Champions League Draw Recap A to D

It’s that time of the year again when all eyes turn to Europe’s premium football tournament, the UEFA Champions League. Barely three months after Lionel Messi stole the show in the Eternal City, the magic is back, and this time it’s looking a whole lot different…

Group A: Bayern Munich (Ger), Juventus (Ita), Bordeaux (Fra), Maccabi Haifa (Isr)

Cream Cracker: Bayern Munich v Juventus – 30 Sep 2009. Wing wizards Ribery and Robben take on Italian legends Del Piero, Cannavaro and Buffon in this battle of former European cup winners. Look out for Juventus‘ star summer signing Diego to light up the Allianz Arena on his return to German soil.

Tricky Tie: Bordeaux v Juventus – 25 Nov 2009. With Bayern odds on to top the group, Bordeaux’s home tie against the Old Lady in late November will prove decisive in the race for second place. The match pits two shining lights of the new generation of former playing greats turn football mangers in Ciro Ferrara and Laurent Blanc.

Fun Fact: Maccabi Haifa’s Kiryat Eliezer Stadium did not satisfy all UEFA health and safety requirements and the Ramat Gan Stadium east of Tel Aviv has been chosen to host their ‘home’ matches.

Haifa fans don't mess around... and this is just at training.

Group B: Manchester United (Eng), CSKA Moscow (Rus), Besiktas (Tur), Wolfsburg (Ger)

Cream Cracker: Wolfsburg v Manchester United – 8 Dec 2009. A monumental clash between the champions of Germany and the champions of England.  On a cold winter’s night in front of their home supporters, Wolfsburg will be looking to make their first appearance in the competition a memorable one.

Tricky Tie: CSKA v Manchester United – 21 Oct 2009. The last time United traveled to Moscow they came home with the trophy. Two years on and they face a completely different prospect in CSKA’s Daniel Carvalho pulling the strings for the prolific Vagner Love to pluck.

Fun Fact: The only Turkish club allowed to carry the nation’s flag on it’s crest, Besiktas did their country’s fans no favors when they were thrashed by Liverpool 8-0 in the 2007/08 competition.

Eighth time's a charm for a busy Hakan Arikan

Group C: AC Milan (Ita), Real Madrid (Esp), Marseille (Fra), FC Zurich (Sui)

Cream Cracker: AC Milan v Real Madrid – 3 Nov 2009. The return of Kaka to the San Siro. Cancel your dinner with the missus, turn your phone off, this one you’re not going to want to miss.

Tricky Tie: Marseille v AC Milan – 15 Sep 2009. With the new generation of Galacticos favorites to advance to the knockout stage, Marseille’s home tie against AC will go a long way in determining who finishes second best. Can Leonardo emulate Barca’s Guardiola and guide his side to triumph in his rookie season?

Fun Fact: Real and AC are the top two most successful clubs in the history of the competition combining for 16 titles. But Real are top dogs  having triumphed on 9 occasions.

Don't forget FC Zurich - they still snatched the Swiss title

Group D: Chelsea (Eng), FC Porto (Por), Atletico Madrid (Esp), APOEL (Cyp)

Cream Cracker: Atletico Madrid v Porto – 8 Dec 2009. Branded the second and third place playoff, this final fixture will determine who follows group favorites Chelsea into the knockout stage. A packed to the rafters Estádio do Dragão could prove too distracting for Atletico’s much hyped Sergio Aguero to spin the magic.

Tricky Tie: APOEL v Chelsea – 30 Sep 2009. The shop window they’ve only ever dreamed of –  APOEL players won’t be holding back when they face perennial Champions League nearly men Chelsea. One of the earlier matches in the group, Carlo Ancelotti will be hoping his European gravy-train doesn’t de-rail before it’s begun.

Fun Fact: One of the lesser known clubs in this year’s competition, APOEL stands for Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias or Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia. Some of their more notable past players include ex-Middlesbrough attacker Hamilton Ricard, Australian Paul Okon who  enjoyed spells at Vicenza, Leeds and Boro and former Notts Forrest and England U21 midfielder Chris Bart-Williams.

APOEL - not there to simply make up the numbers

—

Link to Champions League Draw Recap – E to H