and will need to improve their form if they hope to better last season’s results.

A rarity here — a club that kept their top scorer over the summer. Aritz Aduriz netted 18 times in 31 La Liga matches and is off to a decent start again this year. Having that continuity and reliable source of goals gives Bilbao an edge on the rest of the teams in their group. I look for them to finish first. We will then see if they can progress beyond the Round of 32.

AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands) finished third in the Eredivisie last year well behind both Ajax and PSV. Once again a top scorer is on the move, this time Nemanja Gudelj (11 league goals) was signed by Ajax for €6 million. If that was not enough, winger Steven Berghuis, who also had 11 goals, moved to Watford in the English Premier League and striker Aron Jóhannsson (nine goals) moved to Werder Bremen.

So far this season, attacking midfielder Markus Henriksen has been their lone consistent threat. If that trend continues, they could find themselves struggling to get results domestically and in the Europa League.

FC Augsburg are making their continental debut after a long climb through the lower divisions of German football. They achieved promotion to the 2. Bundesliga for 2006-07 season and began life in the top division in 2011-12. They jumped to a fifth place finish last year, one that no one saw coming. They achieved it largely on their home record, losing only four times in 17 matches. If they can make the most of their home atmosphere in this campaign, could another fairytale ending be achieved? They’ll need to draw on the experience of their forward Halil Altıntop (previously with Schalke from 2006-10) to keep heads calm.

The uphill battle for them is that they lack the sort of forward that can change a game for them. Last season’s top scorer, Raúl Bobadilla, only recorded 10 goals in 32 league matches.

To keep the theme going, Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) sold the contract of last season’s top scorer, Petar Skuletic, to Lokomotiv Moscow, and second leading scorer Danko Lazovic left on a free transfer for Chinese club Beijing Enterprises. However, they have made a signing that looks promising. The well traveled Valeri Bojinov (formerly of Manchester City, Fiorentina, Juventus and others) has signed on for the season and has already produced four goals in five appearances (360 minutes on the field). A product of their academy, center forward Ivan Šaponjić, has also had a hot start with three goals in four appearances.

I’m going to go with Partizan as the dark horse in this group. I think they could produce enough upset results to go on.

TV schedule:

Thursday, September 17:

Athletic Bilbao vs. Augsburg, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer Plus, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO.
Partizan vs. Alkmaar, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 1:

AZ Alkmaar vs. Athletic Bilbao, 1pm ET, ESPN Deportes (Spanish) and FOX Soccer 2GO (English)
Augsburg vs. Partizan, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, October 22

Alkmaar vs. Augsburg, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Partizan vs. Athletic, 1pm ET, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 5

Augsburg vs. AZ Alkmaar, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Athletic vs. Partizan, 3pm ET, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, November 26

AZ Alkmaar vs. Partizan, 1pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO.
Augsburg vs. Athletic, 1pm ET, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO.

Thursday, December 10

Partizan vs. Augsburg, 3pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Athletic vs. AZ Alkmaar, 3pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

It’s the time of the year that most soccer fans look forward to — the return of the UEFA Champions League. Beginning in September, the biggest clubs in Europe start their journey through the Group stages as they try to progress through the competition and dream of an appearance in the final at the San Siro in Milan, Italy.

To help make your experience as enjoyable as possible, we’ve put together a preview, which also includes the schedule and TV times (that are available).

SEE MORE: Where to find the UEFA Champions League on US TV and streaming.

Here’s our preview of the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League group stage:

Group A

Welcome to the big stage, Malmö. After defeating Celtic in the playoff round, what is your reward? Ties against Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Shakhtar Donetsk.

It’ll be fascinating to see how PSG’s marquee summer signing, Angel di Maria, is deployed and what impact he has particularly against his former club. Gone from the Parisian side is midfielder Yohan Cabaye but his involvement in last season’s campaign was minimal.

Real Madrid’s marquee signing never arrived. The David de Gea saga dragged on right until the last minutes of the transfer window but the deal never went through. Accusations have flown in both directions and perhaps we’ll never know what really happened. Regardless of who scuppered the deal, Real did replace a couple of parts of their starting XI. In the midfield, Croatian Mateo Kovačić has joined from Internazionale while Asier Illarramendi and Sami Khedira have departed. Khedira’s contract expired and he signed with Serie A champions Juventus. The player to watch is Danilo Luiz da Silva. Joining from Porto for €31.5M, he and fellow Brazilian Marcelo should give Real a lot of width when on the attack.

I expect PSG and Real Madrid to battle over the top 2 spots and I see PSG finishing just ahead of Real Madrid with probably a win at home and a draw away at the Spanish side. Despite the personnel loss, Douglas Costa, Luiz Adriano and Fernando all departed over the summer, Shakhtar Donetsk should have enough to get themselves into a Europa League spot.

Despite their good performance against Celtic, Malmö are unlikely to make much impact in this group.

TV schedule:

Tuesday, September 15

Real Madrid vs. Shakhtar Donetsk, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net and FOX Soccer 2Go and ESPN Deportes
PSG vs Malmo, 2:45pm ET, ESPN2 and FOX Soccer 2Go, ESPN3 and WatchESPN

Wednesday, September 30

Malmo vs. Real Madrid, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net and FOX Soccer 2Go
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. PSG, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Wednesday, October 21

PSG vs. Real Madrid, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer Plus, FOX Deportes and FOX Soccer 2Go
Malmo vs. Shakhtar Donetsk, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, November 3

Real Madrid vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 1:45pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Malmo, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Wednesday, November 25

Malmo vs. Paris Saint-Germain, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Shakhtar Donetsk vs. Real Madrid, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net and FOX Soccer 2GO

Tuesday, December 8

PSG vs. Shakhtar Donetsk, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Real Madrid vs. Malmo, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group B

The draw was again kind to Manchester United.. PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moskva and Wolfsburg round out the group but it could have been much tougher.

Matchday 1 sees Manchester United travel to PSV and there are many interesting storylines. The return of PSV’s top scorer from last season, Memphis Depay. PSV coach Phillip Cocu pitted against Louis van Gaal, a man he played for both with FC Barcelona and the Dutch national team. Matchday 1 drama aside, Manchester United should be in contention for a spot in the knockout round. Goalscoring has been an issue domestically but they looked assured in dispatching Club Brugge in the playoff round. I’m not sure United have enough to win top spot in the group but second place should be doable.

Their main rivals at the top of the group should be Wolfsburg but it remains to be seen how the departure of Kevin De Bruyne to Manchester City and Ivan Perišić to Inter will affect Die Wölfe. Wolfsburg were not just sellers in the transfer market. They went out and bought the services of forward Max Kruse from Mönchengladbach, attacking midfielder Julian Draxler from Schalke 04 and Bayern Munich defender Dante. Those additions to an already strong squad should see them into the Round of 16.

The battle for a Europa League spot will be tight. PSV have lost top of their top attacking threats from last season, the aforementioned forward Memphis Depay and attacking midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum (sold to Newcastle) but striker Luuk de Jong and wingers Florian Jozefzoon, Luciano Narsingh and newly signed Maxime Lestienne give the Dutch depth up front. Russian Premier League runners-up CSKA are in good form domestically and will test all of the sides in this group. Their qualification to the Champions League was narrow so they will need to make the most of their home games or it could be a long winter in Moscow bereft of European football adventures.

TV schedule:

Tuesday, September 15

PSV vs Manchester United, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Wolfsburg vs CSKA, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go and ESPN 3

Wednesday, September 30

Manchester United vs. Wolfsburg, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2Go
CSKA Moscow vs. PSV Eindhoven, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Wednesday, October 21

CSKA Moscow vs. Manchester United, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Wolfsburg vs. PSV Eindhoven, 2:45pm ET, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, November 3

Manchester United vs. CSKA Moscow, 1:45pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2GO
PSV Eindhoven vs. Wolfsburg, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net and FOX Soccer 2GO

Wednesday, November 25

CSKA Moscow vs. Wolfsburg, Noon ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Manchester United vs. PSV, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO

Tuesday, December 8

Wolfsburg vs. Manchester United, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2GO
PSV vs. CSKA Moscow, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group C

This group should be quite straightforward. Atlético should top the group though away matches to Benfica and Galatasaray will prove tricky. Plus, it’s been another summer of personnel changes at the Rojiblancos. Just a few of the outgoing players are Arda Turan, Mario Mandzukic, Toby Alderweireld and Mario Suárez. In some areas, Atlético may have actually gotten stronger. Certainly I’d say Jackson Martinez can be viewed as an upgrade on Mandzukic. Stefan Savić is only 24 but has good experience from his time with Fiorentina including their deep run in the Europa League last season. Returning from Chelsea is left back Filipe Luís, while providing more depth up front is Luciano Vietto, signed from Villarreal.

The battle for second will be close but I’d give the edge to Galatasaray simply because they continue to employ Wesley Sneijder in the midfield. I still rate him as one of the finest midfielders in the game. It doesn’t hurt that he has other quality players around him like German forward Lukas Podolski as well as a good dose of Turkish talent like winger Olcan Adın or forward Burak Yilmaz.

Debutants Astana are the first-ever representatives from Kazakhstan to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage. Despite the potential underdog drama, Astana will be hard pressed to register a point. And if they do, it will likely come at home against Benfica or Atlético. It’s quite likely that the 9-10 hour flight time from Spain or Portugal will have some effect on the players.

TV schedule:

Tuesday, September 15

Galatasaray vs Atletico Madrid, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go and ESPN Deportes
Benfica vs. Astana, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Wednesday, September 30

Astana vs. Galatasaray, Noon ET, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2Go
Atletico Madrid vs. Benfica, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Wednesday, October 21

Atletico Madrid vs. Astana, 2:45pm ET, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Galatasaray vs. Benfica, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, November 3

Astana vs. Atletico Madrid, 10am ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2GO
Benfica vs. Galatasaray, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Wednesday, November 25

Astana vs. Benfica, 10am ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Atletico Madrid vs. Galatasaray, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Tuesday, December 8

Galatasaray vs. Astana, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Benfica vs. Atletico Madrid, 2:45pm ET, ESPN2, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group D

Full disclosure – I’m a Manchester United supporter. Even I can feel some sympathy for Manchester City and yet another tough group to overcome, having to face away matches to Juventus, Sevilla, and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Manchester City have started the season in dominant form. Four games played, 4 wins, 10 goals scored and none conceded. However, the Champions League has proved to be a rocky road for them. I do think they’ll continue their form and finish top of the group. The Blues have splashed the green all summer long. Raheem Sterling – £49m, Kevin De Bruyne – £54.5m, Nicolás Otamendi – £28.4m. Their squad is as deep and dangerous as ever. There will be plenty of pace on the wings and increased solidity at the back.

Juventus has had some major turnover in their squad and while they won’t completely collapse, City should prove to be the stronger side. Gone are Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo. In have come midfielder Sami Khedira as well as strikers Paulo Dybala and Mario Mandžukić. Things have not gotten off to a great start as Juve have lost their opening two Serie A matches. I feel confident the fortunes will turn but a slow start in the group stage could lead to disaster with Sevilla posing the most direct threat.

After a long, long exile (37 years to be exact), Borussia Mönchengladbach return to Europe’s top stage. Their reward is a Matchday 1 trip to Sevilla who got the better of Mönchengladbach en-route to winning the UEFA Europa League last season. Winning the Europa League ensured Sevilla’s participation in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2009/10. Mönchengladbach will hope new permanent signing Thorgan Hazard can build on his showing while on loan last season and find some of the electric form his older brother Eden often displays for Chelsea.

TV schedule:

Tuesday, September 15

Manchester City vs Juventus, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Sevilla vs Monchengladbach, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go and ESPN 3

Wednesday, September 30

Manchester City vs. Borussia Monchengladbach, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Juventus vs. Sevilla, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Wednesday, October 21

Manchester City vs. Sevilla, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2Go
Juventus vs. Borussia Monchengladbach, 2:45pm ET, ESPN 2 and FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, November 3

Sevilla vs. Manchester City, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net, ESPN3 and FOX Soccer 2GO
Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Juventus, 2:45pm ET, ESPN2, WatchESPN.com, FOX Soccer 2GO

Wednesday, November 25

Juventus vs. Manchester City, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO
Borussia Monchengladbach vs. Sevilla, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Tuesday, December 8

Manchester City vs. Borussia Monchengladbach, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO
Sevilla vs. Juventus, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group E

And the beat goes on for last season’s champions Barcelona. Until someone comes up with a reliable and legal way to neutralize the front three of Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi and Neymar, Barcelona should cruise through to the Round of 16.

The battle for second should come down to Bayer Leverkusen and Roma. Leverkusen’s big signing was Javier Hernandez from Manchester United. Chicharito was never in Louis van Gaal’s plans and gets a chance at a fresh start in Germany. His goalscoring prowess should bolster an already strong attack.

Roma were a little more active in the transfer market and appear to have the deeper squad. Loan signings of Edin Džeko and Mohamed Salah provide depth up front, while other loan signings of Slovakian defender Norbert Gyömbér, French left back Lucas Digne and German centre back Antonio Rüdiger give great depth in defense. All 5 signings are international caliber players.

BATE Borisov will have to hope for a major meltdown by Leverkusen or Roma to finish third and shift into the Europa League.

TV schedule:

Wednesday, September 16

Roma vs Barcelona, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Bayer Leverkusen vs. BATE Borisov, 2:45pm, ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, September 29

Barcelona vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2Go
BATE Borisov vs. Roma, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, October 20

BATE Borisov vs. Barcelona, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2Go
Bayer Leverkusen vs. AS Roma, 2:45pm ET, ESPN 2, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2Go

Wednesday, November 4

Barcelona vs. BATE Borisov, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
Roma vs. Bayer Leverkusen, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Tuesday, November 24

BATE Borisov vs. Bayer Leverkusen, Noon ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Barcelona vs. AS Roma, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 2, ESPN Deportes, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Wednesday, December 9

Roma vs. BATE Borisov, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Wednesday, December 9

Bayer Leverkusen vs. Barcelona, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 1 and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group F

This one seemed to be the easiest group to predict. Bayern finishes first, Arsenal second. There is simply too much disparity between those two and the smaller clubs in the group — Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiacos.

Bayern strengthened over the summer with the signings of striker Douglas Costa and midfield maestro Arturo Vidal. An early concern for Bayern will be the absence of talismanic winger Arjen Robben but he is expected to return to action in 3-4 weeks time.

Arsenal are struggling for goals at the moment and there was much frustration amongst the Gunners supporters that manager Arsene Wenger did not add a forward to the squad. Particularly when it was revealed Danny Welbeck would be out of action until Christmas due to a knee injury. Welbeck’s imjury leaves Olivier Giroud as the Gunners’ only recognized striker with Theo Walcott and Alexis Sanchez mainly used as wide players. However, a squad with creative talents such as Mesut Özil, Santi Cazorla and Aaron Ramsey shouldn’t be pitied too much. They may not have enough to beat Bayern but they will qualify for the Round of 16 comfortably.

The battle for third will likely come down to how Olympiacos and Dinamo Zagreb fare against one another. It’s very unlikely they’ll take points off of the top two. Flip a coin here.

TV schedule:

Wednesday, September 16

GNK Dinamo vs Arsenal, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Olympiacos vs Bayern Munich, 2:45pm ET, ESPN2 and FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, September 29

Arsenal vs. Olympiacos, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Bayern Munich vs. Dinamo Zagreb, 2:45pm ET, ESPN2 and FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, October 20

Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 2, FOX Deportes and FOX Soccer 2Go
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Olympiacos, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Wednesday, November 4

Bayern Munich vs. Arsenal, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 1, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO
Olympiacos vs. Dinamo Zagreb, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Tuesday, November 24

Arsenal vs. Dinamo Zagreb, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 1 ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Bayern Munich vs. Olympiacos, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Wednesday, December 9

Olympiacos vs. Arsenal, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Bayern Munich, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group G

Chelsea can be thankful for an easier drawing as their domestic campaign has gotten off to a rocky start. With only 4 points from their first 5 games, Chelsea sit near the relegation dropzone, which is very unfamiliar and uncomfortable ground for last season’s English champions. I do believe Jose Mourinho will get Chelsea back on track and lead them to first place in the group but the journey might not be as smooth as hoped.

From an outsider’s perspective, Chelsea had a mixed transfer market. They failed to bring in their top target — Everton center back John Stones. They did manage to sign Pedro from Barcelona, who many thought was headed to Manchester United. Whether they need Pedro or depth in other areas remains to be seen. Certainly the main struggle has been defending, not scoring. Their inability to contain or close down wide players with pace has contributed to their awful start.

This could play right into one of Porto’s strengths. Their summer signings Aly Cissokho and Jesus ‘Tecatito’ Corona have the type of speed and dribbling skills to continue the Chelsea woes. Chelsea face Maccabi Tel-Aviv on Matchday 1 but danger looms there as well with attacking midfielder Eran Zahavi in good form. Zahavi finished the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League qualifying phase and play-off round as the top goalscorer with 7 goals in 5 games.

I’d be remiss to overlook Dynamo Kyiv who are chasing Shakhtar Donetsk for first place in the Ukrainian Premier League. Their key man is forward Andriy Yarmolenko who has recorded 6 goals from 8 games in all competitions this season. Further attacking verve has come from Brazilian Júnior Moraes with 3 goals in 6 domestic league matches.

I’m predicting Chelsea top, Porto second, Dynamo third and Maccabi to finish last.

TV schedule:

Wednesday, September 16

Chelsea vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2Go
Dynamo Kiev vs. Porto, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, September 29

Porto vs. Chelsea, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net, FOX Deportes, ESPN3 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs. Dynamo Kiev, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, October 20

Dynamo Kiev vs Chelsea, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer Plus, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Porto vs. Maccabi Tel-Aviv, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Wednesday, November 4

Chelsea vs. Dynamo Kiev, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3 and FOX Soccer 2GO
Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Porto, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Tuesday, November 24

Porto vs. Dynamo Kiev, 2:45pm ET, ESPN2, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Maccabi Tel Aviv vs. Chelsea, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net and FOX Soccer 2GO

Wednesday, December 9

Chelsea vs. Porto, 2:45pm ET, FOX Sports Net, ESPN Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO
Dynamo Kiev vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Group H

This could prove to be the closest of all the groups. Russian champions Zenit will be favored but Valencia and Lyon will give them a good run.

As of press time, Zenit are currently 6 points off the lead in the the Russian league after 7 matches. New quota rules saw them forced to dump forward Salomón Rondón. They also parted ways with veterans Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and Andrey Arshavin. Despite the high profile departures, they still have plenty of star power in Brazilian forward Hulk, midfielder Oleg Shatov and defender Ezequiel Garay.

Valencia defeated Monaco in the previous playoff round but had to hang on through a nervy second leg. They’ll hope for a more composed showing in the group stage. The signings of striker Álvaro Negredo and winger Rodrigo Moreno have already paid dividends and the club will need more from those two to progress to the next round.

Lyon may have made one of the better bargain signing this summer by capturing the services of Mathieu Valbuena for €5M. Valbuena brings pace and tremendous technical ability to the squad. While he won’t contribute a lot of goals, he will create many. His best seasons with Marseille saw him record 16 and 14 assists. He recorded 15 assists in his one full season in the Russian league. Lyon will be lamenting the loss of last season’s Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year on their roster. Nabil Fekir tore up his knee while on international duty and will be lost to the club for 6 months. He’d started this season well with 4 goals from his last two domestic matches.

Lyon have a potential easy start as they take on KAA Gent on Matchday 1. Gent are the reigning Belgian champions and are making their debut appearance in the Champions League. Gent’s participation in the UEFA Champions League is their reward for winning the first Belgian title in their 115-year history. Erik Johansson suffered a knee ligament injury while training with Sweden in early September and is expected to be out for four to six weeks. Johansson’s loss takes what little Champions League experience Gent had. The Swedish center back played in the group stage for Malmö in 2014 and was named Allsvenskan defender of the year for his domestic league performances.

TV schedule:

Wednesday, September 16

Valencia vs Zenit, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go
Gent vs Lyon, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, September 29

Lyon vs. Valencia, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go
Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Gent, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2Go

Tuesday, October 20

Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Lyon, 2:45pm ET, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2Go
Valencia vs. Gent, 2:45pm ET, ESPN 3 and FOX Soccer 2Go

Wednesday, November 4

Gent vs. Valencia, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO
Lyon vs. Zenit St. Petersburg, 2:45pm ET, FOX Soccer 2GO

Tuesday, November 24

Zenit St. Petersburg vs. Valencia, Noon ET, FOX Sports 2, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Lyon vs. Gent, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

Wednesday, December 9

Valencia vs. Lyon, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO
Gent vs. Zenit St. Petersburg, 2:45pm ET, ESPN3.com and FOX Soccer 2GO

This Tuesday and Wednesday, clubs from around Europe will be competing in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off matches as they hope to take a giant step into the Group Stage of the tournament that kicks off next month.

The 10 winners of these playoff round ties, five from each route, will automatically join the 22 entrants in the Champions League group stage draw. The 10 losing teams will be entered into the UEFA Europa League group stage draw.

Here are previews of each of the matchups:

FK Astana v APOEL Nicosia

The Cypriot champions APOEL face an inexperienced Astana, who have never reached the group stages of European competition. APOEL have qualified for the Champions League group stages three times in the last six seasons and should progress again this season. Goals could be an issue as APOEL saw both last season’s top goalscorer Rafik Djebbour and Irish striker Cillian Sheridan leave in the transfer window. Argentine attacking midfielder Tomás De Vincenti is the main threat with four goals in two qualifying matches this season.

Kazakh side Astana are bidding to become the first representatives from their country to reach the Champions League group stage.

KF Skënderbeu Korçë v Dinamo Zagreb

Like Astana, Albanian side Klubi Futbollistik Skënderbeu Korçë (nicknamed the Snow Wolves) are trying to become the first club from their country to qualify for the Champions League group stage. Skënderbeu have already improved on last season’s performance in the competition by making it to the playoff round. Last season saw them lose in the second qualifying round to Hungarian side Debreceni VSC. This year they are assured of competing in a UEFA club competition group stage regardless of the outcome against Dinamo.

Croatian giants Dinamo are powered by a pair of Markos. Forward Marko Pjaca has three goals in four qualifying matches and some may remember his hat-trick against Celtic in the last match of last season’s UEFA Europa League group stage. The one to watch in this fixture is Marko Rog. Rog joined Dinamo this summer in a 5m euros deal from RNK Split. He has paid early dividends scoring two goals in four qualifying matches. Rog has decent pace and good dribbling ability that allows him to make penetrating runs at the back four.

Celtic v Malmo

This playoff may come down to the simple matter of which Celtic shows up. If we take their game from the weekend against Inverness CT as a case study, it will illustrate two different teams. For the first hour or so of the match, Celtic had the run of things and found themselves with a four-goal lead – it could have been much more. Celtic’s passing and movement had Inverness on the back foot with long stretches played with their backs to the wall. Not long after subbing off Scott Brown and Dedryck Boyata things began to change. Recent signing from Manchester City, Boyata in particular will want to put the match behind him as soon as possible.

Whether Malmo have the tools to exploit any defensive frailties Celtic may show is another story. Malmo currently sit fifth in the Allsvenskan and have struggled for goals early in Champions League qualifying (one in three matches) until a three-goal burst in the home leg against Red Bull Salzburg to seal their place in the playoffs. The two main threats are former Cardiff City midfielders Magnus Wolff Eikrem and Jo Inge Berget, who had a very short loan spell with Celtic, and striker Markus Rosenberg.

FC Basel vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv

Basel always seem to find ways to win big matches in the Champions League in recent years and this one will be no different. Basel also have a favorable head-to-head record having knocked Maccabi out of both the Champions League and Europa League in the 2013-14 campaign. Maccabi beat Czech champions Viktoria Plzen in the previous round to assure themselves of some European soccer no matter what happens in this tie.

TV times for first legs (all times Eastern)

Tuesday, August 18

Astana vs APOEL, Noon, FOX Soccer Plus, FOX Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO
Manchester United vs. Brugge, 2:45pm, FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes and FOX Soccer 2GO
BATE vs Partizan, 2:45pm, FOX Soccer 2GO
Sporting vs. CSKA Moscow, 2:45pm, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2GO
Lazio vs Bayer Leverkusen, 2:45pm, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO

Wednesday, August 19

Celtic vs. Malmo, 2:45pm, FOX Soccer Plus and FOX Soccer 2GO
Rapid Vienna vs. Shakhtar Donetsk, 2:45pm, FOX Soccer 2GO
Basel vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv, 2:45pm, FOX Soccer 2GO
Skenderbeu vs. Dinamo Zagreb, 2:45pm, FOX Soccer 2GO
Valencia vs. Monaco, 2:45pm, FOX Sports 2 and FOX Soccer 2GO

BATE Borisov v Partizan Belgrade

The third qualifying round saw Partizan defeat frequent group stage participants Steaua Bucharest. Could they now unseat another frequent qualifier? BATE did not overwhelm their opposition, Hungarian side Videoton FC, in the last round so this should be a tightly contested tie. Goals have not come easy for BATE, the Belarusian Premier League leaders, having only scored 22 in 16 domestic matches this season. BATE will look to Aleksandr Karnitski to provide some spark. He’s managed two goals in four qualifying matches so far. Goals have not been a problem for Partizan but keeping clean sheets has proved a little trickier for the Serbian side. Domestically, they’ve scored 16 in five games but have also conceded seven times. Stefan Babović is the man to match for Partizan. He primarily plays as an attacking midfielder or a winger and is equally comfortable on either flank. Babović scored a beautiful goal from a free-kick against Dila Gori in the second qualifying round to ensure a 1-0 home win.

Lazio v Bayer Leverkusen

Leverkusen are 5-0 in UEFA Champions League qualifiers and I see no reason for that record to change this time around. Led by German national team players such as forward Karim Bellarabi and defensive midfielder Lars Bender, the squad has depth and had a good run in last season’s competition. The one to watch will be 21-year-old Turkish international Hakan Çalhanoğlu. The attacking midfielder had an immediate impact after his transfer move from Hamburg to Leverkusen. In 47 appearances he scored 13 goals and provided 11 assists.

Lazio are largely unchanged from last season. They relied a lot on goals from a variety of sources without one out and out main threat. Miroslav Klose led the way with 16 in all competitions while Antonio Candreva, Felipe Anderson and Marco Parolo all reached double figures. Former captain Stefano Mauri’s contract with the club expired and while talks are ongoing, he has not resigned. Their signings have a “moneyball” feel to them – they sought out younger talent with tremendous potential. Former Manchester United academy player Ravel Morrison, Ricardo Kishna from Ajax and Sergej Milinković-Savić from Belgian side Genk all have the potential to be first team players for Lazio, but it would be surprising to see any of them feature against Leverkusen. Lazio are off to a slow start having lost to Juventus in the Supercoppa Italian, however, they will provide stern opposition, although I feel Leverkusen with their attacking pace and solid defensive unit will narrowly edge this tie.

Manchester United vs. Club Brugge

Club Brugge, who finished second in the Belgian league last season, advanced to this stage by beating Greek side Panathinaikos 4-2 on aggregate in the third qualifying round. This is Club Brugge’s first UEFA Champions League play-off – they have won all five of their play-off ties in the UEFA Europa League. They would hope for a return to the group stage having not participated since the 2005-06 season. The elder statesman of the squad, Timmy Simons, returned to Brugge for a second time after spending five seasons with PSV Eindhoven and three seasons with Bundesliga side 1. FC Nuremberg. Simons is also the second-most capped player Belgian. Victor Vasquez is the creative engine for Brugge. A former Barcelona academy player, Vasquez totaled 11 goals and 14 assists in 47 appearances last season.

Manchester United will feel relieved to have avoided tougher draws CSKA Moscow, Lazio or AS Monaco. The Red Devils are off to a solid but unspectacular start to the Premier League season. They have recorded consecutive 1-0 victories but have failed to look cohesive in attack. There has been significant change in the squad and the playing formation so this could be a closer match than Louis van Gaal would care for. Look for the Belgian club to try and remain compact and keep nine men behind the ball for long stretches of this one.

Rapid Vienna vs Shakhtar Donetsk

Ukrainian side Shakhtar have made the Round of 16 in two of the last three campaigns and have not missed a UEFA Champions League group stage campaign since 2009-10. It would be a major upset for Rapid to knock them off at this stage but they’ve managed the feat once already having edged Ajax 5-4 on aggregate. The Ukrainians brushed aside Turkish superclub Fenerbahçe to reach this stage. Rapid will have to hope to score on the counter attack through Slovenian striker Robert Berić. Shakhtar have plenty of firepower of their own including midfield maestro Alex Teixeira and his fellow Brazilian-born (though Croatian citizen) Eduardo Da Silva. Eduardo returned to Shakhtar after playing one season with Brazilian side Flamengo.

Valencia v Monaco

I’m picking Valencia partially because it’ll make a bit of pub trivia. If Los Che win their play-off, Spain will be the first nation to have five clubs in the same group stage. There is some precedent for calling a Valencia win, they have won 13 of their 20 games against Ligue 1 clubs. By contrast Monaco have recorded just five victories against Spanish sides in 16 attempts. Both teams are contesting the UEFA Champions League playoffs for the first time. Monaco played in last season’s group stage, while Valencia look to return to the group stage after a two-season absence. A difference maker will be if Valencia’s central defender Nicolas Otamendi is still with the club. He has been the subject of much speculation regarding a possible transfer to Manchester City. Losing him would be a major setback even if Valencia wins this playoff.

Sporting Lisbon v CSKA Moscow

This clash is will bring back memories of the 2005 UEFA Cup final.  Overcoming the partisan Lisbon crowd, the Russian side were 3-1 victors on the strength of goals from Yuri Zhirkov, Vágner Love and central defender Aleksei Berezutskiy, who is still with CSKA. The Russian side have to be considered favorites again having not lost in nine previous UEFA Champions League qualifying matches (W5 D4). The danger men for CSKA will be Russian midfielder Alan Dzagoev (two goals in two qualifying matches) and Nigerian forward Ahmed Musa (also two goals in two matches). Sporting have yet to play a qualifying match but opened the Primeira Liga season with a 2-1 win over Tondela. CSKA are riding high in the Russian Premier League having only conceded a single goal and with a perfect record after five matches. Momentum and confidence should see the Russian side through.

Schone Shines 

Ajax are going to be hard pressed to outpace either FC Barcelona or Paris St Germain. However, they look comfortable for the Europa League spot at the moment. If they do drop into that competition, I fancy them to do well. The star man for them through the first two fixtures has been Danish international Lasse Schöne. 4 shots on target, 1 goal, 1 assist and a 91% pass completion rate mark him as one to watch as the group phase continues. Ajax travel to the Nou Camp on Matchday 3 and will need a top performance from not only Schöne but his colleagues as well. Barcelona are not at their best at the moment and an upset result (early prediction — a third consecutive draw for Ajax) could be on the cards.

Applause for the old guys

It’s odd for me to refer to these gentleman as old considering they are a few years younger than I am but in footballing terms they are definitely elderly. With that age comes experience and the occasional moment of brilliance.

Francesco Totti’s delightfully chipped equaliser against Manchester City made him the oldest goalscorer in the history of the competition at 38 years, three days old surpassing Ryan Giggs who was 37 years and 289 days old when he scored against Benfica in the 2011-12 season.

Totti told Gazzetta dello Sport that he was inspired by a bit of banter posted on the Manchester City Twitter feed. The club posted “We’re looking forward to hosting you @OfficialASRoma, and a legendary player such as Totti. He’s never scored in England, has he? #CityvRoma” Totti may have to look elsewhere for his Matchday 3 inspiration as it’s very likely Bayern Munich will learn from City’s mistake. Bayern are currently top of the group with maximum points from their first two matches. Manchester City must win against CSKA Moscow to relieve some of the pressure that will start to build.

Xavi Hernandez, a sprightly 34, came on in the second-half against Paris St. Germain to become the Champions League’s most experienced player with 143 appearances. A fellow Spaniard, Raul, held the previous mark of 142. It seemed fitting that his record-breaking appearance come from the sub’s bench as that was how his first appearance was made back in September 1998 against Manchester United.

I found a section of Sid Lowe’s up recent column (http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/sep/30/xavi-hernandez-champions-league-record) for the Guardian to be the best summation of Xavi’s career accomplishments :  “Every year for five years he won the most significant trophy in world football. But he did not just win them; he was not a fellow traveller. He led. He was an ideologue. He played and made others play.”

Can these two masterful midfield presences lift their teams into the next round and beyond? Barcelona will need to lift their performance on Matchday 3 at home against Ajax.

Don’t call it an upset

Basel have done it again. It’s hard to call these shock results when they keep occurring. Take for example, their 2-1 win in the group stage against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last season that spurred them on to a quarter-finals appearance. After they were thrashed 5-1 by Real Madrid on Matchday 1, some pundits had already awarded the group to Madrid and second place to Liverpool. Based on what I saw of Liverpool’s performance, I had a suspicion that they may not do so well on their travels to St. Jakob Park. The battle of former Swansea bosses ended up going the way of Paulo Suosa

After the match, Brendan Rodgers admitted that his team did not start well and did not get into the game properly for the opening half hour. Basel ended up with a slight edge in possession (55%-45%), an equal number of attempts on target and won more corners that Liverpool. That being stated, Basel were not dominant and Liverpool will have to feel disappointed after the sale of Luis Suarez and subsequent £117m spending spree.

Basel have a chance to turn up the pressure on Matchday 3 when they travel to Sofia to face Ludogorets. Ludogorets are playing their ‘home’ fixtures in Sofia as their home stadium does not meet the UEFA minimum standards. The Bulgarian team have proven a tough side to break down so Basel cannot be considered anything more than slight favourites to win. A draw would not be unlikely. Liverpool play host to Real Madrid and will be hard-pressed to collect more than a draw based on their performance in the first two fixtures.

Some would say this is a thankless task — picking a starting XI and a bench from the three relegated sides. I examined the three relegated sides to see what could be salvaged and turned into a functional, if not stylish, Premier League team.

Stats, whether you love or hate them, paint a clear picture of why these sides struggled. Some ‘highlights’ include:

• Cardiff scored only 18 goals from open play

• Norwich’s Ricky van Wolfswinkel scored with his first shot on target of the season (on the opening day) but only managed eight more shots on target all season (and no more goals).

• All three relegated sides were in the Top 5 for shots conceded this past season (West Ham and Sunderland being the other two).

You could argue that these three sides had the three worst attacks of all the Premier League sides. I’ve gone for a more defensive shape (5-2-2-1) because in addition to the stats already cited, most of the sides in the bottom half of the table spent the majority of game time in their own half of the pitch so it made sense to me to build from the back.

On their respective sides, there wasn’t enough quality surrounding the players I’ve picked but mixed together they might just do the job. I excluded players on loan from other clubs, such as Lewis Holtby and Darren Bent.

With that entire preamble out of the way, here’s my Relegation FC:

Manager: Felix Magath – Fulham

I had a hard time picking a manager but in the end I chose Felix Magath. I think he might have got Fulham across the line had he come in earlier in the season instead of Rene Meulensteen. My other choice might have been Mackay but Magath is a much more proven commodity.

GK – David Marshall – Cardiff

Marshall was voted by the Cardiff City fans as the star man in their first ever Premier League season and rightfully so. He produced 153 saves this season, tops in the Premier League. Without Marshall, Cardiff would have been relegated long before they actually were.

RB – Sascha Riether – Fulham

Riether was voted Fulham’s Player of the Season in 2012-13 and he did little do diminish that standing in 2013-14. Riether generally has sound positioning, always seems to put in a good shift for his team and is a capable passer and crosser of the ball when he ventures forward.

CB – Steven Caulker – Cardiff

Caulker is comfortable distributing the ball from the back having played at Swansea under Brendan Rodgers. He was Cardiff’s captain despite only being 22 and also contributed five goals this past season. One of many players I selected whose best days should still be ahead of them.

CB – Michael Turner – Norwich

Another serviceable passer of the ball, Turner can be susceptible to being beat by a quick forward and would benefit from the added protection of the additional centre back in this formation. Not the most technically gifted player, Turner brings a lot of hard work and determination to the side. His performance this season was impacted by a long injury lay-off due to a hamstring problem suffered on New Year’s Day.

CB – Brede Hangeland – Fulham

Injured for large parts of the season, the veteran Norwegian still showed flashes of the solidity he can bring to the defense. Flanked by two decent distributors would allow Hangeland even more ability to focus on his positioning and defensive duties.

LB – Martin Olsson – Norwich

Decent speed and technical ability though he has yet to breakthrough on the offensive side of the ball. Olsson would provide solid defensive cover in the wide areas. Playing in a system with 3 centre backs would possibly allow him more comfort in ranging forward to support attacks.

CM – Scott Parker – Fulham

Always an underrated player in my view, Parker provides a calm, collected presence in midfield with the ability to disrupt opponent attacks and accurately distribute forward. As the 2014-15 season gets underway Parker will turn 34 and while he still provides plenty of energy he is best suited to a deeper laying midfield role.

RM – Ashkan Dejagah – Fulham

The Iranian international started the season behind Damien Duff but that was a mistake. Duff was a fine Premier League player but at 35 his best days were behind him. Dejagah scored 5 times and added a pair of assists once he took over for Duff.

LM – Jordan Mutch – Cardiff

Mutch scored some wonderful goals this season and ended up with seven in total to go along with five assists. His passing should improve as his experience grows making him an even more potent attacking force from midfield.

CAM – Robert Snodgrass – Norwich

Signed for a fee in the £1.5 – 2 million ranges in the summer of 2012, Snodgrass proved to be a shrewd buy for Norwich. While not the paciest of wing players, he is skillful and his technical ability from free kicks offers a direct threat.

ST – Gary Hooper – Norwich

While not the most prolific scorer this season, Hooper scored eight goals in 34 matches in all competitions, he does have the most potential of the strikers on the relegated sides. Hooper scored 63 goals in three seasons with Celtic. Hooper has done well in the past when he plays off the shoulder of the last defender and makes runs in behind the defensive line. He has decent strength and can hold up the ball well, which in this formation would give the option of playing longer passes, having Hooper hold and allow the midfield and wing-backs time to join the attack. Hooper has proven himself a good finisher in the past and can pass the ball well.

Bench:

GK – David Stockdale – Fulham

The youth movement starts here. Stockdale supplanted Martin Stekelenburg for the starting role and there could be no complaints over his play. Like Marshall, a porous defense in front of him forced him into making many spectacular saves just to keep hope alive for his team. He should only get better.

MF – Mats Daehli – Cardiff

In his brief time at Cardiff, Daehli showed good dribbling ability and a willingness to take on defenders. At 19, his best days should still be ahead of him.

RB – Steven Whittaker – Norwich

Whittaker is another solid positional player and probably deserved more starts at Norwich. I rate Whittaker as an all-around option than his teammate Russell Martin and he has plenty of “big game” experience from his time with Rangers. Whittaker also has experience playing in a back five as Rangers used that type of formation in the 2010-11 campaign, particularly during their Champions League matches.

RB/CB – Kévin Théophile-Catherine- Cardiff

Showed flashes of quality early in the season under Malky Mackay. A good crosser of the ball when deployed on the right. Can also be used as a central midfield player in an emergency.

MF – Steve Sidwell – Fulham

Turned in a strong season on a weak club. Reached a career high in goals and ended the season as Fulham’s top scorer with 7. At 31, he can offer added leadership and depth to the central midfield area.

MF – Anthony Pilkington

While Nathan Redmond as the pacier player might be the popular choice, I think he’s very one-dimensional and hasn’t shown good decision making when on the ball. Pilkington struggled with injuries this past year, including a hamstring tear, which limited his contribution. When healthy, Pilkington can add attacking flair and a few goals combined with a willingness to track back and help out on the defensive side.

ST – Frazier Campbell – Cardiff

Similar in many ways to Hooper, Campbell potted nine goals in all competitions. He’s a willing worker and does a good job of pressing opposing defenders when his team is not in possession. While he’s not great at holding up the ball, Campbell offers a pacey option to come off the bench if this team needs to change things up and go with a second forward. At 26, he’s not likely to improve by leaps and bounds but his finishing may become more composed with age.

Hat tip to the wonderful web site whoscored.com for most of the statistical data used in this article.

Author of Soccer In Sun and Shadow, Uruguayan journalist Eduardo Galeano is best known in North America as the author of Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent. That novel made headlines (and vaulted to #2 on the Amazon sales list) when Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez publicly handed US President Barack Obama a copy of the book, which is about the foreign exploitation of Latin America.

Open Veins is widely considered to be a leftist-leaning and in the early 1970s was banned by the right-wing military government, not only in Uruguay, but in Chile and Argentina as well.

Soccer in Sun and Shadow is listed as a history of world soccer. While that is true, that’s not the reason to read this book. It’s in no way a comprehensive tome on the beautiful game. In stark contrast to other books, Galeano does not give a play-by-play recount of each World Cup or dive into the minutiae of particular eras.

The book opens with a few lyric sketches — The Player, The Idol, The Fan. These are Galeano’s romanticized notions but are the same ones that many of us cling to as well. Many of these sections revived my own idealized notions of football. When we dream of football, we dream about the world Galeano writes of — not the modern noise of agents, transfer fees and endorsement deals. We dream of the pure simplicity of a ball at our feet and the sunshine on our faces.

The general style of the text at first reminded me of what you’d read on old baseball or football cards. Short stories about certain players but at times told with a little more panache. As I read more, the sections began to remind me of an older uncle recounting anecdotes of players they’d watched and been awed by. This approach is not completely successful as there are a few stories that seemed to lack a point.

However, in among Galeano’s free flowing anecdotes are some wonderful gems. One line in particular really struck me —

“The machinery of the spectacle grinds everything up in its path” 

This Twitter-sized thought, so perfect for the social-media driven time we now live in, encapsulates much of what is wrong in football. Start with transfer speculation. One has to wonder if the daily grind of Cesc to Barcelona stories had as much to do with eroding Arsenal’s resolve as any amount of money could have done. When that saga finishes a new grind begins. Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. Wayne Rooney to Chelsea. The machine feeds itself and its appetite seems endless.

Those gems are why I found the book more enjoyable in small doses — much the way I read poetry. The sections are short but for me each section was akin to the lines of its own football pitch. Inside those lines is room to roam, to create, to explore your own thoughts on each of the anecdotes.

Another strength of the book is to add some new color to well-known trivia. Many will know that French novelist Albert Camus was an avid footballer. Some will also know that he was a goalkeeper for the University of Algiers team until tuberculosis forced him to turn full-time to his intellectual pursuits. Galeano asserts that Camus played goalkeeper all his life because in that position because your shoes don’t wear out quickly. Camus grew up in a poor family and his shoes were subject to examination every night when he got home. If the soles of his shoes were worn, he would be punished.

It’s easy to see why Soccer in Sun and Shadow is now in its fifth printing. This new edition includes newly written material on the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. The 2010 World Cup was notable for Galeano as Uruguay was a semi-finalist, narrowly losing to a powerful Dutch team. His only consolation was Diego Forlán finishing as the joint top scorer and being named the top player of the tournament.

Galeano leave us with the closing thought that “soccer is a pleasure that hurts” — something that holds true in so many facets of the game, whether you’re a player or a supporter. This book is a pleasure without pain and I’d recommend grabbing a copy if you’ve not yet read it.

Soccer In Sun and Shadow is available in Kindle and paperback editions.

Watch Guardiola’s press conference

Image courtesy of Flickr user mazzi (http://www.flickr.com/photos/mazzi/) 

The live blog will be available at epltalk.com starting at at 2:45pm EST.

Which kind of final are we going to get this season? For every 1999 or 2002 final that people still talk about there seems to be an equal number of forgettable finals (think 2003) that produce more hyperbole than high-calibre football.

This season’s final has been branded a ‘dream match’ by many pundits and on the surface it is easy to see why. The clubs met at the semi-final stage in the 2007-08 season (Manchester United winning by a 1-0 aggregate) and again in the 2008-09 final with Barcelona claiming a 2-0 victory. This meeting can be considered a tie-breaker.

The current FC Barcelona squad ranks as one of the best in recent memory with a cast of many stars. Manchester United also have many star talents but their success this season has largely come down to the spot-on utilization of the full squad by Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alex has not been shy in making changes to the lineup or shape of the team and he has got it right far more often than not this year.

Since the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, Manchester United have become less of a one-man show and a far more disciplined and astute tactical unit. They will need to get their tactics spot on as Barcelona play a patient, precise passing game. Barcelona hover around 65-70 percent possession in most matches and this is due to the creative trio of Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. I don’t see any drastic change to Barcelona’s usual starting XI or their tactical approach.

To counter Barcelona, something many have tried and failed, I would fully expect to see a midfield of Ji-Sung Park, Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick and Antonio Valencia. It is possible another energy midfield presence such as Darren Feltcher may be preferred to Ryan Giggs but the other three should be no surprise. The much-maligned Carrick has been quiet but steady in central midfield this season. He has settled into a defensive midfield role and is one of United’s most reliable passers of the ball. Park and Valencia are tireless workers and will do exactly what is asked of them.

On the other side, the big question mark for Barcelona is the shape of their back four. You can write in Gerard Pique and Dani Alves but then who? Who will partner Gerard Pique in the middle to subdue Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez? Will it be Puyol or Mascherano? Mascherano may be better suited in terms of pace but he is not a natural central defender and could be pressured into mistakes. He is also not great defending set pieces so that may be an area for United to try and exploit. I was surprised the first time I saw Mascherano in central defence for Barcelona this season but he has performed well enough for Pep Guardiola to use him there frequently. The deciding factor is likely to be that Eric Abidal, Adriano and Maxwell are all just returning from illness or injury, so Puyol is then the most likely choice to start at the left-back position leaving Mascherano in the middle.

I expect a tight game and if United can press effectively high up the pitch and interrupt Barcelona’s rhythm, I can see them pulling off a narrow win by nicking a goal or two on the counter-attack or from a set piece.

The cheapest ticket for this Saturday’s showdown between Manchester United and Barcelona at Wembley Stadium is £150 – but touts (aka scalpers) are offering them for up to £7,000 on the black market. A quick Internet search returned hits for several websites offering tickets from £1900 to £3000.

With 55,000 season-ticket holders at United and 150,000 members at Barca, the demand for tickets for this season’s final is huge. UEFA.com indicates that “Each finalist club is entitled to take up to 25,000 tickets, which will be distributed directly to their supporters.” That leaves 36,000 tickets at UEFA’s discretion. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson criticized the ticketing structure, claiming that loyal supporters ultimately lose out as UEFA puts sponsors and dignitaries ahead of them. 25,000 tickets are for those VIPs.

The remaining 11,000 were sold via an application process, which included a £26 admin charge per ticket. It is many of these tickets that are now being offered for sale online as touts try to exploit the huge demand from both sets of fans.

On the other end of the spectrum, Champions League sponsors Opel have produced a rather clever marketing campaign which has gone viral in Spain. Opel sent a rather sketchy looking “tout” to walk the streets of the Catalan capital, near the Nou Camp, with authentic tickets for the Champions League Final.

The tout was offering a single ticket for 10 euros…watch what happens:

The lone goal of the game came, not surprisingly, from the head of Radamel Falcao. Falcao had already broken Jürgen Klinsmann’s 15-year-old record for goals in a single UEFA Europa League or UEFA Cup season and he took his tally to 17. Falcao also struck 16 times in 22 league games so expect to hear a lot of transfer speculation about him this summer. You will also hear a lot about Givanildo Vieira de Souza, aka Hulk, who scored 23 league goals in 26 games and added 4 goals and 4 assists in the Europa League. It would surprise me to see Hulk move to another club as Port re-signed him until 2016 and added a huge (100m Euro) buyout clause.

One of the more compelling stories has been Porto’s manager André Villas-Boas. The comparison between Villas-Boas and Jose Mourinho will persist throughout next season though they are unwarranted. While the current Porto manager mentored with Mourinho at three different clubs, it’s clear that Villas Boas’s style of play is more attack-minded and more entertaining. Villas-Boas is being linked with many high profile vacancies around Europe, including his mentor’s old club – Chelsea. I have to wonder if it may be too much too soon for Villas-Boas, who is the youngest manager ever to win a European competition, at 33 years of age. Porto are clearly a class above the other teams in Portugal and I don’t want to belittle their acheivement in winning the Europa League but this is his first ‘big’ job and he’s only been at it a season. If I were a bigger club I’d be interested in him as a prospect but I’m not sure if he’d be the guy to bring immediate success. Stepping into the manager role at a club like Chelsea where more experienced and more successful managers have been fired would be virtually risk-free for Villas-Boas. If he succeeds, then his reputation is enhanced. If he fails, then people will say too much was asked of a novice manager. Certainly the salary on offer could make the decision attractive for Villas-Boas. It will be one of the more interesting stories to follow this summer.

Plaudits should also go to runners-up Braga. Braga were not given much of a chance when paired against KKS Lech Poznan, Liverpool FC, FC Dynamo Kyiv and SL Benfica but they overcame the odds to reach the finals. Led by manager Domingos Paciencia, a former long-serving FC Porto striker, Braga also made their UEFA Champions League debut this past season. Having finished fourth in the Primeira Liga this season, they will be in the playoff round for next season’s Europa League. If Braga retain their core players they should be strong contenders in next season’s Europa League. The loss will be particularly hard to take for Braga players Custódio, Hugo Viana and Miguel Garcia, who had been part of the Sporting Clube de Portugal team downed by PFC CSKA Moskva in the 2005 UEFA Cup final.

Porto completed their silverware haul with a decisive 6-2 win over Guimaraes in the Portuguese Cup this past Sunday. Congratulations to the Dragons and their fans for one of their most successful seasons ever.

Note:
Most UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup goals in a season
17 Falcao (FC Porto, 2010/11)
15 Jürgen Klinsmann (FC Bayern München, 1995/96)
14 John Wark (Ipswich Town FC, 1981/82)
12 Derlei (FC Porto, 2002/03)

Real Madrid coach José Mourinho, who was dismissed from the bench in the first leg and made an inappropriate statement during the post-match interview, has been suspended for the next five UEFA club competition matches for which he would be eligible. The suspension includes the one-match ban for the match following the coach’s dismissal, which was served for the return leg in Barcelona on Tuesday.

The ban for a fifth match is suspended for a probationary period of three years. Mourinho has also been fined 50,000 Euros.

Real Madrid defender Pepe, who was sent off  in the first leg match, has been suspended for one UEFA competition match. However, as he did not take part in the second leg in Barcelona, he is considered to have served this suspension. Real Madrid have also been fined 20,000 Euros for improper conduct of their supporters.

Barcelona goalkeeper José Pinto, who received a red card for a sideline altercation at half-time of the first leg match in Madrid, received a three-match suspension. He has already served a one-match ban for the return leg, so he will now also be suspended for the UEFA Champions League final on May 28th and the next UEFA club competition match for which he would be eligible.

Real released a statement on the club website which reads: “Real Madrid considers this resolution still suffers from the same defects found at the start of the disciplinary case, which made it impossible for our coach to use his right to defend himself, since the exact statements for which the disciplinary case was opened are still unknown. Real Madrid will appeal this decision before the UEFA appeals body.”

The game was hyped in some circles as a Lionel Messi versus Cristiano Ronaldo showdown to see who the true best player in the game is right now. That for me was just one of the sub-plots available. To dismiss the array of talent on both squads is naive. According to Deloitte, Real Madrid pay €192m (£170m) in wages to a squad that cost €475m to assemble. Barca hand over €235m to a group who cost €175m to buy. Barcelona spend less on transfers because of the success graduates of Barcelona’s academy — La Masia de Can Planes (loosely translates from Catalan as “The Farmhouse”) have had with the first team. Among the graduates are key first-team players Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, Carles Puyol, and Víctor Valdés.

The game itself was a cagey affair in the first half with both teams not looking full sharp and taking more interest in fouling their opponents. The half-time whistle brought no relief to the tension as Barcelona’s backup goalkeeper, Pinto, was sent off for seeming to punch Madrid’s match-day delegate Miguel Porlán “Chendo” in the midst of an argument with Alvaro Arbeloa.

The game changed early in the second half when Pepe and Dani Alves both went for a loose ball and Pepe appeared to catch Alves on the shin. Alves writhed on the floor like his leg had been broekn and referree Wolfgang Stark showed Pepe the red card. Personally, I thought the referee was conned by Alves’ roilling around and at most should have given a yellow card. Don’t believe it? Watch this video!

Jose Mourinho sarcastically applauded Alves as he was stretchered off and gave the fourth official a thumbs-up for good measure. Mourinho’s performance earned him a red card and he will not be on the touchline for the return leg. Alves returned to the pitch less than 5 minutes later and appeared to be just fine.

I suspect that had Pepe not been sent off that the game would have ended as a dour scoreless draw. Pepe and Lassana Diarra had done a good job of harrassing Messi, playing in a deeper position because of Iniesta’s absence, and Xavi which stifled some of Barcelona’s creativity.

A scoreless draw was not to be after the sending off and there are two moments of pure class to discuss with Lionel Messi being at the heart of both of them. His second goal in particular deserves to be celebrated not just by Barcelona fans, but anyone who is even a casual soccer fan. It was an expression of artistry that elevates the game to the heights it should always strive to reach. Watch the marvelous second goal and tell me if you’ve seen a better display in such a big game. Remember, this is not some beer league team, this is a very good Real Madrid squad who were looking to keep the score close.

Unfortunately, things got ugly again during Jose Mourinho’s post-match press conference. Some of his remarks are completely scandalous and Barcelona manager Pep Guardialo refused to acknowledge them.

Barcelona are considering legal action against Mourinho while UEFA confirmed that its Control and Disciplinary Body would hear numerous cases against Real on May 6, ‘in relation to the throwing of missiles, a pitch invasion, the red card shown to Pepe, the dismissal of the coach José Mourinho, as well as the inappropriate statement given by Mr Mourinho to the media after the match’.

Mourinho has essentially conceded the semi-final to Barcelona stating that a 2-0 deficit will be very difficult to overturn.

United played a perfect road game and took an important away goal and a 1-0 aggregate lead back to Old Trafford. United are unbeaten at home in all competitions this season but Chelsea won on their last trip to Old Trafford 12 months ago. Chelsea need at least a 2-0 or 2-1 victory to advance. A 1-0 result for Chelsea after 90 minutes would take the game to extra time.

Chelsea are seeking a sixth UEFA Champions League semi-final appearance in eight seasons while United are bidding for a fourth in five years. Chelsea’s domestic league hopes are all but gone so I would expect them to throw everything they have into Tuesday’s game.

Depsite all the talk of how daunting it can be for away clubs to play at the Donbass Arena in Donetsk, FC Barcelona are sitting on a massive 4 goal advantage. In order to advance, Shakhtar must do what only three clubs have previously managed in UEFA competition – overturn a four-goal first-leg deficit.

Real Madrid CF recovered a 5-1 loss at VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach in the 1985/86 UEFA Cup third round, winning the return 4-0. Leixões SC lost 6-2 at FC La Chaux-de-Fonds in the 1961/62 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup preliminary round but took the tie with a 5-0 triumph in Portugal. FK Partizan also lost 6-2 at Queens Park Rangers FC in the 1984/85 UEFA Cup second round first leg, but prevailed on away goals with a 4-0 victory in Belgrade.

Defending champions Internazionale FC have an even higher mountain to scale. They were defeated 5-2 at the San Siro by FC Schalke 04. No side has ever recovered from such a big home deficit to win a UEFA Champions League tie.

Tottenham Hotspur FC are heading home to White Hart Lane down 4 goals to Real Madrid CF and do not have the comfort of an away goal to ease their burden. It looks to be a monumental ask for their first adventure into the Champions League to continue. Two rash and unnecessary tackles by Tottenham forward Peter Crouch were the turning point of the match. Crouch gave the referee little option in either case but to show him a yellow card. The second tackle resulted in the red card being shown with only 15 minutes gone on the clock. Tottenham’s hope of an away result were gone just as quickly.

Real Madrid CF are primed to reach a first UEFA Champions League semi-final for eight years. That Madrid squad, which included the likes of Ronaldo, Raul and Zinedine Zidane, lost in the 2002-03 semi-finals to runners-up Juventus.

Spurs have to go a long way back in their history — almost 40 years to find inspiration to overturn the deficit they face. Down by a 4-2 margin to Polish side Górnik Zabrze, Tottenham were imperious at home producing an 8-1 victory. That was under the guidance of Tottenham legend Bill Nicholson who served the club in every capacity from boot room apprentice to club president.

UEFA will render their decision on Monday. Their rules stipulate a minimum three-match ban for assault, although the governing body have the power to dole out lengthier suspensions in exceptional cases. Chelsea’s Didier Drogba was banned for six UEFA competition matches – two of them were deferred – following his actions at the end of a match against Barcelona in 2009, when he repeatedly had a go at the referee before swearing into a live television camera.

Before Gattuso’s antics, a blatant two-footed tackle by Mathieu Flamini on Vedran Corluka early in the second half was somehow only worthy of a yellow card. Corluka had to leave the game and was later seen on crutches with a protective boot over his right foot. Corluka will have an x-ray today to determine the extent of the damage. Because Flamini was booked, he will not be punished further.

Looking past the nonsense, there were many positives to talk about. True to his word, Harry Redknapp had his team take the game to Milan in the first half. Tottenham lined up with a 4-4-1-1 formation with Peter Crouch leading the line, Van der Vaart playing in his familiar trequartista role. Tottenham passed the ball around comfortably and their primary tactic was to exploit the height of Crouch with crosses from the flanks. In particular, Crouch was trying to match himself up against the smaller fullbacks rather than deal with the centre backs.

The second half was a different story as Massimiliano Allegri elected to bring Pato on for Clarence Seedorf at the interval and the switch improved Milan’s attack. The final outcome might have been much different if not for the heroics of Tottenham goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, who twice denied Mario Yepes headers by making acrobatic saves. The Rossoneri kept pressing forward in the second half but ultimately were caught by a counterattack around the 80 minute mark. Sandro made a vital interception and substitute Luka Modric poked a pass between two defenders to the speed merchant Aaron Lennon. Lennon jinked past Yepes leaving him on his backside in the process and laid the ball on a silver platter for Crouch to score the winner and most importantly a vital away goal. Milan were denied a late equalizer when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was judged to have fouled Michael Dawson before scoring with an overhead kick.

If I were creating a football textbook, I would include Tottenham’s display here as an example of how to play an away leg in a European cup competition.

Let me qualify what I am about to say by stating that I love football and its potential to thrill, excite, inspire and unite us. However, in recent times football has become harder to love.

You go to see your team play, and you have to sit there listening to the screaming swearing of thousands of depressed men using football as some form of therapeutic escapism. People become so angry about what they see on the field. Why do they feel the need to spend hundreds of pounds to become livid watching rich people playing a game? They call it passion; I call it swearing in front of families and children.

Outside of the stadium, these people are generally perfectly civilised. They are often mild-mannered and reasonable to talk to. Yet as soon as stands full of opposition fans are introduced into the equation, they immediately feel the need to vilify them. Has anybody else noticed that when their team scores, many ‘fans’ turn towards the other teams supporters and make hand gestures, obscene comments (usually along the lines of “f**k you!”), and generally make a twat out of themselves lording it over the losing teams fans? It’s embarrassing.

Another point to consider is this: why is football broadcast in the middle of the day? You can hear the crowd chanting “the referee’s a w****r” live on TV in the middle of the day. No other program could ever get away with it. It seems completely absurd.

Football is the quickest way to divide a room. You’re “one of us” if you support the same team; whilst the social outcast supports your teams rival.

The only conceivable way to rectify this shambles of a national sport is to remove the hate. The best way to do this? Remove the importance. If we begin to realise that football is ultimately just a game, and doesn’t mean much in relation to real world issues, maybe people would become less violent and less divisive in relation to the game we all love.

Photo credit: AFP

Argentina and Barcelona forward Lionel Messi captured the inaugural Fifa Ballon d’Or award. This is the first time this award has been presented as the Ballon d’Or (former European Footballer of the Year award) and the FIFA World Player of the Year award have been merged.

Messi beat out fellow Barcelona teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta both of whom had strong years for club and country. I was rooting for Xavi as I think this may have been his last chance at the award considering he is now 30. I felt more than just for sentimental reasons that he would have been an excellent choice. He is the heartbeat and maestro for two of the most dominant teams from this past calendar year – Barcelona and Spain. I think Andres Iniesta is a very good player but I was disappointed to not see Wesley Sneijder in the final three after winning the treble with Inter Milan and leading Netherlands to the World Cup finals.

That being said, it is hard to argue against Messi, who scored a remarkable 60 goals for club and country in the 2010 calendar year and is widely regarded as one of the most gifted footballers ever. Messi joins some elite company in winning back to back player of the year awards.

Johan Cruyff, in 1973 and 74, was the first to do it. Cruuyff, who was often called ‘Pythagoras in boots’ for the beauty and precision of his angled passes, is still the standard by which many judge what a ‘complete’ footballer should be. Not only did he have great vision and passing but his overall technical ability, speed, acceleration and dribbling set him apart. You can watch the Dutch master at work in this YouTube video.

Liverpool legend Kevin Keegan landed the Ballon d’Or in 1978 and 1979. Bayern Munich legend Karl-Heinz Rummenigge had his best years in 1980 and 1981 including back-to-back Ballon d’Or awards and winning the 1980 European Championships with West Germany.

However, UEFA president Michel Platini did one better than all the rest by winning three consecutive awards between 1983 and 1985. Why did he win three in a row ? For starters, he finished top scorer in Serie A for three consecutive seasons (1982–83, 1983–84, and 1984–85). He won the scudetto (Italian championship) with Juventus in 1984, the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1984, the 1984 UEFA Super Cup, the European Cup in 1985 and the 1985 Intercontinental Cup. He also won Euro 1984 with France for good measure. The only thing that eluded Platini during his career was a World Cup win. He came close with France in 1986 when they finished 3rd. Watch Platini in action.

For a bonus treat, here are highlight videos for Messi, Xavi & Iniesta. Oh what the heck, here’s one of Sneijder also. Enjoy!

We’ll have more thorough analysis of these match-ups once the January transfer window has closed.

Champions League Round of 16 draw in full:
Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk
AC Milan v Tottenham
Valencia v Schalke
Inter Milan v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Real Madrid
Arsenal v Barcelona
Marseille v Manchester United
FC Copenhagen v Chelsea

First-leg matches will be played on February 15, 16, 22 or 23. Return legs will be played on March 8, 9, 15 or 16.

Ah yes, the merger. Many don’t realize that FCK has only existed since 1992. FCK was formed when two separate clubs joined forces: Kjøbenhavns Boldklub (KB) (which has been playing organized football since 1879 and is thus mainland Europe’s oldest football club) and Boldklubben 1903 founded not surprisingly in the year 1903. It was B 1903 that trounced FC Bayern München 6-3 on aggregate in the second round of the 1991/92 UEFA Cup to reach the quarter finals (the two-legged tie saw B 1903 romp to a 6-2 victory at home).

When the two clubs merged on July 1 1992, the new entity F.C. Copenhagen used B1903’s club license to play in the Danish Superliga championship and Europe, while KB has become the official reserve team. FCK can claim the most supporters in Denmark and has two nicknames with the fans — Byens Hold (The City’s Team) and Løverne (The Lions) with the latter forming a key aspect of the club logo.

I love a good underdog story and FCK are definitely in that category considering some of the giant clubs they could face in the Round of 16. I hope they can keep the core of their squad together through the January transfer window. In particular, three 25-year-olds will be ones to watch.

Left-back Oscar Wendt has been mentioned as a potential target for Tottenham and Liverpool. Star Senegalese striker (try saying that 3 times quickly!) Dame N’Doye has also been the subject of much speculation with Sampdoria and AZ Alkmaar in the mix. The other player that will be looked at is Danish midfielder Martin Vingaard. He scored a goal and set up another in FCK’s 3-1 win over Panathinaikos that sealed their berth in the Round of 16.

I wish FC Kobenhavn much luck in the next round.

FC Barcelona
Key Signing: David Villa. Villa, as we previously discussed, is one of the top goal scorers in Europe and will replace some of the pace and predatory instinct that Samuel Eto’o brought to the team a couple of seasons ago.

Key Departure: Zlatan Ibrahimovic. I don’t know what has happened behind the scenes so this may turn out to be a positive move for both Zlatan and Barca. I felt that on the field, Zlatan gave Barca a different option than their small, pacy forwards such as Messi and Pedro. However, this Barca side are so domineering in possession that having an option to alter their style of play may be wholly unnecessary.

Player to Watch: Sergio Busquets. I anticipate a big season for Busquets. With Yaya Toure departing for Manchester City, a spot in the starting XI is no longer a question for Busquets. He rose through the Barca ranks and featured in the B team under Josep Guardiola, and was often preferred over Toure last season. Busquets is an intelligent defensive midfielder and like all Barca players, an excellent distributor of passes.

X-Factor: Complacency. Both domestically and in the group stages. Having swept aside the competition with seemingly little effort, Guardiola will have to work hard to get his troops focused for the full 90 minutes of each match. From the look of Matchday 1, he seems to have got his homework correct.

FC Kobenhavn (FC Copenhagen)
Key Signing: Solvi Ottesen. Signed from SonderjyskE for approximately 1 million Euros, Ottesen has already repaid the club by scoring a vital goal in the final round of qulifcation. His goal against Rosenborg B.K secured FC Kobenhavn a place in the group stage.

Key Departure: Atiba Hutchinson. A fixture in central midfield for several seasons, the Canadian international departed for PSV Eindhoven this summer after his contract expired. His experience and vision will be difficult though not impossible to replace.

Player to Watch: Dame N’Doye. The former Panathinaikos forward will get a chance to show his old club what they are missing out on. His headed goal on Matchday 1 carried FCK to an important 1-0 victory over Rubin Kazan. N’Doye is one of the leading goalscorers in the Danish Superliga early in the season with 6 goals in 8 matches.

X-Factor: Shutting the door. Goals against were a problem for FCK during qualification as they narrowly edged out both BATE Borisov and Rosenborg BK. They will need to tighten up defensively in order to progress. The defenders showed glimpses of their potential in the second leg vs Rosenborg and Matchday 1 again showed some positive signs but there were still some anxious moments and sloppy distribution from the back four against Rubin Kazan.

FC Rubin Kazan
Key Signing: Carlos Eduardo Marques (commonly called Carlos Eduardo). After moving from Gremio to German team 1899 Hoffenheim for 8 million Euros, Eduardo helped them reach the Bundesliga and solidify their status as a top-flight club. This summer Russian premier champions Rubin Kazan signed him for a fee of 20 million Euros and hope that his talent will carry them to another league title as well as Champions League success. Most often used as an attacking midfielder, Eduardo is quick, clever on the ball and has already scored some key goals for Rubin in their domestic campaign.

Key Departure: Aleksandr Bukharov. The 25 year-old striker moved to rivals Zenit St. Petersburg after scoring 34 goals in 72 appearances for Rubin. His height, presence in the opposition penalty area and goals will need to be replaced.

Player to Watch: Obafemi Martins. Attempting to replace some of Bukharov’s goals will be Martins’ job. After a moderately successful one-year stint at Wolfsburg, Martins has moved on to the Russian league and will hope to improve his goal-scoring rate.

X-Factor: Keeping their form. Unlike other European football leagues, the Russian Premier League runs from March to November, to avoid playing games under the cold and snowy weather in winter. This will not be a problem early in the group stage but if they progress it will mean that players might lose game sharpness.

Panathinaikos FC
Key Signing: Sidney Govou. The former Lyon forward will add some experience to the Greek club. One could see him fitting in quite nicely and forming an understanding with another former French international Djibril Cisse. If these two veterans can develop some chemistry, Panathinaikos could have a formidable strike duo.

Key Departure: None. There were several youth and fringe squad players that were moved on over the summer but none of the core starting XI were lost.

Player to Watch: Sotiris Ninis. The 20 year-old Greek playmaker has been attracting attention from bigger European clubs like Barcelona and Manchester United. United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has had little success in recent years finding a replacement for veteran Paul Scholes. Ninis has represented Greece at U21 and senior level including two substitute appearances at the 2010 World Cup in matches against Nigeria and Argentina. Ninis has been described as talented, fast and a good dribbler. While he prefers a central playmaker role he can be utilized as a right-sided midfielder as well.

X-Factor: Mental strength. After taking a battering from FC Barcelona on Matchday 1, the Greek side are going to have to quickly re-group and get back to the task at hand. The defenders in particular will need to improve their performance vastly or the team could quickly be left languishing at the bottom of the group.

Predicted Order of Finish
1) FC Barcelona
2) FC Copehagen
3) FC Rubin Kazan
4) Panathinaikos FC

Manchester United FC
Key Signing: Javier Hernández Balcázar (commonly known as “Chicharito”). The 22 year-old reminds me a little of Michael Owen in the way he makes intelligent runs and can turn defenders inside-out in close quarters. He will offer them depth and a different element coming off the bench. Manchester United were clever in wrapping up his transfer before his breakout performance for Mexico at the 2010 World Cup.

Key Departure: No core players from last season’s squad departed. Several youth/reserve players have been sent out on loan while goalkeeper Ben Foster has been sold to Birmingham after seeing his chances at the backup/future #1 role diminish.

Player to Watch: Park Ji-Sung. Often overlooked in this star-laden lineup, Park is able to play anywhere across the midfield and his discipline, work rate and movement off the ball all ensure that he will play a role at some point for Sir Alex’s team.

X-Factor: Wayne Rooney’s health. This is a two-pronged problem. Rooney does have a history of injury but his recent off-field problems may also play a part in his performance this year. Last season’s haul of 34 goals in 44 appearances will be tricky to replicate even without the distractions. If he is not producing at the same rate, other players such as Dimitar Berbatov and Nani must step up their production. When Rooney is on his game, United have one of the world’s top players to rely upon and he has shown that he can carry them far.

Valencia CF
Key Signing: Roberto Soldado. It would be cruel to expect Soldado to replace the goals that David Villa took with him to Barcelona. Villa had scored 108 times in his 166 league appearances for Valencia and is one of Europe’s elite strikers. However, if Soldado can repeat or improve on his 16 goals in 26 appearances from last season, Valencia will at least have some base upon which to achieve results. As we’ll talk about in the next section other departures point towards a different style of play for Valencia this season.

Key Departure: The Davids. Losing both Villa and Silva in the same off-season is a major blow for Valencia though the 70 million Euros will go some way to easing their financial concerns. The club debt had climbed to over 500 million Euros and work on their new stadium, Nou Mestalla, has been halted. While the sales might be a success in the boardroom, on the field the departing Davids took with them some of the major creative force that had driven Valencia back into the Champions League last season. Villa’s scoring prowess we have already discussed. David Silva contributed 10 goals and 15 assists in 36 appearances last season and had he stayed would have certainly eased the loss of David Villa. With both gone, Valencia will have to look at a more conservative style of play to be successful in this season’s Champions League.

Player to Watch: Juan Mata. Much rumoured to also be on the way out to alleviate the debt load, this young star remains with Valencia for a while longer. His pace, vision, and goalscoring ability will give the side some spark. He had a strong season in 2009-10 with 11 goals and 13 assists (second in La Liga to FC Barcelona’s Xavi).

X-Factor: Matches v Rangers. I feel this group will come down to a battle between Valencia and Rangers for second place. Valencia simply need to defeat Rangers at home and a minimum of a draw in Glasgow. If they can avoid being upset at home and get something away, they will be in great shape to make the Round of 16.

Rangers FC
Key Signing: James Beattie. After the departures of steady goal scorer Kris Boyd, Beattie has a tall order on his hands to match or come close to Boyd’s production rate. 101 goals in 143 appearances for Boyd will be somewhat of a measuring stick but if Beattie can produce timely goals and form an effective partnership with Kenny Miller or Kyle Lafferty, the signing will have been a success.

Key Departure: Certainly the aforementioned Kris Boyd would rank high on Rangers supporter’s minds but I think the departure of central midfielder Kevin Thomson will be felt at the club. Thomson was a key contributor to Rangers winning their second title in a row in the 2009-10 season.

Player to Watch: Kenny Miller. The Scottish international has been red-hot with 6 goals from the first 4 SPL matches. Rangers will be hoping his run of form carries on into their Champions League campaign.

X-Factor: Walter Smith. Smith signed a new one-year deal to continue as Rangers manager throughout the 2010-11 campaign, stating that it will be his last within football. This could work one of two ways for Rangers FC. Either the players will want to perform for Smith to give him a good send-off or he could be viewed as a “lame duck” manager and the team could falter as rumours about a new manager begin to circulate.

Bursaspor
Key Signing: Gokcek Vederson (born Wederson Luiz da Silva Medeiros). This Brazilian-born central defender received Turkish citizenship in March 2007 and took his Turkish name from Melih Gokçek, the mayor of Ankara and the honorary president of Ankaraspor where he was playing at the time. He gained valuable Champions League experience in his time with Fenerbahce and will be expected to provide some guidance to this younger, inexperienced side.

Key Departure: Tomas Zapotocny. The veteran centre-back was recalled by Besiktas from Bursaspor after a successful loan spell last season. His experience and the occasional goal will be missed.

Player to Watch: Ozan Ipek. The 23 year-old midfielder is one of the rising stars of Turkish football. Mostly known as a creative, goal-scoring winger, Ipek was deployed as a central midfielder for Bursaspor before the arrival of manager Ertugrul Saglam. Saglam moved Ipek to the left side of midfield and he flourished in the new role. It had been rumoured earlier in 2010 that Chelsea had scouts watching Ipek but for now he remains a Bursaspor player.

X-Factor: Confidence. This was a tough draw for Bursaspor. With a 4-0 home defeat to Valencia already on the books, I simply hope that they do not let Champions League defeats like this affect their domestic campaign.

Predicted Order of Finish
1) Manchester United FC
2) Valencia CF
3) Rangers FC
4) Bursaspor

Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC
Key Signing: Salim Toama. Toama rejoined Hapoel on a two-year contract following spells abroad with Royal Standard de Liège and Greek side Larissa FC. The 31 year-old will bring experience and a steadying influence to the squad.

Key Departure: None noted. Squad news was a little tough to come by for this team.

Player to Watch: Gil Vermouth. The 25 year-old playmaker was Israel’s player of the year last season after racking up 13 goals and 16 assists in 34 league matches. Vermouth scored some of Hapoel’s biggest goals last season including a goal in the title-winning victory over Beitar Jerusalem FC on the final day of the season as well as recording a brace against Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC in the Israeli State Cup final.

X-Factor: The element of surprise. Hapoel will have to take advantage of the fact that they will be unfancied to even record a point in this group. While their rivals in the group will have scouted them, it does not mean they wont take them lightly. If the other teams in this group come focused and prepared, Hapoel could be handed some heavy defeats.

SL Benfica
Key Signing: Nicolás Gaitán. Benfica splashed out 8 million Euros to bring in another talented Argentine. Gaitán joins from Boca Juniors after scoring 13 times in 66 appearances. The 22-year-old attacking midfielder will be asked to replace some of the creativity lost when Angel di Maria was sold to Real Madrid.

Key Departure: Two big talents were sold by Benfica this summer. It’s hard to say which of Angel di Maria or defensive midfielder Ramires Santos do Nascimento (shortened to Ramires in the press) will be missed more. Looking at the lineup, it appears to me that the holding midfield role can be covered by Javi Garcia or Ruben Amorim. A creative player with di Maria’s pace and skill is not

Player to Watch: Roberto Jiménez Gago (shortened as Roberto). Benfica made another bold swap over the summer, allowing long time first-choice keeper Joaquim Manuel Sampaio da Silva (shortened as Quim) to join rivals Sporting Braga. Last season, Quim played every minute for Benfica as they won the league for the first time in five years. Roberto will need to provide the same stability and organization. Benfica have surrendered 6 goals in their first four matches so things must improve.

X-Factor: Slow start. As alluded to above, Benfica have not gotten off to a great defense of their title despite a good record in their pre-season friendlies. With only 1 win and 3 losses, they currently sit in 13th spot two points above the relegation places. With their domestic woes on their minds, Benfica might be ripe for an upset or two.

Olympique Lyonnais
Key Signing: Yoann Gourcuff. The young playmaker had a rough summer as part of that infamous French squad that flopped so spectacularly. Lyon will pay a total of 22 million in a series of installments so they will certainly hope that Gourcuff can recapture the form that helped Bordeaux win Ligue 1 in 2008-09 and earned him French Player of the Year honours.

Key Departure: None of Lyon’s core players left during the summer but depth players such as Sidney Govou, Mathieu Bodmer and François Clerc were moved on and replacements from the reserve/youth team have been promoted. Two other notable transfers saw Pape Diakhaté brought in on loan as central defence cover and Jimmy Briand was bought from Rennes as further cover at the forward position.

Player to Watch: Lisandro López. The Argentine hitman scored 15 times in 37 Champions League appearances in his career including 6 in 10 games for Porto during the 2008-09 season.

X-Factor: Perpetual failure. With so many talented players having come through the ranks and with so many appearances in the Champions League, it is amazing that Lyon have not yet made it to the final. Their semi-final appearance last season was there best showing ever but they were swept aside 4-0 on aggregate but eventual runners-up FC Bayern Munchen. Can they overcome that disappointment and take that final step?

FC Schalke 04
Key Signing: Raúl González. The all-time leading scorer in Champions League history left his long-time club Real Madrid this summer. After playing in Spain’s La Liga for so long, it will be interesting to see how he adapts to the Bundesliga.

Key Departure: Heiko Westermann. I was surprised to see this Schalke let such a versatile player go. Westermann can play any defensive position and has also played as a defensive midfielder on occasion. He was transferred to Hamburger SV for a reported fee of 7.5 million Euros.

Player to Watch: Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. Huntelaar was shuffled off by AC Milan after they had signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Barcelona. Schalke swooped in with a 13 million Euro bid and signed the Dutch striker with the hopes that he can regain his goal scoring form. After scoring 76 times in 92 appearances for Ajax, Huntelaar has only scored 15 times in his 45 appearances for Real Madrid and AC Milan. I don’t think he ever received much opportunity at either club. Given regular playing time and learning from a master poacher like Raul, Huntelaar could prove to be a bargain.

X-Factor: Back 4. Schalke have looked shaky at the back to start the season and have yet to record a win. They sit in the relegation zone after 3 matches having conceded 6 goals and scoring only 2. Clearly there is much work to be done on the training ground in the coming weeks.

Pre­dicted Order of Fin­ish:
1) Olympique Lyonnais
2) FC Schalke 04
3) SL Benfica
4) Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC

This has the makings of a group of death and so it is no surprise that the big story in the group will be how the managers perform. Each will have a big impact on their sides chances, some more than others. Let’s examine each side before I predict who moves on and who will go home.

Tottenham Hotspur FC
Key signing: William Gallas. While the Rafael Van der Vaart signing should not be understated, Gallas gives Spurs a defender with extensive Champions League experience. The squad is a bit thin at the central defender spot so this was an important signing to be sure.

Key departure: None of note. Spurs held all the key members of their squad from last season despite continued speculation about forwards Robbie Keane and Roman Pavluychenko as well as midfielders David Bentley and Jamie O’Hara.

Player to Watch: Gareth Bale. Bale has started to blossom into the player I thought he would become when he first emerged with Southampton as a left fullback. I always felt he was a dynamic player going forward but was not well suited for the defensive responsibilities. Now playing as a left midfielder, he has been freed up to take on defenders and scored a stunning volley against Stoke City.

X-Factor: Injuries. Who will step up to score the goals now that Jermain Defoe has been ruled out for three months with ankle ligament damage? Key defender Michael Dawson will also miss the first few fixtures and could be out for up to two months after spraining his left medial knee ligament while on England duty.

FC Twente
Key Signing: Marc Janko. After scoring 75 times in 108 appearances for Red Bull Salzburg, Janko will now be expected to replace the goals that former striker Blaise N’Kufo provided. n’Kufo departed for Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders in the summer transfer window.

Key Departure: Steve McLaren. The much-maligned former England national team coach did a great job in his two seasons at the Enschede-based club. Expectations have been set high and pressure will be on his replacement, Michel Preud’homme. Preud’homme has a strong pedigree in the game, having been a top goalkeeper for club and country (including being named the best goalkeeper at the 1994 World Cup) and leading Standard Liège to its first Belgian Championship in 25 years as a manager.

Player to Watch: Bryan Ruiz González (often referred to as just Bryan Ruiz). The 25 year-old forward is a versatile weapon in Twente’s arsenal. Ruiz can play in any position up front or as an attacking midfielder. His pace and trickery allow him to attack from wide areas yet remain a lethal goal threat. He scored

X-Factor: Home cooking. It might sound a little simplistic or contrite but Twente must make the most of their home games. They have had a strong record at home domestically and they must extend into European competition if they hope to have some success. To expect them to captures points away to Inter or Werder Bremen might be asking too much for a club with such little experience at this level.

Note: UEFA.com has an interesting multi-part video feature about this relatively ‘new’ club.

FC Internazionale Milan
Key Signing: There were no major signings for Inter this summer but they did recall a number of younger players who had been out on loan at various clubs and they did retain some of the players rumoured to be moving on such as fullback Maicon.

Key Departure: Jose Mourinho. As with FC Twente, the managerial change is the big story for Inter. Mourinho led the club to Champions League glory last season and the lure of managing Real Madrid proved to be too strong for the Portuguese mastermind. Mourinho’s style may not be flashy but it certainly was effective. Inter brought in Rafa Benitez who had mixed results in his Liverpool tenure. Champions League winners in 2005, the club crashed to seventh place last season and a change seemed the best result for both parties. If you asked me to pick who I’d hire as a manager, I’d say Mourinho over Benitez without hesitating. While I am not one of them, many are saying that only a repeat win of the Champions League and Serie A will silence the critics. A tall order to be sure.

Player to Watch: Wesley Sneijder. One of my favourite players to watch so perhaps this choice is biased. The Dutch playmaker does all the little things right, has great vision, is a precise passer of the ball and pops up to score the big goals for both club and country. While he is more prolific for his country, Sneijder did score 3 times in 11 Champions League matches last season.

X-Factor: Avoiding the shadow of last season. Inter will be reminded at every turn of the magnificent success they enjoyed last season. This can work for them or against them — they can either take great confidence from being the reigning champs or they can buckle under the pressure of trying to repeat. It will be up to Rafa Benitez to make sure they react in the right way.

SV Werder Bremen
Key Signings: Marko Arnautovic. The 21 year-old Austrian joined from FC Twente after an earlier move to Internazionale fell through. Arnautovic can play as a winger or striker and has already shown glimpses of his potential by scoring a brace and adding an assist in a 4-2 win over FC Koln in the second game of the Bundesliga season.

Key Departure: Mesut Ozil. One of the young stars of the thrilling German World Cup team, Ozil left for Real Madrid in the summer. Many other big clubs were rumoured to have been interested but ultimately I think Madrid have landed a bargain if the reported 15 million Euro fee is accurate.

Player to Watch: Mikael Silvestre. With centre-back Per Mertesacker out for the next month with a broken eye socket and Naldo also missing with a knee injury, this will mean that the former Manchester United and Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre will start in defence. His experience will be vital to any success Werder will have in the early group games.

X-Factor: Thomas Schaaf, who spent his entire playing career, and so far his coaching career, with Werder Bremen. Schaaf took the job in 1999 with Werder facing relegation and since has brough stability and success to the club winning the German Cup on two occassions as well as winning the league in the 2003-04 season. Werder have also been regular qualifiers for the Champions League, missing out in 2008-09 but they still played in the UEFA Cup that season. Schaaf has the experience to guide his team through to the round of 16.

Predicted Order of Finish:
1) FC Internazionale Milan
2) SV Werder Bremen
3) Tottenham Hotspur FC
4) FC Twente

I think I am one of the few people in the blog/media realm that seems to enjoy the Europa League (formerly UEFA Cup). I’ve always looked at it as a great way to get more cultured in European football and see some of the up and coming stars before the big clubs swoop in for them. That said, this competition can be quite long to follow, especially if you try and follow the qualifiers. Thankfully we are at the group stage and the field has been ‘narrowed’ down to 48 clubs from 24 nations.

I won’t do a group-by-group breakdown but I will post a feature on the favourites to win such as last season’s champions Club Atlético de Madrid and the side they beat in the semi-finals last season – Liverpool FC. Others I would rank among the favourites to make it to the late stages are Sevilla FC, Manchester City FC and FC Porto. However, the third-place finishers from the Champions League are parachuted into this competition during the next phase so a re-evaluation of favourites is always necessary.

For now, here are the groupings.

I plan to review each group in more detail before the Champions League group stages kick off on September 14 but for now, here are the groupings. On initial glance, Groups A, B and G could be tight battles between three or all four teams to see who progresses.

From one perspective, I found it a little disappointing that the two French clubs were drawn against each other but it will still be a banner night for French football. Ligue 1 is guaranteed to have a representative in the semi-finals.

The most intriguing matchup of the round could be Inter Milan v CSKA Moscow. The surprise result of the Round of 16 saw imthe Russian club dump out Spanish side Sevilla FC on the strength of 2 goals from Tomáš Necid and Keisuke Honda and a terrific, disciplined performance in Spain. Inter surprised many by defeating Chelsea on their home ground to advance to the quarter-finals and manager Jose Mourinho will be looking to replicate his 2004 success by bringing glory to Inter. Below are the full pairings with my picks to advance in bold.

Quarter-Final matches (1st leg – March20/31, 2nd leg – April 6/7)
Olympique Lyonnais v FC Girondins de Bordeaux
FC Bayern München v Manchester United FC
(The winners of these two ties will face off in semi-final 1)

Arsenal FC  v FC Barcelona
FC Internazionale Milano v PFC CSKA Moskva
(The winners of these two ties will face off in semi-final 2)

The semi-finals will take place on April 20/21 & April 27/28.

Looking at the domestic form of Les Girondins does not fill one with confidence. They club has failed to win any of their last three games in a run that has threatened their Ligue 1 title defence. Over the course of the last ten days Bordeaux have been held by Montpellier, defeated by Auxerre and held to a scoreless draw by Monaco. It must be said that Bordeaux manager Laurent Blanc has taken the opportunity to rest some key players such as star players Yoann Gourcuff and Marouane Chamakh.

Bordeaux hold a narrow one goal advantage from the first-leg but it is an away goal so Olympiacos will need to win by at least a 2-1 or 2-0 scoreline to advance. Olympiacos has had a domestic dynasty in recent seasons, having won the last five Greek Super League championships, and having been crowned champions in nine of the last 10 seasons overall, they currently lie third behind Panathinaikos and PAOK (Panthessalonikian Athletic Club of Constantinopolitans). They still have two games to play against leaders Panathinaikos (who hold a 7-point lead) so they still have a chance albeit a slight one.

Making this an even more uphill battle, Olympiacos have not won away from home in the Champions League proper since a 2-1 group-stage triumph at Lazio in November of 2007. That was their second away success in three games, having had to wait 31 matches for their first, but they have lost three of their four matches since that Lazio victory with the other result being a draw. Kostas Mitroglou will need to lead the line for Olympiacos and hope that he can add to his team-leading haul of 3 Champions League goals.

I foresee a Bordeaux win and a historic night for French football.

A quick look ahead to the Round of 16. Depsite their domestic foibles, I do expect Liverpool’s overall depth to show against Lille. Lille have performed well this season and I think they will keep the tie close but ultimately the Reds will move on.

A potential upset in the making sees Fulham take on Italian giants Juventus. Juve have struggled for form this season and I look for master tactician Roy Hodgson to engineer a win.

PREDICTIONS:
Hamburger SV v RSC Anderlecht
FC Rubin Kazan v VfL Wolfsburg
Club Atlético de Madrid v Sporting Clube de Portugal
SL Benfica v Olympique de Marseille
Panathinaikos FC v Royal Standard de Liège
LOSC Lille Métropole v Liverpool FC
Juventus v Fulham FC
Valencia CF v Werder Bremen

By far, there has been more written and said about the state of clubs finances. Typical big spenders like Manchester United and Liverpool are facing some harsh debt loads and despite the spin coming from both clubs, it appears they have no real transfer budget to work with. I can understand clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona not spending big. Real already spent massively in the summer and they need to trim down their squad not add to it. Barcelona are cruising along nicely and are concerned about disrupting chemistry. But where are Juventus, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Lyon and some of the other perennial Champions League contenders? Even Chelsea, whose owner ‘wrote off’ their debt have not made any moves despite facing a transfer ban this summer and next January as well.

It’s been very quiet with only the rumour mills working overtime. Are the big club’s finances worse than they are letting on ? I’ve been reading David Conn’s columns on the financial situation that Manchester United are facing. I recommend reading his piece on the gloom facing the entire Premier League, it is quite sobering. There are many other thought-provoking articles such as this one from Simon Wilson in MoneyWeek. With UEFA’s Financial Fair Play initiative on the horizon, it is possible that clubs are trying to curtail their spending so that they are not excluded from the lucrative Champions League competition.

What are your thoughts on the lack of transfer deals?

Real Madrid’s Surplus Goods List
Fulham are also doing some house cleaning

Depending who you want to believe, Valencia sniper David Villa is going to Manchester United, Chelsea, or Real Madrid. It looks like Villa will move either in January or the summer transfer window as Valencia will likely have to sell two from Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata in a bid to cut down their £450m in debt.

Chelsea may be more interested in a striker from another debt-laden Spanish club, Atletico Madrid’s Kun Aguero.

Luca Toni will be another name featuring in many headlines with a return to Italy looming. Will he land at Internazionale?

Zenit St Petersburg are said to be considering a move for Fiorentina’s striker Adrian Mutu
after declining on a purchase option on PSG forward Mateja Kežman.

Special Note: Be sure to check out Major League Soccer Talk as they will have the most in-depth coverage of the Landon Donovan loan spell with Everton.

Eric Abidal – D – Barcelona
The 30-year-old suffered a thigh injury on international duty with France and will miss games against Athletic Club Bilbao at the weekend, Internazionale on Tuesday, and their massive derby with Real Madrid five days later. Barça are third in Group F, a point behind leaders Internazionale and trail second-placed FC Rubin Kazan on head-to-head record, meaning their title defence would end abruptly if they lost to Inter and the Russian team beat FC Dynamo Kyiv in Kazan on Matchday 5.

Robin Van Persie – F – Arsenal
Van Persie’s story has taken a turn into what at first read seems like a subplot from a science fiction or urban fantasy novel. After rupturing ankle ligaments while on international duty for Netherlands, van Persie is reportedly travelling to Belgrade to seek treatment using a horse’s placenta. While sounding bizarre there is scientific evidence that the placenta is rich in proteins and iron as well as a host of other vital nutrients.  This might explain why many animals eat the placenta after giving birth, a practice called placentophagia. Van Persie will miss about six weeks and will not take part in Arsenal’s remaining Group H fixtures against Royal Standard de Liège and Olympiacos FC, although the Gunners now require just a point to book their place in the last 16. Complicating team selection for Arsene Wenger is the fact that forward Nicklas Bendtner, a potential replacement for Van Persie, had a groin operation in Germany last Tuesday and is expected to be out for three to four weeks.

Frank Lampard – M – Chelsea
Lampard will miss Chelsea FC’s trip to FC Porto on November 25 after being ruled out for three weeks with a torn thigh muscle. Chelsea have already secured a first knockout round berth but victory in Porto would clinch first place in Group D. Lampard is also set to miss the Premier League leaders’ fixtures against Wolverhampton Wanderers FC on Saturday week and a massive away game to Arsenal FC on Nov 29th. Chelsea have a deep midfield and should be able to adjust for Lampard’s loss but the real news will be Chelsea demanding compensation from the English FA.

Reports of Lampard’s injury came after a cramped seven-hour plane journey. Many of the English players were reported to have complained of cramps and muscle pain after being forced to take a long-haul flight on a charter plane designed for short-haul only. Reports in the press claim that Chelsea will look to recoup Lampard’s £151,000-a-week wages in compensation from the FA.

Fernando Torres – F – Liverpool
Torres has been plagued with a persistent groin injury, which he has aggravated in recent weeks and he is still struggling with his fitness. Liverpool’s top scorer has been receiving round the clock treatment in a bid to get fit as soon as possible. However, this weekend’s game with Manchester City has come too soon for Torres with Liverpool hoping he will return in time for the Merseyside derby with Everton later this month. He remains doubtful for Liverpool’s must-win game against Debreceni VSC on November 24th. Compounding Liverpool’s problems, Israeli international Yossi Benayoun, 29, and 27-year-old Spain winger Riera have both sustained torn hamstrings. The initial prognosis was that they would be sitting out the trip to Debrecen and would struggle to be fit in time for the ACF Fiorentina home game on December 9th. However, both have also visited the same Serbian physiotherapist that Van Persie will visit. Mariana Kovacevic has been credited with accelerating recovery from injury with the use of placenta cells.

No matter what lineup they are able to field, Liverpool must win both reamaining games in order to have a chance of making the knockout round. They currently trail second-place Fiorentina by 5 points.

Kaká did not have his best match in a Real Madrid shirt since his big money move this past summer. Real will need more from him if they are to win on Matchday 4. Cristiano Ronaldo will miss this match with his knee injury still on the mend. Milan’s major absence will be Marek Jankulovski while Alessandro Nesta is listed as doubtful with a thigh strain.

I’ll be focused on this marquee match-up today but there are plenty of other quality matches that I will be trying to catch up on tonight. Here’s the complete list of Tuesday’s games (my predictions in bold):

AC Milan v Real Madrid (DRAW)
Apoel Nicosia v FC Porto
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Bayern Munich v Bordeaux (DRAW)
Besiktas v Wolfsburg
Maccabi Haifa v Juventus
Man Utd v CSKA Moscow
Marseille v FC Zurich

Swedish legend Henrik Larsson had an emotional farewell from professional football on Wednesday night as he played his last ever professional game for Swedish side Helsingborg. Larsson had announced his intent to retire at the end of this season but decided to bow out one game early in order to play his last match in front of the Helsinborg supporters. The player was joined on the pitch by family and friends as the capacity crowd showed their appreciation for the former Celtic, Manchester United and Barcelona striker.

Larsson could not fight back the tears after he was presented with his club’s Player of the Year award and said his goodbyes to the supporters. Video tributes from the likes of Sweden coach Lars Lagerback, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson and international team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic were played at the ground. The emotional night also saw Helsingborg announce the decision to retire the No 17 shirt in Larsson’s honour.

Though he won the Champions League with Barcelona and an EPL title with Manchester United, it was at Celtic that Larsson made his name. He still holds the record as the Scottish Premier League’s all-time top goalscorer, with 158 Premier League goals. He also holds four SPL winners medals and picked up the European Golden Boot in 2000-01 while at Celtic. That same season he was also the top goalscorer in the UEFA Cup as Martin O’Neill’s side reached the final against Porto. Larsson scored twice in that match in a losing effort.

Videos of his farewell and the tributes are up on YouTube.

Now onto the big story from Matchday 3 in the Europa League, which was Everton being thrashed 5-0 by Benfica. One could argue that Everton entered the game with a weakened squad.

They have several senior players out injured (Neville, Yobo, etc) and two players are Cup-tied (Johnny Heitinga and Lucas Neill) so manager David Moyes had to field a makeshift backline due to the late withdrawal of Leighton Baines. While they did show weaknesses at the back with two inexperience fullbacks, Everton’s midfield were also outclassed depsite fielding regular starters like Tim Cahill, Marouane Fellaini and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.

It would be wrong to put the defeat solely on Everton, credit must be given to Benfica for a good performance. In particular one of European football’s forgotten stars, Javier Saviola (the former Barcelona and Real Madrid striker is pictured above), played a vital role. Saviola scored a wonderful volley and had a big part in two of the other five goals. Saviola combined nicely with midfielder Angel Di Maria, who assisted on three of the goals and nearly scored one of his own.

I have to admit that I have an affinity for the Czech Republic as well as teams from the Czech league. So it put a smile on my face to see the results from Matchday 3 for Slavia Prague and Sparta Prague. Last season’s Czech champions SK Slavia Praha have struggled mightily thus far in the Europa League with 2-0 and 5-1 losses to Genoa and Lille respectively.

Going into Thursday’s match, history was against the Czech-based side as Valencia had never lost in six games against Czech sides and were unbeaten over 90 minutes in their last 14 UEFA club competition games. To be fair to Valencia they did dominate the latter stages of the match and looked likely to go on to win, especially after Slavia’s Hocine Ragued was sent off after receiving a second booking for a foul on Rubén Baraja. David Villa was poised to be the hero again off the bench and nearly produced from the free kick resulting from Ragued’s foul. He saw his curled effort crash off the upright and Valencia’s hopes of retaining top spot crashed soon after as Villa received a straight red card for kicking out at Benjamin Vomácka.

First-half goals from Juraj Kucka and Roman Hubník settled the contest and despite Cluj pressing the home side for long periods of the match, they were unable to find a way past goalkeeper Jaromír Blažek. Group K has become tighter with PSV top on 7 points and the other three clubs (Sparta, Cluj and FC København) all within a point of each other.

One need look no further than the Real Madrid – AC Milan clash for a taste of drama. Kaka was at the centre of a massive transfer from Milan to Madrid this past summer and now comes the much anticipated meeting between the two sides. Madrid have been dominant offensively this season but as usual, their defence is capable of giving up suspect goals. Milan have struggled on all fronts, including a home loss to FC Zurich on Matchday 2. Milan scored a big win over Roma at the weekend with Ronaldinho involved in both goals so they cannot be written off so early. I am hoping for a high-scoring affair but both sides have been a little hard to predict this season. I think Madrd will just edge this one given the home-field advantage.

The other game that catches my eye is the Bayern Munich – Bordeaux clash. Bordeaux will hope for an improvement in form after consecutive losses in Ligue 1 – 3-1 away to AS Saint-Etienne and then 1-0 at AJ Auxerre this past weekend. The time could be right to defeat Bayern who will be without star wingers Franck Ribéry and Arjen Robben as well as striker Ivica Oli? . Bayern will make some tactical adjustments and still have plenty to work with. In particular, keep your eye on Thomas Müller (pictured above) who has scored six goals in his last eight games, with five of those strikes coming in the final 20 minutes.

Full Wednesday schedule (my predictions in bold):
AC Milan v Real Madrid
Apoel Nicosia v FC Porto
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Bayern Munich v Bordeaux
Besiktas v Wolfsburg
Maccabi Haifa v Juventus
Manchester United v CSKA Moscow (DRAW)
Marseille v FC Zurich (DRAW)

If they lose at home today against Arsenal, last season’s Eredivise champions AZ Alkmaar could be done. AZ are struggling this season, having already lost five of their ten Eredivisie matches and have only collected one point from the first two Matchdays. Coach Louis van Gaal, who guided them to the title last season, left in the summer to take over at Bayern Munich, and his successor Ronald Koeman, formerly of Barcelona, has not got the team playing at their best yet. Another loss would severely dent their hopes of even making the Europa League parachute spot.

Another club that has under-performed in recent outings is Liverpool. Life was not a beach for the Reds as a loss to Sunderland in the English Premier League on Saturday followed on the heels of a loss in the domestic league to Chelsea and a defeat in the Champions League to Fiorentina. The once-solid back four has many critics now and a loss to Lyon could have the fans and media calling for change.  Rafa Benitez  might be looking ahead to a crucial clash against Manchester United this coming weekend so it will be interesting to see what his team selection and formation will be. Benitez did indicate in his press conference on Monday that Fernando Torres would not be available so that will likely mean Dirk Kuyt starting up front on his own.

Full Tuesday schedule (my predictions in bold):
AZ v Arsenal
Barcelona v Rubin Kazan
Debreceni v Fiorentina
Inter Milan v Dynamo Kiev
Liverpool v Lyon (DRAW)
Olympiacos v Standard Liege
Rangers v Unirea Urziceni
VfB Stuttgart v Sevilla (DRAW)

This season’s Champions League and Europa League has its usual cast of superstars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribery but I wanted to feature a few names that I think you’ll be hearing a lot more about as the January transfer window approaches.

1) Miralem Pjanic — midfielder — Olympique Lyonnais
The “new Juninho” (pictured above) has actually lived up to the moniker thus far. He has become a fulcrum for the French side, pulling the strings in midfield and scoring from free kicks. He was even handed Juninho’s old No8 shirt for this season. Many clubs will be inquiring about him come January but they must keep in mind that the talented youngster rejected interest from Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid to move to Lyon from Metz in 2008.

2) Gergely Rudolf — striker — Debreceni VSC
The 24-year-old is in the final year of his contract and was a bright spot in a losing effort against Lyon. Rudolf made a second-half appearance after recovering from a knee injury and forced Lyon’s keeper into making several good stops. Rudolf has blossomed at Debreceni after spending 5 seasons with AS Nancy’s B team. He has recorded a good strike rate since returning to his native land and could be a target for many clubs this January.

3) Patrick ‘Paddy’ McCourt — winger — Celtic FC
McCourt has yet to appear in the Europa League for Celtic but one feels its just a matter of time before he’s given a chance to shine. McCourt has shown flashes of what Jinky Johnstone used to thrill Celtic supporters with week-in and week-out — terrific weaving runs past defenders. The former Derry City player has been outstanding at times and even managed to get Falkirk supporters to give him a standing ovation for this sublime goal. He scored an even better one against St Mirren.

4) Bryan Ruiz — striker — FC Twente
Fans of the US national team will recognize this name as he scored two cracking goals against them in the most recent World Cup qualifier. Costa Rica is currently on the outside looking in but still have a shot to qualify if they can beat Uruguay in a playoff. Ruiz’s skill and creativity will be vital if they are to have any hope. For his club, FC Twente, he has gotten off to a flying start with five goals in nine appearances. The 23-year-old was signed from KAA Gent for a reported club record fee of €5m during the summer transfer window.

5) Eliaquim Mangala — centre back — Standard Liege
I realize that this article has predominantly focused on midfielders and strikers but I would be remiss if I did not give this young man a mention. The French youngster with Congolese roots has a strong work rate and can be used as a holding midfielder or centre back. He has some technical skill as well. He scored just two minutes into his Champions League debut match against Arsenal FC with a clinical finish.

A statement released on manutd.com said: “Manchester United is pleased to confirm that the Football Association has been authorised by Fifa to register Paul Pogba as a Manchester United player with immediate effect.”

Reaction to the decision by the world press is mixed. Le Figaro, a leading French newspaper, writes that United exploited loopholes and repeats rumours that inducements of cash and a home for Pogba’s family were used to lure him to England. Le Havre have an outstanding reputation in developing young players, nurturing players like Real Madrid’s Lassana Diarra and Wigan’s Charles N’Zogbia as well as Atletico Madrid’s Florent Sinama-Pongolle, who moved from the French club to Liverpool, before going to Spain.

This was not the first time United had their recruitment policies called into question. Italian club Lazio were unhappy over United’s pursuit and signing of Federico Macheda, who was 16 when he moved to Old Trafford in 2007. There are many who believe that academy players should be protected from the advances of overseas clubs until they are 18. Others will say that players who join big clubs receive a footballing education superior to the one they would get at a smaller club.

Le Havre have the right to appeal FIFA’s decision so we might not have heard the last of this case.

UEFA has confirmed that it plans to investigate 40 cases of suspected match-fixing in the Champions League and UEFA Cup. Most of the cases were from Eastern Europe and involved games in the early qualifying rounds of the tournaments, according to Peter Limacher, UEFA’s head of disciplinary services.

Last year, the number of games being investigated was 25, and UEFA set up a six-man special investigation unit to examine corruption in their competitions.

There are now 40 games where suspicious betting patterns have been identified, 15 of those in the last two years. UEFA has been running its Betting Fraud Detection System (BFDS) since the start of the current season in order to catch suspicious betting patterns earlier than in the past. The Betting Fraud Detection System (BFDS) is an elaborate database application that can quickly compile a report if a match is considered to be manipulated. The BFDS report forms the first step of the thorough investigation phase that follows.

Match-fixing on this scale is largely driven by attempts to make a quick dollar from the multi-billion dollar sports betting industry. In many of the cases now before UEFA, it is reported that bookmakers alerted UEFA to suspicious betting patterns, and it is thought that most of the cases involved sides where players did not earn high wages, and so were tempted by a large pay-off. There are not believed to be either English sides, or any major European clubs involved.

What sort of punishment could be meted out to clubs involved? In April of this year, UEFA banned Macedonian club FK Pobeda from European competitions for eight years after match-fixing against Armenian side FC Pyunik in 2004.

The Inter – Barca matchup is intriguing as the two clubs conducted a massive swap of star strikers over the summer. Heading to Italy was Samuel Eto’o (plus a massive amount of cash to Inter) while Zlatan Ibrahimovic joined Barcelona. Another player who was the centre of a big money transfer will also be given an immediate return to his old stomping grounds. Brazilian playmaker Kaka and his Real Madrid galactico pals will face AC Milan. Marseille and FC Zurich round out Group C but have to be hoping for some major upsets if they have any chance of advancing. Real Madrid will have all the motivation they need with this season’s final being hosted at their home stadium.

Bayern Munich, who have struggled out of the gate this season, are up against Juventus, French champions Bordeaux and Maccabi Haifa in Group A. Based on their current form, I just cannot see Bayern progressing. It’s much too early for predictions but the German-based side has much work to do under new manager Louis Van Gaal if they are to improve results.

The groups are as follows:
Group A: Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bordeaux, Maccabi Haifa.
Group B: Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, Besiktas, Wolfsburg.
Group C: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Marseille, FC Zurich
Group D: Chelsea, Porto, Atletico Madrid, APOEL Nicosia
Group E: Liverpool, Lyon, Fiorentina, Debreceni
Group F: Barcelona, Inter Milan, Dynamo Kiev, Rubin Kazan
Group G: Sevilla, Rangers, Stuttgart, Unirea Urziceni
Group H: Arsenal, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos, Standard Liege

Prior to the draw, UEFA awarded Barca forward Lionel Messi the 2009 European Footballer of the Year and Best Forward, while his teammate Xavi Hernández was not surprisingly named last season’s Top Midfielder. Manchester United’s Edwin Van der Sar was named Top Goalkeeper and Chelsea captain John Terry picked up his second consecutive Top Defender award.

Celtic have to overcome a Gunners side in top form if they are to progress – they must win away in Europe for only the second time in 24 matches. Celtic have fought back from a home defeat once already in this season’s qualifiers, beating Dinamo Moscow 2-0 in Moscow on goals from Scott McDonald and Georgios Samaras to make overturn a 1-0 first-leg loss in Glasgow. It was Celtic’s first away win in Europe in 23 matches. A win for Arsenal will mean a 12th successive appearance in the UEFA Champions League. On current form, I simply cannot see Arsenal losing 3-0 at home to Celtic

Despite their gutsy performance, Panathinaikos find themselves needing to make history on two fronts to book a place in the group stage of the Champions League. Beyond needing to win on Spanish soil for the first time in their history, they must also mount a first successful comeback from an opening home loss in Europe competition. On the five previous occasions Panathinaikos have entered a return fixture after a defeat in Athens, they have go on to lose the tie. Atletico are sitting in a good spot having scored 3 away goals in the opening leg with strikes from Maxi Rodríguez, Diego Forlán and Sergio Agüero.

I think there is simply too much stacked against the Greek side and that we’ll see Atletico celebrating a return to the group stage. Henk ten Cate, the Panathinaikos manager, admitted to uefa.com that he felt some of his players would be affected psychologically by the fires in Athens. The club doctors told the team to refrain from training because the smoke in the air could have been hazardous for the players. I certainly feel for the players and their families and I hope the wildfires are brought under control.

It’s not all doom and gloom for the losers in this playoff round as they will continue their European campaigns in the UEFA Europa League group stage.

In the Champions Path, the feature match-up should be between FC Zurich and FK Ventspils. Latvian titleholders Ventspils edged past last season’s group stage participant FC BATE Borisov on away goals despite losing 2-1 away in the second leg of their Third Qualifying Round tie. Ventspils have a balanced attack but their main goal threat is Andrejs Butriks, who had a trial with Blackpool in England during the January 2008 transfer window. Butriks has remained in Latvia and been a consistent threat.

Swiss champions FC Zurich have a couple of players to keep an eye on. Johan Vonlanthen, despite being only 23, has already gained extensive experience in his career in stints with PSV Eindhoven, Brescia and Red Bull Salzburg. Up front, the pair of Swiss youngster Almen Abdi and French import Eric Hassli combined for 36 goals in 36 Swiss league games.

The glamour matchup in the Non-Champions Path sees Arsenal take on Celtic but the game that may produce a shock result is the Panathinaikos – Atlético Madrid tie. Panathinaikos scored a massive 3-0 win to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the second leg of their Third Qualifying Round tie with AC Sparta Praha. With experienced players like Gilberto and Giorgos Karagounis complemented by the pace and skill of Sebastián Leto and Djibril Cissé, Atletico could have a tough scrap on their hands.

The full playoff round match-ups (games to be played on August 18 and 26) are as follows:

Non-champions Path
Arsenal FC (England) v Celtic FC (Scotland)
Olympique Lyonnais (France) v RSC Anderlecht (Belgium)
Sporting Clube de Portugal (Portugal) v ACF Fiorentina (Italy)
Panathinaikos FC (Greece) v Club Atlético de Madrid (Spain)
VfB Stuttgart (Germany) v FC Timisoara (Romania)

Champions Path
Olympiacos CFP (Greece) v FC Sheriff (Moldova)
FC København (Denmark) v APOEL FC (Cyprus)
PFC Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) v Debreceni VSC (Hungary)
Maccabi Haifa FC (Israel) v FC Salzburg (Austria)
FC Zürich (Switzerland) v FK Ventspils (Latvia)

Hamburg have signed 22-year-old striker Marcus Berg from Eredivisie side FC Groningen for an undisclosed fee. The Swedish international had an outstanding run during the UEFA European Under-21 Championship scoring seven goals in four matches. He was the top scorer at the tournament and named the best player of the competition.

Hamburg also have a new coach in Bruno Labbadia, who replaced Martin Jol. Jol signed for AFC Ajax over the summer. Labbadia, a former striker with Hamburg, Bayern Munich and other German clubs, started coaching at his hometown club, third-division SV Darmstadt 98, before progressing steadily to second-tier SpVgg Greuther Fürth and spent last season with Bundesliga club Bayer 04 Leverkusen.

Labbadia will be aided by an on-field general. Midfielder Zé Roberto has also joined Hamburg from Bayern Munich. Though he is now 35, Zé Roberto has shown little signs of slowing down thus far. His vision and experience will be relied on heavily as Hamburg look to make a bigger splash in this year’s tournament as well as improving their standing in the Bundesliga.

Other fixtures that we’ll be keeing a close eye on are English Premier League side Fulham FC taking on FK Vetra of Lithuania, Motherwell facing off against Steaua Bucuresti and Portugese club Braga taking on Elfsborg from Sweden.

Full Fixture List
First Leg July 30th
Second Leg August 6th

FK Sarajevo (Bosnia) v Helsingborgs IF (Sweden)
Fredrikstad FK (Norway) v KKS Lech Poznan (Poland)
HNK Rijeka (Croatia) v FC Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine)
KAA Gent (Belgium) v AS Roma (Italy)
SC Vaslui (Romania )v AC Omonia (Cyprus)
FK Slavija Sarajevo (Bosnia) v MFK Košice (Slovakia)
IFK Göteborg (Sweden) v Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (Israel)
PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands) v PFC Cherno More Varna (Bulgaria)
FC Metalurh Donetsk (Ukraine) v NK IB Ljubljana (Slovenia)
Vålerenga (Norway) v PAOK FC (Greece)
APOP/Kinyras Peyias FC (Cyprus) v SK Rapid Wien (Austria)
FC Honka Espoo (Finland) v FK Qarabag (Azerbaijan)
FC Vaduz (Lichtenstein) v FC Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic)
Saint Patrick’s Athletic FC (Ireland) v FC Krylya Sovetov Samara (Russia)
Randers FC (Denmark) v Hamburger SV (Germany)
Tromsø IL (Norway) v NK Slaven Koprivnica (Croatia)
Brøndby IF (Denmark) v Legia Warsaw (Poland)
FK Vojvodina (Serbia) v FK Austria Wien (Austria)
CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria) v Derry City FC (Ireland)
FC Steaua Bucuresti (Romania) v Motherwell FC (Scotland)
MŠK Žilina (Slovakia) v HNK Hajduk Split (Croatia)
SC Braga (Portugal) v IF Elfsborg (Sweden)
Aberdeen FC (Scotland )v SK Sigma Olomouc (Czech Republic)
FK Rabotnicki (Macedonia) v Odense BK (Denmark)
FK Sevojno (Serbia) v LOSC Lille Métropole (France)
FK Petrovac (MNE) v SK Sturm Graz (Austria)
Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey) v Budapest Honvéd FC (Hungary)
Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv (Israel) v FC Paços de Ferreira (Portugal)
Club Brugge KV (Belgium) v FC Lahti (Finland)
Athletic Club Bilbao (Spain) v BSC Young Boys (Switzerland)
KR Reykjavík (Israel) v FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland)
Galatasaray SK (Turkey) v Maccabi Netanya FC (Israel)
FC Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia) v FK Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)
KSP Polonia Warsaw (Poland) v NAC Breda (Netherlands)
FK Vetra (Lithuania) v Fulham FC (England)

The winners of the 23 First Qualifying Round ties were joined in this round by a further 57 clubs that includes the domestic cup winners from the national associations ranked 30 to 53 in the UEFA coefficient, the runners-up from the associations ranked 19 to 34, the third-placed sides from the associations ranked 16 to 21, the fourth-placed sides from the associations ranked 10 to 15 and the fifth-placed sides from the associations ranked 7 to 9.

What does all that mean? It means that some well known names enter the competition like Romanian giants FC Steaua Bucure?ti, Turkish side Galatasaray SK, Danish club Aalborg BK (a participant in last season’s Champions League group stage. The Danish sides did not farewell in the first leg as Brøndby IF, the first Danish side to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage in 1995/96, succumbed 1-0 at home against Estonian side FC Flora. Meanwhile Aalborg BK could only draw 0-0 with FK Slavija Sarajevo.

The biggest wins of the night went to Dutch side NAC Breda and Rapid Vienna. Brada ran riot on Armenia’s Gandzasar, racking up a 6-0 scoreline. Rapid Vienna also had a good day at the office as they beat Vllaznia of Albania 5-0.

The complete first leg results were as follows (winners are in bold):

Sliema Wanderers (Malta) 0-0 Maccabi Netanya (Israel)
Crusaders (Northern Ireland) 1-1 Rabotnicki (FYR Macedonia)
Zestaponi (Georgia) 1-2 Helsingborg (Sweden)
Milano (FYR Macedonia) 0-4 Slaven Belupo (Croatia)
Naftan (Belarus) 2-1 AA Gent (Belgium)
MSK Zilina (Slovakia) 2-0 Dacia Chisinau (Moldova)
Flamutari Vlore (Albania) 1-0 Motherwell (Scotland)
Liepajas Metalurgs (Latvia) 2-1 Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia)
Sevojno (Serbia) 0-0 FBK Kaunas (Lithuania)
Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) 0-0 Tromso (Norway)
Honka (Finland) 2-0 Bangor City (Wales)
Metalist Donetsk (Ukraine) 3-0 MTZ-RIPO (Belarus)
Tobol (Kazakhstan) 1-1 Galatasaray (Turkey)
Zimbru Chisinau (Moldova) 0-0 Pacos de Ferreira (Portugal)
Skonto Riga (Latvia) 1-1 Derry City (Ireland)
Bnei Yehuda (Israel) 4-0 Dinaburg (Latvia)
Rosenborg (Norway) 0-0 Karabakh (Azerbaijan)
Anorthosis (Cyprus) 2-1 Petrovac (Montenegro)
Vetra (Lithuanua) 0-1 HJK Helsinki (Finland)
Suduva (Lithuania) 0-1 Randers (Denmark)
Elfsborg (Sweden) 3-0 Haladas (Hungary)
Cherno More (Bulgaria) 1-0 Iskra-Stal (Moldova)
Sigma Olomouc (Czech Republic) 1-1 Fram (Iceland)
Rapid Wien (Austria) 5-0 Vllaznia (Albania)
Sturm Graz (Austria) 2-1 Siroki Brijeg (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Basel (Switzerland) 3-0 Santa Coloma (Andorra)
Steaua Bucuresti (Romania) 2-0 Ujpest (Hungary)
Omonia (Cyprus) 4-0 HB (Faroe Islands)
AaB Aalborg (Denmark) 0-0 Slavija (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Legia Warsaw (Poland) 3-0 Olimpi Rustavi (Georgia)
Gorica (Slovenia) 1-0 Lahti (Finland)
Differdange (Luxembourg) 1-0 Rijeka (Croatia)
Rudar Velenje (Slovenia) 0-1 Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
Brondby (Denmark) 0-1 Flora Tallinn (Estonia)
Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) 1-0 Spartak Trnava (Slovakia)
Juvenes/Dogona (San Marino) 0-1 Polonia Warsaw (Poland)
Falkirk (Scotland) 1-0 Vaduz (Liechtenstein)
NAC Breda (Netherlands) 6-0 Gandzasar (Armenia)
St. Patrick’s Athletic (Ireland) 1-1 Valletta (Malta)
KR (Iceland) 2-0 Larissa (Greece)

• Karim Benzema admits turning down Manchester United and Barcelona
• Jonathan Wilson’s article on the ties that existed between Romanian secret police and Dinamo Bucharest
  
• Ever think your video game managerial skills would make you a good boss of a real team? Think again!
• Tired of the same old names in the silly season rumours? Try these 50 alternate transfer targets (Thanks to The Footy Blog‘s Joe Ross for that one.)

The one club in this group that I have been watching over the summer has been Rosenborg. They’ve been ripping up the Norwegian league and are still leading by 4 points with 1 game in hand. They helped themselves to a 3-0 advantage in the first leg and will host the second leg against Faroe Islands side NSÍ Runavík. They should advance comfortably.

One other notable score was Cypriot side Anorthosis, who took part in last season’s UEFA Champions League group stage, defeating Luxembourg’s UN Käerjéng 97 by a massive 5-0.

The complete first leg scores were:

Olimpi Rustavi (Georgia) 2-0 B36 Torshavn (Faroe Islands)
Simurq Zaqatala (Azerbaijan) 0-1 Bnei Yehuda (Israel)
Dinaburg (Latvia) 2-1 Nomme Kalju (Estonia)
Banants (Armenia) 0-2 Siroki Brijeg (Bosnia/Herzegovina)
Sutjeska Niksic (Montenegro) 1-1 MTZ-RIPO (Belarus)
Lahti (Finland) 4-1 Dinamo Tirana (Albania)
Valletta (Malta) 3-0 Keflavik (Iceland)
Zimbru Chisinau (Moldova) 1-2 Okzhetpes (Kazakhstan)
Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) 2-1 Renova (FYR Macedonia)
Narva Trans (Estonia) 0-3 Rudar Velenje (Slovenia)
Szombathelyi Haladas (Hungary) 1-0 Irtysh (Kazakhstan)
Spartak Trnava (Slovakia) 2-1 Inter Baku (Azerbaijan)
Slaven Belupo (Croatia) 1-0 Birkirkara (Malta)
Grevenmacher (Luxembourg) 0-3 Veta (Lithuania)
Anorthosis (Cyprus) 5-0 Kaerjeng (Luxembourg)
Randers (Denmark) 4-0 Linfield (Northern Ireland)
NSI Runavik (Faroe Islands) 0-3 Rosenborg (Norway)
Sligo Rovers (Ireland) 1-2 Vllaznia (Albania)
Fram (Iceland) 2-1 The New Saints (Wales)
Buducnost (Montenegro) 0-2 Polonia Warsaw (Poland)
Lisburn Distillery (Northern Ireland) 1-5 Zestaponi (Georgia)
Helsingborg (Sweden) 3-1 MIKA (Armenia)
Motherwell (Scotland) 0-1 Llanelli (Wales)

The showcase fixture has to be Werder Bremen vs AC Milan. Werder have struggled this seasons and are basically out of the running in the Bundesliga title hunt so the UEFA Cup is one of their only shots (they are also still active in the DFB Pokal) at some glory for this season. Their most recent result can be seen as a microcosm of their season. A 1-1 draw at home against last place Borussia Monchengladbach has to be viewed as another lost opportunity. Despite creating a wealth of chances and dominating posession, Werder simply could not find their touch in front of goal and dropped valuable points.

AC Milan have also seen their chances of a domestic league triumph go up in smoke after they lost 2-1 to bitter rivals Inter Milan this past weekend. The loss drops them 11 points behind Inter and while they could still make up that ground, it looks a tall order at the moment. Going into this match, Milan have two notable injury worries. Undoubtedly their best player, Kaka, is unlikely to play due to a left foot injury. David Beckham may also not be ready to go after a slight hamstring pull. Beckham has been the subject of many headlines as Milan attempted to make his loan deal permanent but have failed to reach an agreement with MLS.

I am looking for Milan’s experience and depth to pull them through this tie but it could be a close one.

Paul Le Guen was ushered out the door at Ibrox after less than a full season in charge. He landed in another job, this time with Paris St. Germain, who at the time of his hiring were lying 17th in Ligue 1 and in danger of being relegated but he led them to safety in his 1st season finishing 15th. This season he has them challenging at the other end of the table as they currently sit 2nd in the league.

My predictions for the Round of 32 are below.

Wednesday fixtures:
Dynamo Kiev (UKR) v Valencia (ESP)
Zenit St-Petersburg (RUS) v VfB Stuttgart (GER)
Olympiakos (GRE) v St Etienne (FRA)
Aston Villa (ENG) v CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Werder Bremen (GER) v AC Milan (ITA)
Paris St Germain (FRA) v VfL Wolfsburg (GER)
NEC Nijmegen (NED) v Hamburg SV (GER)
Sampdoria (ITA) v Metalist Kharkov (UKR)
Bordeaux (FRA) v Galatasaray (TUR)
Aalborg (DEN) v Deportivo La Coruna (ESP)
Braga (POR) v Standard Liege (BEL)

Thursday fixtures:
Lech Poznan (POL) v Udinese (ITA)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Tottenham (ENG)
FC Copenhagen (DEN) v Manchester City (ENG)
Marseille (FRA) v FC Twente (NED)
Fiorentina (ITA) v Ajax (NED)

Who do you see advancing? Which ties have the most potential for upset?

Scolari joined the Premier League club this past summer and was expected to lead the club to titles at home and in Europe, but after a poor run of form has seen Chelsea slip to fourth in the Premier League table, seven points behind leaders Manchester United who have game in hand all-but ending the club’s title ambitions. The team has looked toothless in attack on several recent outings, which is a surprise as they started the season quite brightly.

Other names being linked with the job are the usual suspects such as Guus Hiddink but that is also unlikely as Roman Abramovich would not make too many friends in Russia if he were to steal a valuable asset away from the national team.

Could the dream team be Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke ? The duo have worked wonders at West Ham this season, turning the club into a solid top 10 team after many were wondering if they would stay up with their financial troubles. Many doubted Zola’s ability to succeed and while it is far to early to call this season a success, there is no doubting that West Ham are in better shape than they were before Zola and Clarke took control. Clarke has brought a steely focus to the defensive side of the team. On the other side of the ball, they attack in a Zola-esque manner of smart passes and flicks.

Beyond that Zola is a legendary figure in the club’s history and would bring a renewed optimism to the fans. Clarke is also a long-time Blue, having spent 20 years at Stamford Bridge as both a player and coach before moving to West Ham United in September.

There is plenty of discussion going on at our sister site EPLTalk.com, so be sure to check out their coverage of this story as well.

What do you think? Who should be the next boss at the Bridge?