The Return of the Champions League

Representatives from Europe's leading football clubs congregated in Monaco this week to oversee the draw for the 21st edition of the Champions League. Whether it be four leaf clovers, horseshoes or crosses for divine inspiration, I'm sure each one would have had their good luck charms looked out, to ensure their club avoided the dreaded group of death

Champions League regulars such as Barcelona, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and holders Chelsea, were joined by three newcomers in the shape of Montpellier, Malaga and Nordsjaelland. The race to Wembley win be contested by 32 teams, representing 11 capital cities, a record 30 different cities and 17 countries. As always, expect drama, excitement, entertainment and shocks.

Group A: Porto, Dynamo Kiev, Paris Saint-Germain, Dinamo Zagreb

Top seeds in the group Porto will be relying on key men Joao Moutinho and Hulk if they are to progress. They have seen several top players depart during the close season, including Fredy Guarin and Alvaro Pereira to Inter, Cristian Rodriguez to Atletico Madrid and Fernando Belluschi to Bursaspor. As usual, they have turned to South America for new talent and may have found another gem in Jackson Martinez. The Columbian striker has a remarkable goal scoring record in his homeland, having scored 94 in 102 games for Medellin and 58 in 64 for Jaguares. They still have a talented squad with Champions League experience and I therefore expect them to top the group.

Group Finish: 1st

Dynamo Kiev are the most successful Eastern European club in the history of the tournament, but have been somewhat seduced by rivals Shaktar's riches in recent years. They have strengthened their squad well with additions such as, Miguel Veloso, Taye Taiwo, Niko Kranjcar and Marco Ruben. They overcame a tough hurdle in qualifying, defeating the much fancied Borussia Monchengladbach. If they can carry the kind of performances displayed against the Germans into the group stage I expect them to make a push for second.

Group Finish: 3rd

PSG unexpectedly finished second in the French league last season and have made a poor start to this campaign. Their marquee signings are struggling to gel and the pressure seems to be getting to them already. I'm not expecting fireworks in the group, although with the experience of Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the side I believe they will do enough to qualify.

Group Finish: 2nd

Dinamo Zagreb were the whipping boys in last years tournament, where they were demolished by Real 6-2 and by Lyon 7-1. They were, however, the only team to score against Madrid in the group stage. Their squad is largely made up of homegrown talent, with very little experience at this level. It is their fourth outing in the Champions League and they have finished bottom of their group in two of their three previous appearances.

Group Finish: 4th

Group B: Arsenal, Schalke, Olympiacos, Montpellier

May it be Arsene Wenger's last Champions League adventure with Arsenal? If it is he will want to go out with a bang. Unfortunately, it is unlikely judging by his current Arsenal composite. The loss of Robin Van Persie is colossal. His replacement Olivier Giroud will return to his former employers Montpellier and will want to show he can deliver goals for his new club. The group draw has been kind to Arsenal once again; last season being an unusually tough one for the Gunners. They will face Olympiacos for the fourth time in three years at this stage, and should have no problem qualifying.

Group Finish: 1st

Second seed in the group is the 2011 semi-finalists, Schalke. They finished third in the Bundesliga last season, but were way off the leading duo. They have lost Champions League royalty, Raul, who has opted to retire. They will, therefore, turn to Klass-Jan Huntelaar to provide the goals. The acquisitions of Tranquillo Barnetta and Roman Neustadter will strengthen the squad, of which will only have eyes on the knockout stage.

Group Finish: 2nd

Olympiacos are competing in an impressive 14th Champions League, only 7 clubs have appeared in more. Although they have won eight of the last nine Greek titles, they are struggling financially, and have signed just one player for the new season. Realistically, they would only be focusing on a Europa League spot.

Group Finish: 3rd

The surprise French champions will be aiming to turn a few more heads this season. Although it seems like they will do so for the wrong reasons. Their squad was decimated in the close season, the status of French champions and Champions League football seemingly not enough to hold on to key players. It's hard to see them gaining any points, in what is a rather kind group.

Group Finish: 4th

Group C: AC Milan, Zenit St. Petersburg, Anderlecht, Malaga

AC Milan have struggled to find stability in recent years and their Champions League performances have reflected this. The loss of veterans Nesta, Inzaghi, Zambrotta, Seedorf, Van Bommel and Gattuso, along with the sale of Thiago Silva and Ibrahimovic, will surely have a telling effect on Milan. You could literally field a competitive side with their departures. Apart from Nigel De Jong, Ricardo Montilivo and Giampaolo Pazzini, no one exciting has come in to fill the gaps. They should, however, progress from the group, although they may have to clinch it on the final match day against Zenit.

Group Finish: 2nd

Zenit are the current Russian champions and could prove to be a surprise package in the group. They have not had much action in the transfer market, but already have the players in place to do some damage. They will clock up 6101 miles on their travels, which may be the only stumbling block in their campaign. Their clash against Malaga alone is the second longest journey in this years competition, although the disadvantage will work both ways.

Group Finish: 1st

Anderlecht returned to the helm of Belgian football, and in doing so returned to the Champions League for the first time in six years. They have done well to hold on to star players Lucas Biglia, Matias Suarez and Sacha Kjestan. However, their days of being one of Europe's best clubs are well behind them, and they face a tough battle to even clinch a Europa League spot.

Group Finish: 4th

Malaga are appearing in their first ever Champions League group stage. Coach Manuel Pelligrini has experience in the competition with Real Madrid, which could prove vital. He has had a troublesome close season though, losing players such as Santi Cazorla, Joris Mathijsen and Salomon Rondon due to financial constraints. Just two years prior, with mega rich Qatari owners at the helm, they were expected to challenge the big two. However, the money has since dried up. They still have a decent squad, that defeated Panathinaikos in qualifying and could upset the top two in the group.

Group Finish: 3rd

Group D: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund

Yet again the draw has thrown up another breathtaking group of death, and yet again it is Manchester City that have drawn the short straw. Already being labelled the 'Group of Champions', Real Madrid represent Spain and are sure to be one of the overall favourites for the tournament. They may find topping the group a tough task, but anything other than qualification for Mourinho's men will be a massive upset.

Group Finish: 1st

Pot three last year; pot two this year. The difference? Well nothing really. Manchester City may buy all the talent they want, but one thing they cant buy, is a good Champions League draw. Last year they amassed 10 points, enough to see them progress from four other groups. But obviously history tells us they had to settle for third place. This year Mancini has settled his differences with Carlos Tevez and his players will have no doubt learned lessons from last years experience. The blue half of Manchester will be hoping this will be enough to give them that cutting edge, as the lack of big name arrivals certainly wont help.

Group Finish: 2nd

Ajax can boast 4 European cups to their name. However, it will be about all they will boast about in this group. By holding on to Christian Eriksen and Toby Alderweireld, they have proved to critics that they are no longer a feeder club to Europe's giants. Although, their squad is unlikely to cause problems to the other three sides. They have once favourite Ruud Guillt to thank for drawing them in the group, and they will be wishing the Dutch legend could pull his boots on once again to aid their campaign.

Group Finish: 4th

I still cant believe the 1996-97 champions were in pot four for the draw. Nevertheless, they must deal with what lay in front of them. At the Westfalenstadion, Dortmund will fancy their chances against anyone, and that might be their only hope of qualifying from the group. They have lost Kagawa to Man United, but have spent the money wisely on the likes of Marco Reus and Julian Schieber. Their trip to Amsterdam will be the shortest distance travelled for an away day at just 149 miles (Manchester to London is 196 miles).

Group Finish: 3rd

Group E: Chelsea, Shaktar Donetsk, Juventus, Nordsjaelland

The reigning champions will feel quite hard done by with this group draw, although some may say they are lucky to be in the draw altogether. The longest running transfer saga of the summer ended when Eden Hazard opted to join Chelsea from Lille, and the little Belgian is showing just why some people in France labelled him the next Messi. The loss of talisman Didier Drogba could be crucial in the latter stages, although the blow may be softened by the resurgence of Fernando Torres. However, a strong start to their league campaign signals bright things to come.

Group Finish: 1st

Shaktar Donetsk on first look may not be the most daunting seed two opponent, however they are the Ukrainian champions and haven't dropped a point in seven games this season. Their squad consists largely of Ukrainians and Brazilians, and the eclectic mix is actually quite effective on the European stage, as their run to the quarter final in 2011 proved. They will, however, want to improve on last years performance where they finished bottom of their group.

Group Finish: 3rd

The Old Lady will once again return to Europe's maiden competition, and do it on the back of a Serie A campaign without a defeat. Their group opponents will face a sturdy defence, likely to give nothing away on the cheap. An inventive midfield led by Andrea Pirlo will look to provide the strikers with plenty of goalscoring opportunities. However, goalscoring may prove to be their problem. The signing of a quality out and out striker failed to materialise during the summer and Juventus may live to regret this. They should, however, have enough in the locker.

Group Finish: 2nd

The group is completed by FC Nordsjaelland. The Danish champions focus heavily on nurturing young talent from their youth ranks and play attacking football. Therefore, it is not their nickname of 'Wild Tigers' that scares me, but more so the on field combination of inexperienced youngsters trying to outplay Europe's elite. They will play their home games in Copenhagen as their 10,000 seater does not match UEFA's criteria. Anything other than six defeats will be a success.

Group Finish: 4th

Group F: Bayern Munich, Valencia, Lille, BATE Borisov

Last years beaten finalists will still be hurting inside from their defeat in their own backyard to Chelsea. However, the Germans are known for their character and professionalism, so don't expect it to haunt them. The landmark signing of Javi Martinez from Athletic Bilbao for €40 million has demonstrated their desire to go one better this year. He is joined by exciting Swiss prodigy Xherdan Shaqiri. How they would love a rematch against Chelsea, in their hometown, and this group is unlikely to threaten their project.

Group Finish: 1st

Valencia are another Spanish side who are suffering financially. Their new manager Mauricio Pellegrino has had little pocket money to spend on new players, despite Jordi Alba's big money move to Barcelona. However he has spent his money wisely. Gago and Canales have seen very little playing time in the last few years, although Valencia have took a chance on them, a chance that I feel will reap rewards. Guardado is an exciting player on the wing and Joao Pereira joins after a string of solid displays in the European Championships for Portugal. Although they face a daunting 7000 mile round trip to face BATE, they may run Bayern close for the top spot.

Group Finish: 2nd

Lille undoubtedly took a hammer blow when they lost Eden Hazard this summer. They scraped past a weak Copenhagen side in qualifying and could struggle in this group. Hazard's replacement Marvin Martin was about as good as Lille could do and he may prove pivotal to Lille's slim chances of qualifying. Their lacklustre start to the French league spells danger.

Group Finish: 4th

BATE Borisov have come through three qualifying rounds to reach the group stage, and despite facing somewhat easy opponents, they made hard work of it. They failed to win a game last year, although did earn a point off AC Milan. However they now posses the golden boy of Belarussian football, Alexander Hleb. His experience and ability may cause a few upsets, especially in Borisov.

Group Finish: 3rd

Group G: Barcelona, Benfica, Spartak Moscow, Celtic

As they begin the post Guardiola era with a super cup loss to Real, are we witnessing the demise of the masters? I think not. Although much of Europe might be hoping this is the case, with Xavi, Iniesta, Messi and co still in the ranks, it is hard to see past them not reaching at least another semi final. Undoubtedly, the 'Pep effect', or rather the loss of it, will give teams belief that Barca can be conquered. Outside the group of death, this may prove to be the most interesting group.

Group Finish: 1st

Twice winners, Benfica enter the group stage for the third consecutive year. They stunned Manchester United last year and will look to do the same to Barca this year. Their talented squad has had Europe's big spenders circling, although the Eagles have done well to hold on to most of their prized assets, with Javi Garcia being the only one to depart. However, failure to progress in the group might be the final straw for key men such as Nicolas Gaitan, Axel Witsel and Oscar Cardozo. They have added to their squad by securing the services of Ola John and Eduardo Salvio for a combined total of €25 million. The pressure is therefore on the new boys to deliver.

Group Finish: 3rd

Spartak Moscow have turned to ex-Valencia manager Unai Emery to guide them to success. They finished just two points behind Zenit in the league last season, after missing out on Champions League football. They have a very interesting squad, that could cause problems for the top sides. Striker Emmanuel Emenike is on hot form and new signings Kallstrom and Romulo seem to be good acquisitions. They will rack up the most miles on their travels (7368), which may prove problematic, but may just scrape a qualifying spot.

Group Finish: 2nd

The fourth team in group G sees the return of Celtic. They may have had the luck of the draw in qualifying, with two straightforward trips to Scandinavia, but lady luck certainly left them when the groups were drawn. Infact, Celtic won both away legs on their qualifying travels, a fact that may stand them in good stead heading into their group, as away European wins have never really been their thing. They will feel they can beat Spartak and Benfica at Parkhead, but will have to pick up points away if they are to qualify. The absence of Rangers in the SPL may prove to be beneficial.

Group Finish: 4th

Group H: Manchester United, Braga, Galatasaray, Cluj

After the humiliation of being knocked out at the group stage last year, Manchester United will want to restore normality by playing Champions League football after Christmas this time around. RVP and Kagawa have joined in order to ensure a second successive failure does not occur, and nor should it. Manchester United will be very happy with the draw and could be the sixth team in Champions League history to win all six matches.

Group Finish: 1st

The third Portuguese contingent in this years competition is Braga. They finished third last year in the league by the skin of their teeth. They won 13 straight games at the end of the season to ensure qualification for Europe's premier tournament. They seem to be more of a Europa League specialist, although did overcome a difficult tie against Udinese to reach the group stage. Their lack of big names could prove to be a defining factor, that and the fact that, outwith the Eastern Europeans, they will have the most miles to travel, 6005 to be precise.

Group Finish: 3rd

Galatasaray emerge from the shadow of some turbulent times in their domestic football. However they will look to put the dark days behind them and concentrate on cementing their position in the Champions League. Many a side across Europe would have feared an away trip to Istanbul to face Galatasaray. But those days are gone. A major coup in the summer was the signing of Hamit Altintop, a player who has always had a raw deal in my opinion. Striker Nordin Amrabat signed from Kayserispor and will be a danger upfront. This year could be a good one for Gala, especially since they are Turkey's sole representatives.

Group Finish: 2nd

Romanian outfit Cluj will make their third appearance in the Champions League having won their domestic league title last year. They exposed of Basel in the qualifying stage, proving they are a force to be reckoned with. Their side, however, lacks the quality and experience you need at this level. Besides Nordsjaelland, they were definitely the team everyone wanted. In two previous appearances in the group stage, they have won only two games, and may struggle to add to that this year.

Group Finish: 4th