Champions League latest

Well the draw for the group stage of this year's iteration of the Champions League tournament has been announced and it appears as though we will have exciting action very early on! While Group A is relatively mundane, we have Manchester United grouped with the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk, Real Sociedad, and Bayer Leverkusen. I'm going to step out on a limb here and say that United are probably favorites to win the group with either Leverkusen or Donetsk grabbing second place. Personally, I'd love to see the Ukrainians get through but I'll say Leverkusen most likely wins that race though it will be close. Last but not least, Real Sociedad will probably show well for themselves but finishing fourth in the Spanish league isn't quite up to standard as far as international competitions are concerned. Their squad depth may be an issue as they will be relying heavily on the likes of Claudio Bravo in goal and Carlos Vela up top.
Moving on to Group B now, we have Real Madrid and Juventus alongside Galatasaray and Kobenhavn of Denmark. As far as this group is concerned, if Real and Juve are not the two teams qualifying, it will be considered an upset. Having said that, I pick the Turkish side Galatasaray as the team to do it as they have quality players and the belief to punch above their weight. Honestly though, I think Juventus will take top honors as Real Madrid settle for second. While it would be nice to see the Danes take a point or three from this round of matches, such results would be surprising given the pedigree of their competitors.
Group C may be one of the closer ones with Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain my picks at advancing at the expense of Olympiacos and Anderlecht. As much as I would enjoy a close race, I think PSG might get their act together this season which leaves Benfica as the side that might under-perform. If that is the case, I could see the Greeks of Olympiacos under the leadership of Avraam Papadopoulos and coach Jose Miguel Gonzalez Martin del Campo - otherwise known as Michel. Though Olympiacos don't have the big names, their squad should be put together well enough to earn some points. As for Anderlecht, the Belgian side may have it tough this year on the international stage. Though it would be great if the likes of Sacha Kljestan and Guillaume Gillet could step up and pull the team through, the lack of big talent may leave them dreaming of better years.
Onwards to Group D where defending champions Bayern Munich face Manchester City, CSKA Moskva, and Viktoria Plzen. While Bayern and City are the obvious picks of this group, I would be very surprised if CSKA did not bloody a few noses. Czech side Viktoria Plzen may have a hard time of it though.
As for Group E, the likes of Chelsea, Schalke, and Basel make this group one to watch while Steaua Bucuresti may find life difficult away from Romania. Chelsea and Schalke are my picks to go through however if either side under-estimates Basel, it will be to their peril.
Group F is another one of the closer groups this year as Arsenal, Dortmund, Marseille, and Napoli have been drawn together. Though Marseille may be a formidable side in France, I am not sure if this will be their year internationally. Though it would be a miracle to recreate their 1993 run, I think they would have the right to be ecstatic if they even got out of the group. As for Arsenal, they might also have a hard time of it though if Szczesny, Vermaelen, and Mertesacker can keep the goal clean; it will just be down to the likes of Rosicky, Podolski, Walcott and company to score at the other end for them to do just fine. Nevertheless, my choices for teams to make it out of the group are Napoli and Dortmund though the Germans may well fall if they don't get their heads on right.
Almost done here as Group G should be straightforward with Atletico Madrid and Porto my choices of getting through while Zenit and Austria Wien are kicked out. Though the Russians should put up a decent fight at home, I think the Iberians may be too much for them. Austria Wien on the other hand should consider themselves lucky if they register a single victory.
Last but not least, Group H is where all the champions of yester-year have congregated: Barcelona and Milan are probably first choice picks as Ajax and Celtic will look forward to their home games and dread leaving their borders. Hope you are excited for the first matches!

Thrilling stuff in Scotland!

Sorry for the long hiatus away from the blog-posting! What a brilliant second-leg performance we were treated to today as Celtic took on Shakhter Karagandy in Champions League qualifying. Though the Kazakh side performed admirably at home in the first leg, winning 2-0, the Scottish Champions were noticeably not at their best. On the other hand, returning to Glasgow they really kicked things into a higher gear though the scoring did not start getting toasty until the 2nd half. While Kris Commons did put away his opportunity, starting just into stoppage time of the 1st half, it was really in the 2nd where Celtic began to truly dominate. Striking home off his left foot, Commons put the first goal away beautifully to give the hosts a confidence booster going into the locker rooms. Coming out of the gates, Georgios Samaras was the man to bring Celtic level in the 47th minute. While the defensive efforts on the part of Karagandy were admirable, they eventually withered under the opposition of the Scottish side. In the first minute of stoppage time of the 2nd half, James Forrest was the man on form with a sweet strike off of his right foot. This third goal then was the nail in the coffin of the dreams of the Kazakhs as far as European competition is concerned. More later! Hope you enjoyed the games today.