The draw of European football...

Thursday saw the draw for the Champions' League (CL) group stages, which threw up a number of interesting ties, reunions and historical parallels.

I'll look at each group, giving my initial impression on the teams in them and who might progress to the knock-out stage, where true champions are made.

Group A is headlined by current holders INTER MILAN. They have largely retained the squad that won them the treble last season, barring Mario Balotelli. Julio Cesar remains a top goalkeeper, Sneijder pulls the strings in midfield and Eto'o and Milito are always going to pose a threat up front. It is the defence that makes them so successful, though. Maicon, Lucio, Samuel and Zanetti (with the likes of Chivu, Cordoba and Materazzi able deputies) is simply the best back four you will find in club football. They didn't look it against Atletico Madrid on Friday, mind. The big departure is that of manager Jose Mourinho. Rafa Benitez won the jackpot by leaving a failing Liverpool for the Italian and European champions. He'll have a tough task to retain both of them, and if he can't keep the standards of defending close to being as meticulous as Mourinho's, it'll be nigh on impossible. They should win this group, though.
WERDER BREMEN finished third in the Bundesliga last year. Their key men include Per Mertesacker, Torsten Frings and striker Marcus Rosenberg. But they have lost their exceptional playmaker Mesut Ozil, and so begins a period of adaption to his departure. The manager, Thomas Schaaf, has won Bremen one league title and four domestic cups in his time, and they have plenty of European experience, notably reaching the UEFA Cup final in 2009. So they are certainly capable of qualification, but they need someone to step up into Ozil's boots to see it through.
TOTTENHAM at last gained that lucrative fourth spot in the Premiership, and eventually saw off Swiss team Young Boys to make it into the group phase. Harry Redknapp is a very experienced manager, albeit not in Europe. I think he might just have the guile to guide Spurs through Group A, though he really does rely on key players staying fit (and not losing to teams like Wigan!). King and Dawson are crucial, as are the attacking quintet of Lennon, Modric, Bale, Crouch and Defoe. They might just need to score quite a few goals, as recently Gomes has looked a little more shaky between the posts.
FC TWENTE complete the group - how will they fare without Steve McLaren? Their new manager is Michel Preud'homme, formerly a Belgian goalkeeping great and winner of the Belgian league while manager at Standard Liege. But the CL will test him to the limit. As players go, the Costa Rican forward Bryan Ruiz was their top-scorer last year, filling the boots of Blaise N'Kufo admirably. Other notables include David Carney, Denny Landzaat and Bernard Parker. They might spring a surprise or two, but I'm not expecting them to make it to the last 16.

In Group B we have LYON, semi-finalists last year and runners-up in Ligue 1. It marked a quite successful season for manager Claude Puel, after the shambles of the season before. They have an exciting squad, containing the likes of Kim Kallstrom, Yoann Gourcuff and the lethal Lisandro Lopez, plus defensive steel in captain Cris and 'keeper Lloris. In beating Real Madrid last season, Lyon demonstrated ability to beat Europe's elite; this season they'll be hungry for more big performances.
BENFICA, Portuguese champions, also come in off a good 2009-10 season. As well as domestic success, they reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, eventually losing to Liverpool. Manager Jorge Jesus has an excellent squad to pick from, containing as it does the likes of Luisao, Fabio Coentrao (who had an impressive World Cup), Pablo Aimar and Oscar Cardozo (top-scorer in the Portuguese league). They have signed midfielder Nicolas Gaitan but lost di Maria to Real Madrid and Ramires to Chelsea. Those are big losses. How they cope will decide whether they progress from Group B.
SCHALKE were runners-up to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga last year. Felix Magath has managed them since July last year (having had valuable CL experience with Bayern); now he has began shaping his squad as he likes. Out have gone Westermann and Kuranyi, in have come Metzelder, Sarpei and Raul. If Raul can show a little of the old magic and Neuer continues his World Cup form in goal, Schalke might just be in with a shout of making it.
HAPOEL TEL-AVIV are Israeli champions but massive underdogs in this group. They do have some UEFA Cup experience in recent years and have won three ties to get this far (including against Red Bull Salzburg). But with Ben Sahar (former Chelsea youngster) the pick of the names in the squad, expect Nigerian 'keeper Vincent Enyeama to be busy. Even if he repeats his World Cup heroics, I can't see Hapoel progressing.

MANCHESTER UNITED had, in many ways, a season to forget last year. So close to the big prizes, but ultimately falling short. Too much reliance on Rooney and a series of defensive crises cost United when push came to shove. Had they beaten Bayern Munich, I imagine they would have made it to the final. What then, no one knows. But this season holds a little more promise. In Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling we can see potential successors to Rio Ferdinand. Fletcher and Scholes look effective in midfield, while Nani and Berbatov (and the exciting Hernandez) have stepped up their game so far. Group C is by no means an 'easy' group, but United can win it without playing their best - that has to come later in the competition.
VALENCIA will be reeling from losing the talented David Silva and, particularly, David Villa, their top-scorer in each of the last five seasons. Manager Unai Emery took them to sixth then third in his seasons in charge. He will need captain David Albelda and winger Juan Mata to perform consistently to progress here, never mind do well again in La Liga. I think they might just have enough though.
Man Utd v the Scottish champions. Yawn. Ah well, RANGERS deserve to be here, being the best team in Scotland by some distance. They need - unlike in last year's CL disaster - to make Ibrox a tough place to go, as their away form is never great in Europe. Walter Smith is a very experienced manager and the likes of Allan MacGregor, Steven Davis and Kenny Miller can match many teams in this competition. I just wonder if a threadbare squad and their pretty poor disciplinary record will cost them.
BURSASPOR complete Group C. Nicknamed the 'Green Crocodiles', they are the Turkish champions. But they have never been in the CL, last participating in European competition in 1986! Their strength is their offence (the main striker being Sercan Yildirim) but aren't bad at the back, led by captain Omer Erdogan. They are, thus, something of an unknown quantity. We should never write off Turkish sides, but I'd be surprised to see them make much impact.

La Liga winners BARCELONA headline Group D. Pep Guardiola is now less of a rookie in management and knows he has to add steel to his side that succumbed to Inter last season. Hence Mascherano has come in, though Yaya Toure and Rafael Marquez have left. Thierry Henry has also gone, though bringing in David Villa means that's no real loss. The man is a goal-scoring machine and, with Xavi, Iniesta and Messi supplying him, he could really take the CL by storm just as he did the World Cup. A canter to victory in Group D, then.
PANATHINAIKOS are led by Nikos Nioplias, who coached them to the Greek title and cup. They shouldn't trouble Barcelona, but players like Boumsong, Gilberto Silva, Karagounis, Govou and Cisse aren't to be written off just because they are older now. They bring invaluable CL experience - enough, I think, to get them to the last 16.
FC COPENHAGEN have, under Stale Solbakken, won the SAS Ligen the last two years. They do look dangerous going forward, with Gronkjaer, Santin and N'Doye the main offensive players. How their defence will cope against the fluent Barcelona and the solid Panathinaikos will decide their fate, though. Getting out of the group looks a step too far for them again.
RUBIN KAZAN are one team Barcelona probably didn't want to see again for a while. Like Copenhagen, they have won two consecutive (Russian) league titles, guided by Kurban Berdyev. Last season's European adventure, the high point being their 2-1 win at the Nou Camp, ended at the hands of Wolfsburg in the Europa League. Obafemi Martins has come from Wolfsburg to Rubin Kazan, and Berdyev will hope he can score the goals that last season's goal-getters Aleksandr Bukharov and Alejandro Dominguez put away. Being Russian champions, it'd be foolish to dismiss them from progressing. Second or third in the group, I reckon, their fate stemming from the ties against Panathinaikos.

Group E contains the team aiming to go one better than last year, BAYERN MUNICH. Led by ultra-experienced Louis van Gaal and with a team containing Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben and Thomas Muller, they ought to progress with ease. Those are players - Ribery probably excepted - who had excellent World Cups. Muller in particular has made himself a world star almost overnight. Will there be more pressure on him? Definitely. Can he live up to the hype? How he does will help shape Bayern's campaign.
ROMA, second in last year's Serie A and also Coppa Italia finalists, are likely to present Bayern's biggest challenge. Claudio Ranieri has proved there is more to his management style than 'tinkering'. He has experience in the latter stages of the CL with Chelsea and will want to prove a thing or two to Roman Abramovic in the competition. The spine of the team is also very promising: Doni in goal, Juan at centre-back, De Rossi providing midfield muscle and Vucinic and Totti doing the damage up front. They should make the final 16 without too many worries, potentially threatening Bayern for top spot.
FC BASEL were coached to a domestic double by Thorsten Fink last season. His European experience comes as a player with Bayern Munich; he is still a manager finding his feet. How his team will do is anyone's guess. Basel have often exceeded expectations in the CL. Their 'keeper is captain Franco Costanzo - capable but eccentric. Strikers Marco Streller and Alexander Frei have to rise to the occasion, as the defence and midfield looks unspectacular and probably not enough to trouble Bayern or Roma.
CFR CLUJ won the Romanian league and cup under the experienced Italian, Andrea Mandorlini. They actually defeated Roma in their own stadium in the 2008-09 CL, as well as securing a home draw with Chelsea. They are unlikely to progress, but with Juninho Pernambucano in their ranks, giving away free-kicks close to your own goal is inadvisable against Cluj - don't rule out another shock or two.

CHELSEA, English champions, have another crack at the CL title. Bad luck, bad refereeing and John Terry's balance have cost them before (though last season Inter deservedly beat them). Ancellotti knows how to win the competition and has got his team playing devastating attacking football. They should certainly win this group, but the latter stages will be the real test for a shaky Terry and unproven Alex at centre-back.
Joining Chelsea in Group F are French champions MARSEILLE. Didier Deschamps is proving himself to be as accomplished a manager as he was player. They look strong throughout the team, with captain Steve Mandanda in goal, a solid defence with the likes of Gabriel Heinze and a midfield headlined by Cameroon's Stephane Mbia. Up front they have two up and coming Frenchmen, Loic Remy and Andre-Pierre Gignac. There is certainly promise there, and I think we could see the team grow in confidence and stature if boosted by progressing.
The main risk to a Chelsea-Marseille top two is probably SPARTAK MOSCOW. Valery Karpin got them to second in the Russian league last time out. As with all Russian teams, expect good organisation and effective counter-attacks. One to watch out for is the Brazilian Welliton, Spartak's top-scorer in the league last season, so opposition defences will be primed to stop him. Also of interest is Irish winger Aiden McGeady, signed from Celtic for £9.5 million. A great talent, can he realise his potential at Europe's top table?
ZILINA are the Slovakian champions, but have never made it to the CL group stages before. Despite that achievement, manager Pavel Hapal couldn't get his side into the Europa League proper last year, succumbing to Partizan Belgrade. This season has already seen a challenging qualification process overcome (especially against CL-experienced Sparta Prague), though I think a lack of quality in the squad will be decisive here.

Group G stands for 'giants of the game'. First up, AC MILAN. Last season they were third in Serie A and got to the last 16 of the CL, before being routed at Old Trafford. Leonardo has vacated the managerial hotseat, replaced by Massimiliano Allegri (got Cagliari to 12th last year). Lack of CL experience may cost his team and Allegri his job (we know what certain Italian clubs are like!), but a team containing Thiago Silva, Andrea Pirlo, Ronaldinho, Alexandre Pato and Marco Borriello has a great chance of getting through this group. Tactical naiveity and continually-ageing legs could get in the way, though the signing of Ghana's World Cup star Kevin Prince-Boateng ought to spruce up the midfield.
Next giant is REAL MADRID. Jose Mourinho is in town, as Real look for the special touch to oust Barcelona as Spain's top team. And he has spent the cash made available for him, bringing in Ricardo Carvalho from old team Chelsea, Argentine winger Angel di Maria and German midfielders Sami Khedira and Mesut Ozil. Mourinho is the man to sort out Real's defensive issues. Is he the right one to promote the attacking flair Real's board and fans demand? Probably not, but if he brings them silverware, he'd be likely to get away with it, at least for another season. They have the squad capable of winning the CL, never mind getting to the last 16, as long as they gel quickly enough.
The trio of giants is completed by AJAX, runners-up in the Dutch league to FC Twente by a point. To get here they have knocked out PAOK and Dynamo Kiev - impressive enough. Martin Jol is a manager with European knowledge, having led Tottenham into a few UEFA Cup campaigns. His sides are not known for being water-tight in defence though, and I think Milan and Madrid will have the quality to punish that. Ajax's strength is definitely going forward, led by now-controversial Uruguyan Luis Suarez (scored 35 of Ajax's 106 goals in the Eredivisie last season). Madrid should cope with that, though (especially with Mourinho at the helm). Milan? I foresee close, exciting games, but Milan will probably just about make it.
AUXERRE must be feeling hard done by. Third in Ligue 1 and they get those three for group opponents. Manager Jean Fernandez will have to set his team up to defend well and look to hit their opponents on the break or from set-pieces, not having the exceptional players the other three have. The key man for them is Benoit Pedretti, their captain and playmaker. They have a chance of third if one of the big three has a poor campaign, but I reckon that's the limit for them.

Finally, Group H. This is ARSENAL's group, as they aim to put last year's mauling by Barcelona (specifically Lionel Messi) behind them. This season so far has shown promise, with Theo Walcott beginning to demonstrate a killer instinct and 'footballing brain' besides his electric pace. Cesc Fabregas' decision to stay is also a boost. The defence, as (it seems) always, is open to question, but Vermaelen and Koscielny could form a decent partnership in front of Almunia (or Schwarzer?). Once Robin van Persie is back to full fitness, he might continue this season where he left off the last. My group winners, easily.
SHAKHTAR DONETSK have had a successful couple of seasons. Under Mircea Lucescu, they won the last ever UEFA Cup in 2009 and then the Ukrainian league last season. Experienced in European competition as they are, they could be a threat. Their squad is filled with low-key Brazilian talents (but, hey, they're Brazilian); the stand-out names are two Croatian players. Their captain is the experienced right-sided midfielder Darijo Srna, and he has been joined by compatriot Eduardo from, coincidentally, Group H opponents Arsenal. Shakhtar will be a strong team here and they will fight it out with Braga for second.
BRAGA come in to the CL on a second-placed finish in Portugal. Their manager Domingos Paciencia has brought in some new recruits, including the veteran goalkeeper Quim and forward Rodrigo Lima. Cameroonian Albert Meyong was their main man up front last year, with 12 goals in their league campaign. They cannot be written off here, having knocked out Celtic then Sevilla (with Lima coming off the bench to score a hat-trick in the second leg). Could trouble Arsenal, but more likely to be battling for second place.
PARTIZAN BELGRADE are definite underdogs in this group. While they are Serbian champions, their manager Aleksandar Stanojevic has only been in the business three years and their squad does not compare to the riches of their Group H opponents. They did defeat Anderlecht (on penalties) to get here, and one name to look out for is Cleverson Gabriel Cordova (or Cleo, if you prefer), the Brazilian striker who has scored eight goals in this year's CL qualification campaign alone. How will he do in the real competition? He will need to, for Partizan to have much chance of scoring success.



I think that's quite enough. Next blog: Magners' League preview.