Manchester United: 6 Players to Fear in Champions League Group C

Manchester United begin the 2011/12 Champions League in Group C with fixtures against Portuguese side Benfica, Swiss side FC Basel and Romanian champions Otelul Galati.

The Champions League boasts the best teams in Europe, and this year's group stage promises to be as exciting as ever.

Here is a preview of six players to fear in Champions League Group C.   

Oscar Cardozo

Weighing in at just over 14 stones (196 pounds) and standing tall at 6'4", Benfica's Oscar Cardozo is one of the most powerful strikers in European football.

Don’t let his physique fool you, though. 

The Paraguayan is inevitably a dangerous weapon in the air, but he also wields an accomplished left boot, which is often deployed for set-piece situations—from which Cardozo is considered something of an expert.

One of Benfica's biggest sources of goals, Cardozo possesses a threat to be wary of. 

Javier Saviola

Benfica's Javier Saviola will be a threat to be reckoned with in Group C.

The Argentine striker, a former Real Madrid and FC Barcelona player, is known for his speed and kicking abilities and is a threat on the counter-attack.

He was named in Pele's FIFA 100 list of the 125 greatest living footballers. 

Pablo Aimar

Benfica's No. 10, Pablo Aimar, is an attacking midfielder with vast offensive experience.

Having played for Valencia and Real Zaragoza, Aimar is well traveled but also no stranger to football at the big stages.

Aimar's chemistry with fellow teammates, Cardozo and Saviola, has been a big reason for Benfica's successes of late.

Aimar will surely be a threat in the group.   

Alexander Frei

FC Basel's Alexander Frei is a man whose quality cannot be understated.

One of the most prolific strikers in the Bundesliga during his time at Borussia Dortmund—scoring 34 goals in 69 matches from 2006-2009—Frei moved to Switzerland in the 2010/11 season to ply his trade at FC Basel and has continued were he left off.

The 32-year-old Swiss international has been capped 84 times for his country.

His experience and ability will be a thorn in the side of the Group C teams.

Xherdan Shaqiri

In Xherdan Shaqiri, FC Basel have a young player with genuine flair and skill.

Short and stocky, the Gnjilane, Kosovo-born (then-Yugoslavia) Shaqiri made his professional debut at 17, his international debut less than one year later, and was last month voted as Switzerland's Player of the Year.

He also led Switzerland to the final of the European Under-21 championship in Denmark this year.

He is at his best playing wide on the right wing, then cutting inside to fire in shots with his left foot. Shaqiri will be one of the danger men in Group C.

Axel Witsel

Not much is known about about Benfica's Axel Witsel, however, in his days as a Standard Liege player, he was a key member of the squad that won the Belgian  Pro League title in 2007/08.

Plying his trade as an attaking midfielder, the Belgian international can also play as a right winger.

Witsel joined Benfica during this summer's transfer window and scored twice in the Basel's 3-1 win against FC Twente on August 24th, their Champions League second leg playoff.