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After a long summer break, the 32 best teams from the Old Continent begin the battle for the most prestigious club football trophy - the Champions League cup.
Defending champion "Barcelona," nine-time tournament winner Madrid "Real," English football leader "Man Utd," Italian champions "Milan," and many other teams promise another intriguing season, culminating in May next year in Munich.
CBC sports journalist Nigel Reed suggests taking a look at what to expect from the group stage starting on Wednesday.
Group A: Munich "Bayern" (Germany), "Man City" (England), "Napoli" (Italy), "Villarreal" (Spain)
Let's not beat around the bush: we can boldly call this group the group of death. Perhaps "Napoli" and "Man City" will play in the Champions League for the first time, but nevertheless, they will seriously compete to reach the knockout stages.
"Bayern" and "Villarreal" have experience but risk being eliminated in the first stage because their opponents are truly formidable.
Particular attention will be paid to "Man City," who spent hundreds of millions of euros to get where they are now. This summer was no exception - notable signings include Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri.
"Napoli" also has something to boast about: Edinson Cavani was the second most goal-scoring player in "Serie A," and "Villarreal's" attacking leader Giuseppe Rossi defeated opponents' goalkeepers 32 times last season. However, "Villarreal" is probably the least ambitious team, and "Napoli" simply lacks a longer bench.
Prediction: 1. "Man City" 2. "Bayern" 3. "Napoli" 4. "Villarreal"
Group B: Moscow's CSKA (Russia), Milan's "Inter" (Italy), "Lille" (France), "Trabzonspor" (Turkey)
"Inter" has lost both the Champions League trophy and did not win the Italian championship, but remains the favorite of this group. The Italians may be weak away from home, but all three opponents are not inclined to win in front of their own fans.
New Italian team coach Gian Piero Gasperini will have to prove a lot, having never worked with a team of this level. The fact that striker Samuel Eto'o has been sold complicates his task, but that gap should be filled by Diego Forlan and Mauro Zarate. Also, attacking organizer Wesley Sneijder is still there.
CSKA, leader of the Russian championship, and French champions "Lille" will battle for second place. Meanwhile, "Trabzonspor" did not even qualify for the Champions League - they were eliminated in the qualifiers but replaced the disqualified Istanbul "Fenerbahce" due to a scandal in Turkish football. However, the Turkish adventure should not last long - eight matches will be enough for them.
Prediction: 1. "Inter" 2. CSKA 3. "Lille" 4. "Trabzonspor"
Group C: "Basel" (Switzerland), Lisbon's "Benfica" (Portugal), "Man Utd" (England), Galati's "Otelul" (Romania)
"Man Utd" coach Sir Alex Ferguson, who loves to complain, should not have many complaints about the Champions League draw. There is practically no doubt that "Man Utd" will take the first place in this group, likely giving less playing time to their key players.
Who will take second place? In my opinion, "Basel" and "Benfica" will battle for it. It will be interesting to see how the young Swiss players look, who were runners-up in the European Under-21 Championship this summer, losing only to Spain. Xherdan Shaqiri is 19 years old but already has the potential to become a shining star striker, and Yann Sommer is one of the best young goalkeepers.
Not much is expected from "Otelul": this club became Romanian champions for the first time.
Prediction: 1. "Man Utd" 2. "Basel" 3. "Benfica" 4. "Otelul"
Group D: Amsterdam's "Ajax" (Netherlands), Zagreb's "Dinamo" (Croatia), "Lyon" (France), Madrid "Real" (Spain)
It's time for Jose Mourinho to prove why the leaders of Madrid "Real" invited him to the coaching position. If the first season can be written off as preparatory, now the Portuguese will have to achieve more than just winning the King's Cup.
There is no doubt that "Real" will win Group D. Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria, and others will leave their opponents behind, and goalkeeper Iker Casillas will not have an easy job.
"Lyon" will probably be the strongest opponent. Last season the French reached the semi-finals, but initially they will have to cope without their injured main striker Lisandro.
Brazilian Sammir returned "Dinamo" to the European elite: his goals led the Croatians through the qualifying tournament. However, this will not be enough. "Ajax" will also lack strength: their glorious history clashes with a somewhat less bright present, as many of the Netherlands' best players do not play in their homeland.
Prediction: 1. "Real" 2. "Lyon" 3. "Ajax" 4. "Dinamo"
