UEFA Champions League 2011: Predicting Winner of Each Group

Today marks the beginning of an eight-month UEFA Champions League journey. The usual favorites return, including defending champion Barcelona and runner-up Manchester United as well as Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester City.

It starts with 32 teams and will be twiddled down to 16 before Christmas. Then the knockout stages behind before a champion is crowned at the end of the season. It's the most prestigious club tournament in the world and will take an extraordinary effort by the winning squad.

Barcelona will attempt to become the first back-to-back winners of the trophy since A.C. Milan in 1989 and 1990. The fact that it has been more than two decades since a repeat champion illustrates just how difficult of a task L'equip blaugrana have in front of them.

Without further ado, here are predictions for the eight teams that will win their respective groups.

Group A: Bayern Munich

Mario Gomez is off to a lightning-quick start in Bundesliga play with eight goals in five games. He is well on his way to his third 20-goal season in the last four years. Perhaps the striker's most impressive statistic is that of his 24 attempted shots, 21 have been on target.

Not only would keeping Franck Ribery healthy for an entire campaign go a long way in winning Group A, but making a deep run in through the knockout stages as well. Magic can happen when the veteran midfielder has the ball at his feet.

Fellow midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is looking forward to a highly successful 2012 both individually and for Bayern Munich. The German international hasn't been able to match his breakout '08-'09 campaign, but hopes that will change this season.

Biggest competition: Manchester City

Group B: Internazionale

Wesley Sneijder dealt with transfer rumors throughout the summer transfer window, most of them linking the talented midfielder to Manchester United. He has said he loves playing for Inter Milan and is working himself back into top form.

Diego Milito scored two goals in the Nerazzurri's wild 4-3 loss in the Serie A opener. After scoring 22 goals in 35 league games during his first season with the club, Milito scored just five times in 23 appearances last season.

Joining the team from Atletico Madrid is Diego Forlan. Forlan had a very strong World Cup last summer, scoring five goals during Uruguay's run to the semifinals. Inter will count on him for continued production after he scored in the team's first game.

Biggest competition: Lille

Group C: Manchester United

Wayne Rooney knew he would have to carry a heavy load on his shoulders as Manchester United started to work some younger players into the lineup and he has delivered so far. No longer balding thanks to some offseason hair transplants, Rooney already has eight goals this season.

Danny Welbeck is one of the new players manager Sir Alex Ferguson was counting on heading into the season and the 20-year-old striker has two goals in three games before going down with a hamstring injury. Javier Hernandez has filled in admirably.

The biggest key to the Red Devils' season might be David De Gea. The team's new goalkeeper has had some early season jitters and will need to become more consistent between the pipes if Manchester United wants to make another deep run.

Biggest competition: Benfica

Group D: Real Madrid

As has been the case for each of the past two seasons, Real Madrid will be led by dynamic goal scorer Cristiano Ronaldo. Counting this season, Ronaldo has scored 102 goals in his last 108 games across all competitions for the club and his home country of Portugal.

Iker Casillas continues to be one of the most trustworthy keepers in the world and gives Los Blancos a big advantage over most teams. He will have to stand on his head if there's an El Clasico matchup along the way.

Kaka struggled to stay in the lineup last season as he dealt with injuries and has been used as a substitute to start the season. He's still one of the most creative midfielders on the planet and will make a big impact on Real Madrid's Champions League run.

Biggest competition: Lyon

Group E: Chelsea

Didier Drogba suffered a scary collision recently, but it appears he'll be just fine moving forward. The 33-year-old striker has lost a step and was transformed into more of a playmaker last season, but will still be counted on to create offense.

Chelsea brought in Raul Meireles from Liverpool to serve as a defensive midfielder. He had fallen out of favor with the Reds and was looking for a team where he could get more consistent playing time. When the Blues offered him that opportunity, he jumped at it.

Long-time Blues keeper Petr Cech continues to be among the most consistent goalkeepers in the Premier League and hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. With Chelsea's offense not quite as forceful as it was two seasons ago, Cech was relied on more last season and it will be the same story this campaign.

Biggest competition: Valencia

Group F: Arsenal

Arsenal went through a brutal summer that saw Gael Clichy, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri leave Emirates. Manager Arsene Wenger went on a late spending spree to add Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and others, but it will take some time to regain traction.

Robin Van Persie will be counted on to reach the 25-goal plateau again this season after receiving a playing partner in Gervinho. The 28-year-old striker will need to break his streak of alternating good seasons with average ones, though.

The addition of Arteta to the midfield will bring some much needed creativity to Arsenal's offense, which has become stagnant at times during the past few seasons. While Arteta struggled to maintain fitness during his time at Everton, he was always dangerous when on the pitch.

Biggest competition: Marseille

Group G: Porto

Portuguese powerhouse Porto has got off to a perfect start in Primeira Liga league play, going 4-0-0 with a plus-nine goal differential. The Portistas claimed their 25th league championship last season and seem to be on their way to claiming another one.

James Rodriguez, who had a very good U-20 World Cup with Colombia over the summer, has carried that form over to club play with three goals in two games. The talented midfielder appears to be coming into his own, which is great news for Porto.

The guy with the coolest single name in football, Hulk, has also scored three goals in the early going. He's a strong player who excels when forced into physical battles (hence the nickname) and is looking to build off his 23 goals last season.

Biggest competition: Shakhtar Donetsk

Group H: Barcelona

The defending champions are the heavy favorites to take home the title again, but will be tested several times along the way. The road to another Champions League crown won't be as easy as some analysts are making it sound for Barcelona.

Lionel Messi continues to work his magic up front for L'equip blaugrana scoring two goals in the first two La Liga games. He's the two-time defending player of the year and will be among the select few in consideration again in 2011.

Cesc Fabregas made his way to Camp Nou during the summer transfer window after Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger convinced Gunners' management to let him chase his dreams. As if Barcelona needed another weapon. The fancy Fabregas just adds more firepower to the attack.

Biggest competition: AC Milan