Olympiakos vs PSG September 17, 2013

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Paris Saint-Germain travel to Greece to take on Olympiakos in their opening fixture of the 2013/14 Champions League group stage.

The reigning French champions will be looking to build on the success of last year's run to the quarterfinals. It was a successful campaign, but the expectations are much higher this time around, even after the departure of Carlo Ancelotti.

"Every match is different but our aims remain the same -- to win," Blanc said. "Their fans will create a hot atmosphere. I remember them from when I came here with Bordeaux and also during my playing days.

"We will stick to our natural game, retaining possession regardless of what tactics Olympiakos adopt. If we keep the ball, we minimise the risk of conceding.

"To do better than last season would mean to reach the semifinals, which will be a challenge. However, first of all we need to negotiate the group, get as many points as possible and win tomorrow (Tuesday)."

PSG have a really good record against Greek sides, having won six of their last seven games, but Olympiakos manager Michel has no plans on putting up a defensive front.

Olympiakos have become a fixture in the Champions League. Much like the whole of Greek football, they've been hit hard by the economic decline. Michel will just be hoping his side can advance to the knockout stage.

Group C is very much in the air. Benfica and PSG are the class clubs at the top, but you could easily see Olympiakos or Anderlecht snatching one of the two top spots in the group.

It will be important for both of these clubs to start off the group stage well.

 Paris Saint-Germain, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani in tow, will look to get off to the perfect start when they visit Greek side Olympiakos for their Champions League group stage opener on Tuesday.

The French side are the overwhelming favourites to advance to the knockout stages from Group C, which also consists of Anderlecht and Benfica.

PSG impressed in the Champions League last season, giving Barcelona a real scare while being knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Now new manager Laurent Blanc, who took over from Carlo Ancelotti, will be under pressure to at the very least match, if not better last season's performance.

When: Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 2:45 p.m. ET; 7:45 UK

Where: Karaiskakis Stadium, Piraeus, Greece

Benfica vs Anderlecht September 17, 2013

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Benfica will be confident of picking up three points when the entertain Anderlecht in the Champions League.

The Portuguese side have an added incentive of reaching the Champions League final this season, with the marquee clash scheduled to take place at their home ground.

Benfica kick off their Champions League campaign by hosting Anderlecht at Estadio da Luz on Tuesday, with the stadium set to host the final of the competition in May.

The Portuguese side lost the domestic title to Porto in the final two matches of last season as well as losing the Europa League final to Chelsea and have responded by bringing in a host of new players.

Filip Djuricic from Heerenveen, Partizan Belgrade's highly-rated Serbian teenager Lazar Markovic and Guilherme Siqueira, who joined on loan from Spanish side Granada, have all arrived and bolstered the Benfica ranks.

Jorge Jesus' side have not enjoyed the best start to the campaign though, after suffering defeat away to Maritimo, thus extending their run without a win on the opening day of the campaign to nine years.

Benfica's opponents on Tuesday, Anderlecht, have played 180 matches in Europe's premier club competition but their more recent history leaves a lot to be desired, with last season’s participation representing their first appearance in the group stage since the 2006-07 season.

Benfica coach Jorge Jesus is not too concerned about that now, with his thoughts firmly planted for the moment on Anderlecht and the group stages, with the other two sides being Paris Saint-Germain and Olympiakos.

"It's merely coincidence (that the final will be at home)," Jesus said. "Our motivation and responsibility is to be in Champions League and do well while we are there. The idea of playing the final here makes us determined to make a strong start to the tournament, but the fact that the final is in our stadium doesn't increase our motivation.

FC Copenhagen vs Juventus September 17, 2013

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Juventus begin their Champions League campaign off the back of a comeback draw in the Derby d'Italia.

Juventus travel to Denmark to face FC Copenhagen on Tuesday as many people's dark horses to win this season's Champions League.

The Serie A champions have won back-to-back league titles but were knocked out of Europe by eventual winners Bayern Munich at the quarter-final stage last season.

They are now ready to challenge for silverware on all fronts in 2013-14, particularly after some astute transfers in the close season, with Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente and Angelo Ogbonna all arriving in Turin.

The Bianconeri responded with an Arturo Vidal to silence a raucous San Siro crowd, who had erupted in elation moments earlier when Mauro Icardi—the Juventus killer, having scored four times in three matches against the Old Lady—had given Inter the lead.

Juve will be extra motivated in the Champions League this season after a satisfactory return to the competition last year.

It was pleasing to top a difficult group that included the champions Chelsea and Shakhtar Donetsk, but the humbling given to them by eventual champions Bayern left a sour taste.

Group B rivals Copenhagen have endured a disastrous season domestically so far, taking seven games to win their first match before embarking on a 12-match winless streak prior to re-appointing former coach Stale Solbakken.

In a group also containing Galatasaray and nine-time European champions Real Madrid, the Danish side are firm favourites to finish bottom.

Juventus were drawn into a tough group in this season's edition of the Champions League. Am I going out on a limb with that last sentence? Nah, I don't think so. It's not very often three teams that made it into the quarterfinals the previous season meet the next time around.

There's also this: Juventus don't have to play any of those two to begin the group stage. Instead, Juventus have made a trip to Denmark for the second straight year. But don't worry, there won't be the struggle to figure out how the hell to spell "Nordsjælland" on a regular basis. (And, for the record, I am glad about that.) No, it's just simple spelling this time around, with Juve's trip to Denmark seeing them play FC Copenhagen in the Group B opener for both teams.

While their trip to play Nordsjælland last season was Juve's return to European football, this time the journey to Denmark comes with serious expectations. Juve have added to their squad this summer, reinforcing what was already a Champions League quarterfinalist and two-time defending Serie A champions.

Now the Bianconeri begin a new adventure in Denmark against FC Copenhagen—a game that, at least on paper, Juve should win comfortably.

Galatasaray 1-6 Real Madrid September 17, 2013

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Galatasaray 1-6 Real Madrid: Ronaldo hat-trick torpedoes Turks

Galatasaray
  84′ Umut Bulut

Real Madrid
  Isco 33′
  Karim Benzema 54′
  C. Ronaldo 63′
  C. Ronaldo 66′
  Karim Benzema 81′
  C. Ronaldo 90+1′

The Portuguese celebrated signing a new contract with a supreme performance while goals from Karim Benzema and Isco capped off the Blancos' evening

Real Madrid will begin their Champions League campaign against a familiar foe on Tuesday night, when Carlo Ancelotti's side take on Galatasaray in Istanbul.

Galatasary beat Madrid 3-2 last April in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash, but the Spanish giants still prevailed 5-2 on aggregate.

Real Madrid and Galatasaray will kick-off their European campaign this Tuesday (20:45 CET) at Istanbul. Last season, both clubs met in the Champions League Quarterfinals and José Mourinho and his men managed to get a ticket to the Semifinals after winning 3-0 at the Bernabéu and losing 3-2 at Ali Sami Yen with a crowd that never gave up.

Galatasaray will get a chance to avenge their Champions League loss in last year's quarterfinal to Real Madrid when the two meet in a Champions League group game on Tuesday.

Last year, Galatasaray beat Real Madrid in Turkey in the second leg of their battle, 3-2. However, Madrid took the aggregate 5-3.

This Real Madrid will look quite a bit different. For starters, Jose Mourinho has moved on to Chelsea and has been replaced at the helm by Carlo Ancelotti. 

Ancelotti had a productive summer with Real Madrid, and Isco, Asier Illarramendi and Gareth Bale have all since come to call Madrid home. 

Real Madrid have not been playing well in these first matches. After Isco and Modric allowed the team to win the first nine points in La Liga, Villarreal put Real Madrid in trouble and managed to get a 2-2 draw with an unforgettable performance by Diego López, who saved his team numerous times.

López will not be Real Madrid's goalkeeper against Galatasaray, as Carlo Ancelotti confirmed in the pre-match press conference. Real's captain Iker Casillas will get a chance to prove himself as a better goalkeeper than Diego López, but Casillas will have a hard time trying to match Diego's performance against Villarreal.

Carlo Ancelotti might also have Álvaro Arbeloa available if the Spanish defender feels ready enough. Nacho Fernández was the team's left back at El Madrigal and he struggled quite a lot, so it could be smart to play Arbeloa in that position, since he's a far more experienced player than Nacho. Arbeloa's natural position on Real Madrid's right back would then be kept by Dani Carvajal, who assisted Gareth Bale for Real's first goal against Villarreal.

In the Turkish Super League, Gala have failed to win any of their last three league games, but Didier Drogba did get his first goal of the campaign last Friday as Fatih Terim's side drew 1-1 against Antalyaspor.

Madrid have included Gareth Bale in their squad for the Group B opener following his scoring debut in a 2-2 draw at Villareal in La Liga last weekend, but the Welshman is a doubt to start on Tuesday as he bids for full fitness.

Galatasaray: Muslera, Eboue, Chedjou, Nounkeu, Riera, Felipe Melo, Inan, Amrabat, Sniejder, Yilmaz, Drogba

Real Madrid: Lopez, Carvajal, Ramos, Pepe, Marcelo, Khedira, Modric, Isco, Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema

Viktoria Plzen vs Manchester City September 17, 2013

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Manchester City get their Champions League campaign underway on Tuesday when they travel to Czech champions Viktoria Plzen in Group D.

The Blues will be hoping to improve on their last two years in the tournament after failing to get out of the group stage both times.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini has been given a boost ahead of the match with the news that captain Vincent Kompany has travelled with the squad following a groin injury.

When Manuel Pellegrini sat down with Manchester City’s powerbrokers to discuss his plans to transform their club from Champions League flops into serious European contenders, he had no idea it would all begin here.
But on Tuesday, in the humble surroundings of the 11,700-capacity Doosan Arena, Pellegrini’s credentials will be put to the test by Czech underdogs Viktoria Plzen.

David Silva, Gael Clichy and Micah Richards are all doubtful.

"Vincent has worked with us normally for the last two days," said City manager Manuel Pellegrini on Monday. "We will see if he is 100%. If he is, of course he will play.

Viktoria Plzen vs Manchester City September 17, 2013

Plzen are top of the Czech league with six wins in their opening eight games and beat Slovenian side Maribor in a play-off to earn a second Champions League appearance in three years.

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany could return from a groin injury as his side begin their Champions League campaign against little-known Czech side Plzen.

Kompany has been absent since his side's 4-0 win over Newcastle in their Premier League opener on 19 August.
It should be a simple enough start for City, even though they have failed to reach the knockout stage at their first two attempts in this competition, winning only once away from home.

Pellegrini’s predecessor Roberto Mancini paid the price for picking up a solitary point from his opening two games in both campaigns, but the opposition — Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Napoli and Bayern Munich — was considerably stronger. 

Plzen’s only victory in this competition has come against Bate Borisov.

Pellegrini, 60 yesterday, knows what is expected. The Chilean was appointed largely on the strength of guiding Villarreal and Malaga to the latter stages of the Champions League, and he acknowledges City’s ambitions are far greater.
Defeat here would be a disaster and even a point would represent a setback considering that the next game is against champions Bayern and CSKA Moscow are the other side in Group D.

‘We have to win,’ said Pellegrini. ‘The Champions League is the most important competition.
City want to grow every year, which means they cannot go out of the group stage. We must advance.

Plzen, whose only previous appearance in the group stage of the competition came two years ago, should be full of confidence thanks to a solid start to the season with four wins and two draws.

Manchester United vs Bayer Leverkusen September 17, 2013

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Just before Manchester United’s most important game against Bayer Leverkusen, the one in 2002 that had a place in a European Cup final in Sir Alex Ferguson’s home city of Glasgow at stake, Roy Keane looked around him. There, as the Champions League anthem played, he noticed one of his team-mates, whom the Irishman  untypically refused to name, “shaking with nerves”.

There will be a shiver running through David Moyes’s body as the music plays at Old Trafford tonight but it will be of anticipation rather than fear. When the realisation he would be succeeding Ferguson began to roll through his mind, it would have been occasions like this that would have seemed most thrilling.

No stadium in England transforms itself for European nights quite like Old Trafford. On Saturday against Crystal Palace the atmosphere was flat and  routine in a way it seldom is at Anfield. However, under the floodlights it  becomes what it is, one of the world’s great arenas. As he gave his first Champions League press conference, Moyes was sitting in a room in which there were 15 separate photographs of United players and managers with the European Cup.

Manchester: David Moyes will sample the Champions League group phase for the first time on Tuesday when his Manchester United side host Bayer Leverkusen in their opening Group A fixture.

Moyes was selected to succeed Alex Ferguson as United manager at the end of last season despite having only overseen two matches in the competition during his 11-year tenure at Everton.

Manchester United are set to pair Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie in attack again for the Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen.

Rooney is close to a full recovery from a head injury sustained in training and scored against Palace at the weekend.

There are still doubts over Shinji Kagawa with boss Moyes saying at Monday's press conference: "He has a bit of flu. He did some work yesterday and a little bit today."

Youngster Adnan Januzaj, who impressed off the bench against Palace, is not part of the squad.

Manchester United vs Bayer Leverkusen September 17, 2013

Moyes confirmed that the complicated UEFA eligibility criteria means if United wait to register him until October 7, by which time he will have been with the Reds for two years, he can go on the B list of youth players.

Those games, in 2005, saw the Merseyside club beaten 4-2 by Villarreal over two legs in the third qualifying round, but Moyes is relishing the prospect of a second bite at the apple.

"I have been in the Champions League before but I have not made the group stage. I had quite a few episodes in the Europa League, which were good, but nothing at the level of the Champions League.

"We will do our homework to make sure we are as prepared as we can be."

United are the only genuine European heavyweights in the group, but with Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Sociedad making up the pool, there is not a weak team in Group A either.

Moyes says that although things could have been better, they could also have been a lot worse.

"It was the first time I have been involved in a draw at that level," said the Scot.

"When the names came out, there were some that I didn`t want and others I would have been happy with. Relatively, I am quite pleased.

Manchester United predicted starting XI:

De Gea; Fabio, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Carrick, Giggs, Nani, Rooney, Van Persie.

Where: Old Trafford in Manchester, England

When: Tuesday, Sept. 17 at 2:45 p.m. ET (7:45 p.m. BST)