Ok, an amazing 13-3 for the last qualifying round of the Champions' Cup, for an overall record of 31-9. Here we go with the group stages!


Group A
Celtic (Sco)
Olympique Lyon (Fra)
Anderlecht (Bel)
Bayern Munich (Ger)

Yeah, I'm picking with my heart going with Celtic here, although their strong showing in the UEFA Cup last year could stand them in good stead. If Celtic falter, it'll be Olympique Lyon joining Bayern in the next round.

Group B
Dynamo Kiev (Ukr)
Lokomotiv Moscow (Rus)
Arsenal (Eng)
Inter Milan (Ita)

Fairly straightforward. I think the days of Dynamo Kiev causing upsets are pretty much over for now, and Lokomotiv Moscow are lucky to have reached the group stage. Plus, Arsenal and Inter are both appallingly strong teams.

Group C
PSV Eindhoven (Hol)
AEK Athens (Gre)
Monaco (Fra)
Deportivo Coruna (Spa)

This group's a mess. There's no real favourite, except maybe Deportivo, and definitely no underdog. This will be fun to watch.

Group D
Galatasaray (Tur)
Olympiakos (Gre)
Real Sociedad (Spa)
Juventus (Ita)

I don't think Turkish teams get the respect they deserve. Gala won 3-0 in the last round home and away, and I think they will get in ahead of Sociedad. However, if I'm wrong, look for there to be two Reals in the next round.

Group E
Panathinaikos (Gre)
Rangers (Sco)
VfB Stuttgart (Ger)
Manchester United (Eng)

After Man. U., this is a tough one. Stuttgart have had a relatively bright start to the Bundesliga season, but Scottish soccer doesn't suck anymore. Rangers then, to take second narrowly, with Stuttgart poised if they stumble.

Group F
FC Porto (Por)
Olympique Marseille (Fra)
Partizan Belgrade (Serb)
Real Madrid (Spa)

It's nice to see a Serbian side doing well in Europe again, but I don't think Partizan have the legs to get through this group. Porto have a decent chance of going through, but I've actually watched Marseille a bit this season, and been fairly impressed. Odd to think that not that long ago, they were Champions' Cup finalists, and equally odd to think that they lost that match to another Belgrade team.

Group G
Chelsea (Eng)
Sparta Prague (Cze)
Besiktas (Tur)
Lazio (Ita)

Another fairly clearcut group, although Besiktas may get involved. However, Chelsea appear to have built a side with Europe in mind, and Lazio, despite their financial woes, are still pretty good.

Group H
Celta Viga (Spa)
Ajax Amsterdam (Hol)
Club Bruges (Bel)
AC Milan (Ita)

I so desperately wanted to pick Ajax to go through here, and I'll be delighted if they do. However, Celta have been under-rated in recent years, and I don't think the Dutch revival in Europe has quite reached the stage where Ajax progressing will be anything but an upset.