Champions League Matchday One Preview

After seeing Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0 in the UEFA Champions League final, the long wait is over as Europe's best club competition returns on September 15 and 16, as the group stage begins.

Entering this new European campaign, many questions have risen about many of these European clubs and how they will perform in the Champions League this year, but all 32 teams in this competition have only one question: Are we good enough to win the Champions League this year?

Each club will have their reason why they will be in the Champions League final this year, but only one club will win the Champions League final at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium on May 22, 2010.

Here is a quick preview of each match for the first week of Champions League play.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Group A

Juventus v. Bordeaux

Juventus manager Ciro Ferrara will be looking to get his first win in his first Champions League match as a manager against former teammate Laurent Blanc's Bordeaux side, who are the defending champions of Ligue 1, and will be looking for their first ever victory on Italian soil. In this match, Juventus will be without Diego, as he is currently nursing a thigh injury.

Maccabi Haifa v. Bayern Munich

After failing to make it to the Champions League group stage for the last seven years, Maccabi Haifa will be playing their first ever home match on Israeli soil when they face off against German giant Bayern Munich at Tel-Aviv's Ramat Gan Stadium.

Haifa are trying to become the first ever club from Israel to advance past the group stage of the Champions League, while Bayern are the top club in the group, and will be looking to win to jump-start their European campaign. Haifa will be without Jhon Culma Jairo due to suspension.

Group B

Wolfsburg v. CSKA Moscow

In their first ever Champions League match, Bundesliga champion Wolfsburg will take on CSKA Moscow in the VFL Wolfsburg Arena. In the match, Wolfsburg will be looking to win their first ever Champions League match, while CSKA Moscow will be looking to advance onto the next round for the first time since 1993.

Wolfsburg will be without Alexander Esswein and CSKA will be without Mark Gonzalez, as both will miss due to thigh injuries.

Beşiktaş v. Manchester United

In their first matchup since their disastorous 8-0 loss to Liverpool back in 2006, Beşiktaş will be looking to get off to a better result against defending English Premier League Champion Manchester United.

United will be looking for their second ever win in Turkey after beating Fenerbahçe 2-0 back in 1996. Man United will also be without European keeper of the year Edwin Van de Sar due to a broken finger.

Group C

FC Zürich v. Real Madrid

After beating FK Ventspils in qualifying, FC Zurich now face a huge task in front of them when Real Madrid travel to Letzigrund to take on the Swiss side.

During this last summer, Real Madrid president Fiorentino Perez signed some of the best players in the world such as Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, and success in the Champions League with these players would really help Real Madrid a lot financially. However, Real will be without Sergio Ramos due to an injured left achilles tendon.

Olympique de Marseille v. AC Milan

In a matchup between the first two Champions League finalists, Ligue 1 runner-up Olympique de Marseille will take on Italian giant AC Milan.

Marseille will be looking to get a win at home in the Vélodrome to start off the group stage, while Milan will be looking to win and contend again in the Champions League after failing to qualify for the Champions League in 2007-08. 

Group D

Chelsea v. FC Porto

After disappointingly not making it to the Champions League final for a second consecutive season last year, Chelsea will be looking to win the Champions League during this upcoming campaign.

However, they first will have to deal with Porto, who nearly upset then-defending champion Manchester United in last year's quarterfinals. In this match, Chelsea will be without Joe Cole and Deco due to injury, and Jose Bosingwa and Didier Drogba will both start their suspensions from their separate outbursts from last season's semi-final loss to Barcelona.

Atletico Madrid v. APOEL Nicosia FC

After falling out during last year's round of 16, Atletico Madrid will start off their group stage against APOEL, the first-ever team from Cyprus to enter the group stage of the competition.

Atletico enter this match after losing their last La Liga match, and will have to deal with FC Barcelona on Saturday after this match, while APOEL will be looking to get off to the right foot with a positive result in their first ever group stage and home match in this competition. Also, APOEL's Nektarios Alexandrou will serve a one-match ban during this match against Atletico.

Wednesday, September 15, 2009

Group E

Liverpool vs Debreceni

After becoming the first team from Hungary to qualify for the Champions League since 1996-97, Debreceni will travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool. During this upcoming Champions League campaign, Rafa Benitez's side will be looking to bring European glory back to Anfield after being beaten by Chelsea in the last two campaigns to prevent them from advancing deeper into Europe.

Lyon v. Fiorentina

In a rematch of an opening game from the first week of the 2008-2009 Champions League, Fiorentina will once again travel to Stade de Gerland to take on Lyon. Last year, Lyon scored two late goals to draw with Fiorentina 2-2. This time around, Lyon aren't as strong of a team as they were last year with the loss of Karim Benzema, but they still will be looking to get a positive result as they start the group stage.

Group F

Inter v. FC Barcelona

In the biggest matchup during this week's Champions League, defending champions FC Barcelona will travel to the San Siro in Milan to take on defending Serie A champions Inter Milan.

During the summer, Barcelona transfered striker Samuel Eto'o to Inter in exchange for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and with two of the best managers in the game in Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, this should be a very entertaining match.

Dynamo Kiev v. Rubin Kazan

In the first ever time that these two neighbors have ever met, Rubin Kazan will travel from Russia to Ukraine to take on Dynamo Kiev. This is the first ever Champions League match for Rubin Kazan, and they will be facing a Dynamo squad that has re-acquired the services of Andriy Shevchenko ten years after he left the Ukraine side.

Group G

VfB Stuttgart v. Rangers

In yet another interesting match on Wednesday, Rangers and VfB Stuttgart will meet again for the third straight time that both clubs have made it to the Champions League group stage.

Stuttgart will be looking for home success here, as they have beaten Rangers during both times that they have been paired up in the Champions League at VfB Arena.

Sevilla v. Unirea Urziceni

In the other Group G matchup. Unirea Urziceni will be traveling to Sevilla to take on the Spanish side. Sevilla have been a very strong team at home during European competition, while Urziceni will be playing their first ever Champions League match, and will be looking to get off to a good start in this competition.

Group H

Olympiacos v. AZ Alkmaar

After a one-year absence from the Champions League, Olympiacos will host Eredivisie champions AZ Alkmaar at the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium in Athens. Meanwhile, Alkmaar will be playing a tough match in Athens, and will be looking to win in their first ever Champions League match.

R. Standard de Liège v. Arsenal

In the final matchup of the first week of the Champions League, R. Standard de Liège will be looking to get a win in Belgium over an always strong Arsenal squad.

 Standard will also be looking for revenge of some sorts after suffering their worst ever loss in Europe by a 7-0 score to Arsenal back in 1994. Arsenal, who went to the Champions League semifinal last year before losing to Manchester United, don't have to deal with Eduardo being suspended for this match after a diving incident against Celtic during Champions League qualifying, as UEFA overturned his suspension on Monday.