There was one group that gained clarity: Group A. Since the group was drawn, we have waited to see who from Bordeaux, Juventus, and Bayern Munich would fall-off: settling into third place and become one of the strongest clubs in Europa League.

Before Match Day 1, you could have argued Bayern Munich’s talent and depth had them best situated to deal with the demands of UEFA’s mid-week, schedule congesting group play. Additionally, München is only two years removed from an early Champions League exit, an exit that saw the club restructure their squad with the expressed goal of regaining their place amongst Europe’s elite.

After today’s home loss to Bordeaux, München will have to go back to the drawing board. They still have a chance to advance out of Group A, but their destiny is now out of their hands. München will need to win in Turin and then hope an already-qualified Bordeaux gets a point from Juventus on the final match day.

Neither of those results are impossible, but if München are to take care of their end of the bargain, they will need a new approach. Weakened squad or not, going scoreless at home against Bordeaux should force Louis van Gaal to reassess his side to try and find a solution.

They have two weeks to find it; else, start playing for Europa.

At the top of the other groups, all of Manchester United, Chelsea, Milan and Real Madrid drew. True, Milan and Madrid were playing each other, but it is still a majestic list of clubs. None of those titans were able to get three points, a development that would be astounding if we weren’t two weeks removed from a day where both Barcelona and Real Madrid lost at home.

Only a drastic turn of events will keep Bordeaux from advancing out of the opening round for the first time since the 1999-2000 Champions League. (photo: UEFA)

Group A

Juventus got a first half, stoppage time goal from Mauro Camoranesi in route to a 1-0 win in Haifa over Maccabi. The Israelis are still without a point, still without a goal, but the story of this win is how it improves Juventus’s chance to advance.

Now four points up on third-place Bayern, Juve need only a draw over München on the next match day to advance. Given Juventus was able to get a point at Allainz Arena, the Italians look near certain to advance (one way or another). They sit at eight points, two points behind table-leading Bordeaux, and with a match left in France, they can still win this group.

For their inconsistent play in Ligue Un, Bordeaux have been one of the stronger teams in Champions League. Though their opponent today was depleted, they took care of business in a way neither Chelsea nor Manchester United could. After their 2-0 win in Bavaria (with goals from Yoann Gourcuff and Maraoune Chamakh), only a loss to Maccabi and some goal differential magic will keep them out of the next round.

It is the first time in nearly ten years Bordeaux will make it to the second stage of Champions League. That season, Bayern Munich made it to the tournament’s semifinals.

VfL Wolfsburg's impressive win in Istanbul quelled doubts stemming from their league form. (Photo: UEFA)

Group B

Manchester United may have been playing a half-squad, but CSKA Moscow impressed, nearly making them pay for it.

First half goals from Alan Dzageov (his third of the competition) and Milos Krasic helped CSKA to a 2-1 halftime lead, and when Vasili Berezutski made it 3-1, CSKA looked poised for a landmark victory. For a CSKA club that is still setting-in with their recently-hired coach, it was a shockingly productive first 47 minutes.

Two goals down, Alex Ferguson started putting his club’s better foot forward. Within ten minutes, both Patrice Evra and Wayne Rooney were brought on, replacing Fabio de Silva and Nani. The pressure built, with Igor Akinfeev forced into six saves before Paul Scholes finally drew United within one with a header in the 84th minute.

Then the man who has become CSKA’s bane, Antonio Valencia, scored another late goal, this time giving United a 3-3, come-from-behind draw.

While in the big picture this was a good point for CSKA, they will be remiss to have blown a two goal lead. In addition, a second yellow given late to Deividas Šemberas (who has had a difficult Champions League) will keep the Lithuanian out of CSKA’s trip to Turkey.

That trip, intimidating by reputation, looks easier after VfL Wolfsburg’s 3-0 win in Istanbul. Though their respective league forms held Besiktas as the in-form side, Wolfsburg dominated the injury-riddled side thanks to goals from Zvjezdan Misimović, Christian Gentner and Edin Džeko. Playing without Rüştü Reçber, Fabian Ernst and Nihat Kahveci, Besiktas proved to be out-gunned and now shift their focus to fighting CSKA for the group’s third place, Europa League birth.

CSKA, though, can still make it through to the competition’s next stage. They have four points, three behind Wolfsburg, but still get the Russians in Moscow in December. In-between, CSKA has a trip to Turkey while Manchester United goes to Germany. As the Red Devils showed today, a win against them is never a given, no matter the squad they start. With Turkey looking less intimidating than it did hours ago, Wolfsburg remains well within reach of third-place CSKA.

Brandão and Marseille posted the most lopsided result of this season's competition. (Photo: UEFA)

Group C

Milan and Real Madrid played to a even-handed, 1-1 draw, with a Ronaldinho penalty kick equalizing a 29th-minute goal from embattled Madrid striker Karim Benzema. The draw leaves the clubs tied atop the group, each with seven points.

While both teams generated chances, Madrid will feel they could have had three points. Particularly early, Madrid was the better side, and while that dominance evened-out over the course of the match, the visitors had a number of chances to put their foot on this match early. Instead, they let up after Benzema’s goal, and when Milan was awarded a penalty kick after a Pepe hand call, Madrid was equalized.

It was another unsteady performance from Madrid, one in which both their capabilities and failings were on display. While the result leaves them in strong position to get out of the group, that is not the standard against which Galacticos 2.0 are being judged. The Pellegrini scrutiny should intensify, particularly if pundits choose to focus on a number of second half chances that could have seen Milan get all three points.

Pellegrini-supporters, however, can still hold on to the fact that Madrid was without Cristiano Ronaldo, though in doing so they will be conceding an expensive Madrid squad’s dependence on one player. Regardless, today’s draw will lead to more questions from Madridistas.

While the San Siro saw a tight affair, Stade Vélodrome hosted the most lopsided result of this Champions League season. All of the quality Marseille has lacked this season was packed into one night. All of the capabilities FC Zürich had shown remain in Milan. As a result, Didier Dechamps got the result for which he’s been waiting, with l’OM racing to a 6-1 victory.

Marseille had five different players chip in goals after they were helped by a third minute own goal from Zürich’s Silvan Aegerter.

With matches to play against both Milan and Madrid, Marseille has a long way to go to get out of the group despite the fact they are only one point behind Group C’s co-leaders. Each of the leaders still have one match against Zürich, meaning Marseille likely needs two wins to move above clubs that seem should get to 10 points.

Sergio Agüero's brace off the bench gave Atlético a surprising point. (Photo: UEFA)

Group D

APOEL continues to be a tough team to beat, but after a late goal from Radamel Falcão the Cypriots remain winless, yet to score a goal on their own in this season’s tournament. Falcão’s shot from distance confirmed Porto’s place in the final sixteen with a 1-0 victory, their nine points putting them seven up on Atlético Madrid.

The Atléti got their second point thanks to a stoppage time free kick from Kün Agüero, his second goal of the match after coming on as a substitute in the 53rd minute. The Argentine opened the scoring in the 66th before Chelsea’s Didier Drogba, in his first match of the Champions League season (having finished his suspension), put Chelsea ahead with goals in the 82nd and 88th minute.

The result keeps Chelsea in first place, though their lead is down to one point ahead of Match Day 5’s trip to the Dragão. While it looked as if that match would decide who would win the group, Atlético’s performance against Chelsea at the Vincente Calderon forces us to reconsider whether they can give Porto similar troubles when the Portuguese champions go to Madrid on December 8.

Even if Porto beats Chelsea in two weeks – a tall order on its own – a Atlético team that may be righted under Quique Sánchez Flores could give Group D back to the Blues.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader. He also hosts Inside the Six, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.” And while you are at it, feel free to check out RF Football.

To this point, we can only be reasonably confident that (from these groups) Chelsea, Porto, and Manchester United have solidified claims on the knock-out stage. None of these teams are technically, mathematically into the next round, but let’s not qualify this too much. They’re going to move on.

After Tuesday, we will know if we can say the same about Bordeaux. When the French champions and Bayern Munich meet for the second time, we will be able to look at their race for the two qualifying spots in Group A with the knowledge that they can not take any more points from each other.

That example is particularly informative since Bordeaux, leading Group A, leads Bayern (third place) by three points. With a win at Allainz Arena, Bordeaux all-but-mathematically locks up a birth in the final sixteen, and even with a draw they make it almost impossible for Bayern to pass them.

While Bayern-Bordeaux is the most poignant of Tuesday’s examples, the same view can be cast on CSKA Moskow’s trip to Old Trafford, Milan hosting Real Madrid, Wolfsburg’s trip to Turkey, and Porto’s visit to Cyprus for their reverse against APOEL.

Come Wednesday morning, three teams could have knock-out round births clinched, while prominent clubs like Bayern, CSKA, and Atlético Madrid could be eliminated or on the brink.

We will get to that match-ups from Groups C and D later today. First, here is a look at Groups A and B.

Bordeaux is at the top of Group A and have not needed star performances from either Yoann Gourcuff (left) or Marouane Chamakh (photo credit: Associated Press)

Juventus winger Mauro Camoranesi is one of the Old Lady’s stars looking for consistency in league and Europe.
Club	Points	Diff
Bordeaux	7	+2
Juventus	5	+1
Bayern Munich	4	+2
Maccabi Haifa	0	-5
Through three rounds.

Group A

This match day’s featured contest: Bordeaux goes to Bayern with a chance to go six points up on one of the two teams with whom they are competing for a knock-out phase spot. Bordeaux beat München in France two weeks ago, taking advantage of a Bayern team that would finish the match with nine men, posting a 2-1 win.

Mathematically, this isn’t a must win for Bayern, but the probability of them going through narrows dramatically if they only get one point. Juventus should be expected to get three points when they go to Haifa to play Maccabi (even considering Juventus’s recent inconsistent performances in the Serie A). That result would put Juve on eight points. With a draw in Munich, Bayern would only have four, meaning they would have to win in Turin on Matchday 5 to have a chance at advancing. If Bayern wins in Italy, Juventus could still advance by beating Bordeaux on Matchday 6, a match that is unlikely to matter to the French champions. So while Bayern is technically alive if they draw versus Bordeaux, München need three points.

To get it, they will have to win without the suspended Thomas Müller and Daniel van Buyten, the red carded players in France. Van Buyten is a valuable player but plays in a position of depth, but while Bayern has depth in attackers, they have few healthy players who can step into Müller’s role without compromising other positions. Martín Dimichelis, returning to health, can play for van Buyten, but Franck Ribery is out, and Arjen Robben is not healthy enough to do anything but come off the bench. To replace Müller, Louis van Gaal can start Hamit Altintop or switch to another formation entirely.

Switching and tinkering is something that Bayern has gotten used to under van Gaal. Only months into his new assignment, with a series of injuries and three critical pieces to integrate into the team (Robben, Mario Gómez and Anatoliy Timoshchuk), van Gaal has tried almost every combination and formation imaginable. At times, it has been inspired. More often, it’s been contrived and ineffectual.

With Bayern sitting sixth in league and on the verge of being relegated to the Europa League, the time for tinkering is over. With depth characteristic of one of the biggest clubs in the world, München can handle the injuries and suspensions. It’s up to van Gaal to find a way to get three points. Against a Bordeaux squad that has proven as workman-like in its Champions Legaue performances as in Ligue Un, that is a tall order for even the more talented team to accomplish.

Antonio Valencia, who got the match-winner in Moscow, should be one of the few first teamers Alex Ferguson starts on Tuesday.

Grafite during happier times. The recently-troubled Brazilian is suspended for Wolfsburg’s Tuesday trip to Istanbul.
Club	Points	Diff
Manchester United	9	+3
Wolfsburg	4	+1
CSKA Moscow	3	-1
Besiktas	1	-2
Through three rounds.

Group B

Manchester United’s group has turned into one of the easiest in the competition, which is saying something considering that groups D, G and H are frustratingly uncompetitive. Seeing how this season’s Champions League has seen a marked disparity between weak groups and strong (A, E, and F being the strong), UEFA should consider other ways to create these groups. I have my thoughts but would like to hear ideas.

That’s for the future (if ever). In the present, Sevilla, Arsenal and Manchester United can sleep-walk through this stage of the advertised greatest club competition in the world. Do you feel the majesty?

The Red Devils can clinch a knock-out phase birth with a win over CSKA Moscow, and if Wolfsburg doesn’t get three in Turkey, they can clinch the group outright. They can be a perfect twelve points by Wednesday morning, and it is still unclear how much Manchester United is actually trying to win these matches.

Two weeks ago, Alex Ferguson’s conservative squad selection in Russia was given Istanbul-like present with a late, game-winning goal from Antonio Valencia. Having all-but-sealed-up this group, expect United to start another conservative (euphemism for weakened) XI, using injury as the rationale. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are out. Ryan Giggs will rest his ankle. Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney are also said to have knocks. There is little reason for any of them to play.

CSKA Moscow still has a strong chance of advancing in this group (even if they do not get a result in England), but the turmoil their club is in after the departure of head coach Juande Ramos threatens to undermine both domestic and continental campaigns. New coach Leonid Slutsky got three points in his first match at the helm, but Manchester United on the road is a different monster than Terek Grozny in Moscow, B-side or not. Manchester United’s memories of Anfield should remind them of what a wounded side can do.

In the group’s other match, Wolfsburg goes to Besiktas days after allowing three goals in the Bundesliga to recently promoted Mainz. Sitting mid-table with the worst defensive record in the league amongst Germany’s contenders, the defending German champions are in a bit of turmoil. Grafite, last year’s leading scorer in Germany, and new coach Armin Veh continue to knock heads, the conflict originating with Veh’s substitution patterns.

Part of the conflict revolves around the red card Grafite received against Besiktas two weeks ago. With Besiktas having already lost in Moscow to CSKA – Wolfsburg’s competition for second place in the group – VfL needed a win. After dominating seventy minutes but failing to break through, Grafite earned a dismissal. The match would end nil-nil, with the coach and star at odds ever since.

With Grafite out for the reverse fixture in Istanbul, Obafemi Martins gets the start, a good thing for Wolfsburg (as he is out-scoring Grafite this season). Martins’ firepower will be needed against a Black Knights-squad that has shaken off early problems to win five consecutive Turkcell Super Lïg matches . Along the way, Besiktas has allowed only one goal thanks to a defense which, combined with the Turkish crowd and Wolfsburg’s lack of experience at this level, makes this a tough get for Veh’s side.

Besiktas head coach Mustafa Denizli seems to have found a place in his formation for Nihat Kavechi, who had trouble settling in on his return to Turkey from Villareal this summer. Kavechi is now playing on the right side of attack and is teaming well with Yusuf Simsek and Fabian Ernst. Matteo Ferrari is also starting to settle, helping to get Besiktas playing more like the club that won last year’s Lïg.

Having essentially lost two points to CSKA by only drawing against Besiktas in Germany, Wolfsburg needs to pick up points somewhere. That could be in Istanbul or it could be in Moscow on Matchday 6. If it’s not at the Inonu Stadium on Tuesday, Wolfsburg will let Besiktas back into the race for second place, with the Black Knights hosting CSKA and traveling to Manchester United (in a meaningless match for United) to close out group play.

Their disappointing opening to Champions League have us overlooking Besiktas, but they still have a route to the knock-out stage.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader. He also hosts Inside the Six, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.”And while you are at it, feel free to check out RF Football.

Perhaps as shocking was some of the defending by Real Madrid, astounding by even their ever-plummeting standards. Both goals by Milan attacker Alexandre Pato were jaw-droppers.

The first of Pato’s goals saw Andrea Pirlo, who opened the scoring for Milan, play a long ball behind the Madrid back line. Aside from the fact that Raul Albíol allowed Pato to beat him to the ball, Iker Casillas exhibited uncharacteristically bad judgment. When the pass landed on the a rain-slicked Bernabéu surface and skid slightly before bouncing to Pato, Casillas was beaten. Already outside the penalty area and unable to bring down the Brazilian, Casillas conceded a go-ahead goal into his empty net.

At least the weather shared some of the blame for that goal, Milan’s second. The final, game winning goal was a twenty second course in how not to defend, exhibiting a series of mental mistakes that would have been just as egregious under normal circumstances.

Nevermind Sergio Ramos and Pepe allowing Clarence Seedorf, one of the most skilled and creative players of this generation, to have the ball at his feet, in the box, unchallenged for six to seven seconds. That would be bad enough if it was the necessary element in the sequence, yet it was not. During those six to seven seconds, Real Madrid failed to mark anybody. Ronaldinho overlapped to Seedorf’s left (Seedorf was right of goal) and nobody reacted, and at the far post Marcelo had failed to pick up Alexandre Pato.

Six seconds of standing around, looking at the ball, reacting to nothing. Of course Seedorf was going to find an open teammate.

The Dutchman used his generously given time to line up a perfect chip to Pato. The ball came down right on the edge of the six, far enough away from goal to keep Casillas on his line. Pato beat Casillas near post for the game winner.

Give Milan credit for again coming up big in Champions League, but the second Pato goal exemplifies why Real Madrid can no longer be considered one of the best teams on the continent. That would be a brash statement if that breakdown was an isolated incident, but these problems have existed since the season’s kickoff at the Bernabéu (against Deportivo la Coruña). More than their inability to defend, it’s Madrid’s demonstrated inability (or unwillingness) to address the problem that prohibits them from being considered amongst UEFA’s elite.

The scrutiny of Bayern manager Louis van Gaal will increase after his side fell to third place in Group A (Photo: UEFA)

Group A

Wednesday’s most important match-up took place in France, where Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux hosted Bayern Munich in a match-up of the group’s leaders. The match quickly continued Tuesday’s own goal theme when Bordeaux defender Michaël Ciani put Bayern on the board in the opening minutes. Ciani made up for his mistake with a clever set-piece finish in the 27th minute, drawing the hosts even.

That was only the beginning of a strange evening at Stade Chaban Delmas.

Three minutes later, Bayern forward Thomas Müller earned a second yellow card, giving München an hour to play down a man. Two minutes later, Marc Planus scored for Bordeaux.

In the second half, Bordeaux would have two penalty kicks saved by Hans-Jörg Butt, the second of which came after Daniel van Buyten was dismissed. Bayern lost 2-1, lost the lead in the group, yet it could have been much worse. Possibly more important for their long-term hopes: Bayern will be without both Müller (their most productive attacker this season) and van Buyten (their best defender) for the reverse fixture, Match Day 4 in München.

Bordeaux sits atop this group with seven points, two ahead of Juventus, who beat Maccabi Haifa 1-0 in Turin. Juve is one point ahead of Bayern, who has yet to visit Italy.

Alex Ferguson in Moscow, where Manchester United was again able to get three points despite playing a half-team (Photo: UEFA)

Group B

When the groups were drawn, Manchester United was thought to have a manageable group. It wasn’t as easy as Arsenal’s group (to use one example), but United would not have to play exceptionally to win it.

After yesterday’s 1-0 win in Moscow over CSKA (courtesy a late goal from Antonio Valencia), it’s like the strength of this group was overstated. What’s more, it seems the effort required to win the group was overestimated.

Consider the lineups Alex Ferguson has chosen for his matches in Turkey (Match Day 1) and Russia (Match Day 2). Being cautious with injuries, yesterday Ferguson withheld (what have been) his three best players: Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra, and Wayne Rooney. He also kept Michael Carrick and (despite not starting Rooney) Michael Owen on the bench. It was much the same on Match Day 1, when Giggs was withheld, Ferguson went one striker, and followed his pattern of playing conservatively on the road in Champions League group stages.

Despite practically acquiescing to two points from these road matches, Manchester United has six thanks to two 1-0 victories. They now sit on nine points with two matches remaining at Old Trafford. For all practical purposes, the Red Devils are through to the knock-out round.

Who will join them from Group B is the more interesting question. Wolfsburg hosted Besiktas in a match they needed to win, seeing as the Turkish champions had already lost in Moscow to the club expected to challenge the Germans for advancement. Though the Bundesliga champions dominated play, they never broke through with a goal, and when Grafite was red carded midway through the second half, the hosts had to settle for a nil-nil draw.

Wolfsburg may sit second in the group, but having failed to get three points against Besiktas, they have essentially fallen behind CSKA. The Muscovites lost in Germany to open group play but still get Wolfsburg at Luzhniki Stadium. If CSKA can hold at home, the disparity in the Besiktas results will carry the Russians into the next round.

Alexandre Pato's brace gave Milan three points at a soggy Bernabéu (photo: UEFA)

Group C

As bad as Milan has looked this season, they are even on points atop Group C after winning at the Bernabéu. Their win also opened the door for Marseille.

OM was thought to be a contender to advance before Match Day 1’s kick-off, but their loss at Stade Vélodrome to Milan started a fall to the group’s basement. Now, after winning 1-0 at Zürich on Wednesday, Marseille is back in the picture. Both they and the Swiss champions FC Zürich have three points, and with every team in this group having already lost at home, Marseille can look to their eventual trip to the San Siro with legitimate hopes of advancing.

Zürich, on the other hand, missed their chance. Coming off a win in Italy, the Swiss champions had (what was) the group’s weakest club on their own pitch. With a win, they would either be alone in second or, if Madrid lost, in a three-way tie for first. But they couldn’t build upon their historic Match Day 2 win, falling to a Gabriel Heinze goal. Now they stand even with Marseille having already gotten two matches at home. For the Zürich, Match Day 4’s reverse fixture in Marseille is critical.

A brace from Hulk led Porto over APOEL at the Dragão (Photo: UEFA)

Group D

The crisis of confidence at Stamford Bridge was solved by a visit from La Liga’s worst defense, leading to a 4-0 win for Chelsea over Atlético Madrid. How Atlético got this bad, this fast – after being the second best team in their league at the end of last season – is mystery. Is it the loss of Javier Aguierre that’s slowly exposed this lack of organization at the back?

Atlético has one point through three matches and host Chelsea next match day. The Blues sit atop the group with a perfect record, with only a trip to the Dragão in Porto standing between them and control of the group.

Porto gave up an early, own goal to APOEL but otherwise controlled a match in which they would out-shoot their visitors 11-2. Two goals by Hulk gave the Portuguese champions three points and put them on six after three matches. Now five points ahead of APOEL and Atlético, Porto would need a collapse to miss out on another knock-out round.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader. He also hosts Inside the Six, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.”And while you are at it, feel free to check out RF Football.

Between them, Real Madrid and AC Milan have 16 European titles, finishing second another seven times. In the 54-year history of the European Cup and Champions League, roughly two-fifths of the finals have featured one of these clubs. Milan’s presence has been slightly less frequent, having made eleven finals appearances (winning seven), but the next most prolific club would have to make four finals appearances before drawing even with Milan.

Crunch some numbers and you find that based on the frequency with which the two clubs appear in European finals, Real Madrid and AC Milan should have faced each other for the title two or three times.¹ They have met only once, 42 years ago in Heysel, the third time the European Cup had been contested.

Real Madrid had won the 1956 and 1957 titles, beating Stade Reims and Fiorentina. In 1958, they tried for their thrird-in-a-row against Milan at Heysel.

After a scoreless first half, Uruguay-born Juan Alberto Schiaffino put Milan up 1-0 in the 59th minute. The legendary Alfredo di Stefano evened the score fifteen minutes later but was almost immediately answered by another Argentinian-born midfielder, Ernesto Grillo. When Héctor Rial equalized for Real Madrid one minute later, the match would have its end of regulation score.

The contest went to extra time, where Paco Gento would score in the 107th minute to give Los Blancos their third consecutive cup. The team would win the next two European Cups, bringing their total to five. Only Milan (7) and Liverpool (5) have won as many as Madrid did to open the competition, and Madrid has since won four more.

Wednesday’s meeting at the Santiago Bernabéu will be the first time Madrid and Milan have met since the 2002-03 Champions League season. Then, they met in the second group stage, splitting their two contests: Real Madrid winning the second meeting (in Madrid) 3-1 after Milan had already wrapped-up the group.

Milan would go on to win the Champions League in 2003. This year, that result seems out of reach. If Milan were to post a 3-1 loss on Wednesday, it would merely meet expectations.

Gone is the hope we had after the group draw – a hope of two battles between traditional titans. With Real Madrid’s attack going at Milan’s defense, this may not be a battle.

Neither Arjen Robben nor Franck Ribery will play at Bordeaux.

Group A

Always reliable Group A will give us a good contest each match day thanks to a draw that put Bayern Munich, Bordeaux and Juventus together. This week, München does to Bordeaux, and if form holds, this will be a draw. Bordeaux drew at Juventus on Match Day 1, and then Juventus drew in Germany on Match Day 2. If that pattern continues, there will be a draw in Bordeaux and a Juventus wins, leaving the three teams tied at the top of the group with five points.

Bayern will be without Arjen Robben, Franck Ribery and Ivica Olic. The absences of Robben and Ribery particularly hurt against Bordeaux, whose favored diamond midfield would have trouble dealing with those two wide players. Laurent Blanc could also go with a five man midfield, an unnecessary step against a Bayern team that lacks a creative presence in the middle of the pitch. In addition, with both Mark van Bommel and Anatoliy Tymoschuk possible starters for Bayern, Bordeaux will need more than Marouane Chamakh up-front to attack Munich.

Bordeaux’s attacking options will be limited, as Yoan Gouffran is an injury doubt.

With Juventus likely to get three points hosting Maccabi Haifa, neither team can afford a loss. Else, they risk falling to third in the group one match after being joint-lead.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson always deprioritizes group stage road matches.

Group B

Manchester United will likely be without Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra, Park Ji-Sung and Darren Fletcher. Nemanja Vidic and Dmitar Berbatov are also injury doubts, This list of injuries, confounded by Alex Ferguson’s tendency to starting a more conservative XI on the road in Champions League, is great news for CSKA.

CSKA will be without left wing Mark Gonzalez who, on the FieldTurf of Luzhniki Stadium, would have given John O’Shea a difficult time. Now Juande Ramos’s attack will likely go through Milos Krasic and Alan Dzagoev (who has two goals in two matches in Champions League). With an experienced defense, home rug advantage, and an opponent deferring to their injury bugs, the hosts look a good bet to spring what some will see as an upset.

If that happens, Wolfsburg can join United and CSKA at six points with a win over Besiktas. Armin Veh’s team has recovered from a lull at the end of September and look poised for their second Champions League victory. Besiktas will not be able to deal with the talented Wolfsburg attack.

Esteban Granero has been an astute, under-the-radar pick-up for Real Madrid.

Group C

Real Madrid will be without Cristiano Ronaldo and Guti, but all eyes will be on Kaka, who will make his first appearance against the club he found so difficult to leave. He will likely play with Esteban Granero in the second pair of Manuel Pellegrini’s 4-2-2-2. Raúl will start up-top with either Karim Benzema or Gonzalo Higuain.

Trying to stop them will be 36-year-old goaltender Dida, forced into duty because of injuries to Marco Storari and Christian Abbati. Milan will also be without Gennaro Gattuso, whose presence in front of the back would be helpful against a Madrid attack that has had trouble creating width.

For all the concerns Milan should have stopping Madrid’s attack, they should be equally inquisitive about their own ability to score goals. Milan has only six goals in eight Serie A matches, only two goals in Champions League. Madrid’s defense is a weakness, but it’s unclear Milan has the players to exploit it.

Should Milan fail in Spain, Zürich will be able to move into second place by themselves. Marseille is a talented team, but they are completely lost. They have fallen to fifth in Ligue 1 and are without a point in Champions League. If Zürich plays like they did in the competition’s first two rounds, Marseille will get no points today.

Radamel Falcao has quickly become Porto's biggest threat.

Group D

Chelsea hosts Atlético Madrid in what should be a tonic for their weekend lost to Aston Villa, but without the suspended Didier Drogba and the injured Michael Ballack, José Bosingwa and John Mikel Obi, the Blues’ depth will be tested. Against an Atlético team that has won only once in Spain and lost this weekend at Osasuna (3-0), the test should not be too difficult to pass.

In Cyprus, a APOEL team that held Chelsea to one goal will give Porto problems. Porto has had trouble scoring in Champions League, getting shut out in England before spending most of their match at the Dragão unable to break down Atlétcio. Eventually, they were good for two goals, but against a Cypriot team that has only allowed one goal in two matches, the Portuguese champions are upset fodder.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader. He also hosts Inside the Six, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.” And while you are at it, feel free to check out RF Football.

Notes
1 – 2.49 times to be exact, though I doubt I used the right precision.

Zürich defender Hannu Tihinen celebrates the match-winner in Milan.

You’re going to hear a lot about FC Zürich over the next two days (and rightfully so), but they were not the only little-club-that-could on Wednesday. They were just the most successful. Today, two other clubs that would not have been in this competition last season almost made a name for themselves.

In Bordeaux, the new It Team were made to look decidedly ordinary by Maccabi Haifa. It was a similar story in Cyprus, where APOEL kept Chelsea within a goal. So much for redeeming Wigan.

But the breakthrough came at the San Siro, where a Zürich team that made Real Madrid sweat two weeks ago vaulted themselves into Group C’s second place thanks to a stunning upset of Milan.

You will read a number of pieces trying to put today’s result in historical perspective, something I’m ill-equipped to do. What I can do is launch idle speculation (something I’ve very good at): How bad is Milan? And given the result two weeks ago, how bad is Marseille, who lost at home to Milan?

Despite the embarrassment, Milan is not in a bad shape in the group. For a host of other prominent clubs, the same can not be said. Marseille and Atlético Madrid are playing bad and are in a bad position, and while they hurt a competitor today, Juventus is not in great shape, either.

Newly acquired Arjen Robben would leave injured half-way through Bayern's draw with Juventus.

Group A

The day’s marquee match-up saw Juventus go to Allainz Arena to face Bayern Munich, and although Bayern’s style plus Juve’s talent seemed to portend a number of goals, the match ended a 0-0 draw. Bayern had the better of play in the first half, with Franck Ribéry missing what should have been an easy goal (after a glorious move to get in alone on the `keeper), but Juventus held out for a road point.

For each side, it could have been more. Bayern failed to get three points at home, while Juventus failed to play to their potential. Ultimately, Juve did to Bayern what Bordeaux did to them two weeks ago, and with Bayern still to go to Turin, Juventus now has the upperhand on München. Bayern now needs to pass this torch on to Bordeaux, who they play next match day.

Bordeaux barely got their three points against a Maccabi Haifa side which played much better than they did two weeks ago in Israel against Bayern. The 1-0 final (goal from Michael Ciani) vaulted Bordeaux to the top of their group but also raised questions about whether this team is ready to take the “next step:” becoming a team that came make it out of a Champions League group. Last season, they fell far shorter than many expected, and while they are now tied atop this group with Bayern, efforts like this are what open you up to losing points in matches where you should get three.

When you’re in a group with Juventus and Bayern Munich, every point counts. Today, Bordeaux got three, but in Israel for the reverse fixture, do they leave with a win? At some points, Laurent Blanc’s team seems too set in their (admittedly effective) ways to extend themselves and put up a dominating result. It happened this weekend against Stade Rennes, and if it happens in Israel, they will drop points.

Michael Carrick puts home Ryan Giggs' lay-of for United's match-winner.

Group B

The early game saw attacking midfielder Alan Dzagoev put CSKA Moscow on top early, giving the hosts a lead over Besiktas that they never gave up. A second half stoppage time goal would answer CSKA’s second goal, from winger Milos Krasnic, but Besiktas were never in this match.

The disappointing part for the Turkish champions: they played better in Moscow than they have in some time; arguably, at any point this season. Yet they were still controlled by the (what is currently) fourth or fifth best team in Russia, the team against whom they are expected to compete for the group’s Europa League birth. Today, Besiktas showed they are decidedly the fourth-best team in Group B.

CSKA, on the other hand, showed they may be able to give Wolfsburg some trouble when the German champs go to Moscow. The 2-1 final might not have been as impressive as Wolfsburg beating CSKA 3-1 in Germany, but as CSKA settles into new coach Juande Ramos’s style, they will improve. This team has the talent, particularly in defense, to give Wolfsburg trouble.

Wolfsburg is also settling in with a new coach, as Armen Veh has only been on the job for a couple of months. Though they lost at Old Trafford today, this may have been the team’s most impressive performance under his stewardship. Wolfsburg went up a goal against the run of play through Edin Dzeko, giving the defending finalists a scare.

Unfortunately for Veh, Manchester United has Ryan Giggs, such a weird clause to write considering the legend is two months short of his 37th birthday. But if there is one underplayed story in world football right now (and it’s difficult to have an unplayed story given the British media), it is Ryan Giggs, his performance, and the dependence on him Manchester United has developed.

Again, Ryan Giggs was the best player on the pitch, answering Dzeko’s goal within three minutes to give United their equalizer. Twenty minutes later, he laid off the ball that Michael Carrick would put home for the game winner.

With the win, Manchester United takes control of the group, through Alex Ferguson (like last year) is again taking a “just survive” approach to group play. Last year, he ended up tied atop his group with Villareal, getting the top spot on a tiebreaker. This year, you get the feeling he would have been content with another draw, particularly haven gotten three points in Turkey.

Now, United sits with six points, three points ahead of CSKA and Wolfsburg.

Ronaldo's goal scoring streak continued with two against Marseille.

Group C

Today is the day that the Leonardo watch starts in Milan.

To this point, the first year manager had gotten a pass on Milan’s poor, aided by his win two weeks ago in Marseille. Milan is all about Champions League, and since he had gotten that result to open their European competition, temporary setbacks in league were forgiven.

But if Milan is all about Champions League, today’s result can not stand. Milan, the second most decorated team on the continent, lost at home to FC Zürich, and they weren’t gone wrong by the final score. Milan straight out lost. To Zürich. At home.

Finish international defender Hannu Tihinen scored the match’s only goal in the tenth minute, immediately throwing Leonardo’s selection into question. The Milan manager had selected a team that did not have Genaro Gattuso or Gianluca Zambrotta in the starting XI. Kakha Kaladze did not even dress, having consistently been one of the three central defenders Leonardo’s chosen through the season. Leonardo thought this would be easy, and he selected his team accordingly.

When Milan went down early, they had little recourse than to bring on Oguchi Onyewu (for his size) and the exiled Ronaldinho (for lack of other options).

This along with the overall effort and execution from his team will be enough for the Milan papers to start hunting Leonardo. The only variable is the whim of Silvio Berlusconi. If the owner and non-president of the club wakes up in a few hours and decides the current state of the team is unacceptable, the phone calls he’s already made to free agent coaches Luciano Spalletti and Roberto Mancini will become full-fledged offers.

This was the first day Milan really missed Carlo Ancelotti.

Meanwhile in Spain, the most decorated team in European football history was trying to crack the windows in a bus from Marseille. Predictably, Didier Deschamps’ bunkering-in worked for only so long before Cristiano Ronaldo broke through. Kaka added a penalty kick (after Marseille had Souleymane Diawara sent off) before another Ronaldo goal, and by the end of the day, the Marseille bus was in shambles. Real Madrid won 3-0.

Los Blancos sit atop the group with six points headed into what now looks like an easy match against Milan. With the Italians and Zürich holding down second place, what looked like an interesting group one month ago now seems Madrid and a bunch of question marks.

Well, accept for Zürich. They’ve put up results.

Atlético Madrid's troubles continued at the Dragão against Porto.

Group D

Chelsea got an early goal from Nicolas Anelka then held out for a 1-0 win against APOEL, a result that begs the question: What is this team without Didier Drogba?

Drogba is still serving his UEFA suspension stemming from his behavior at the end of last season’s semifinal, and as was the case two weeks ago hosting Porto, the Blues are missing something without him. This is not a new phenomenon, either, as Chelsea’s low point last year under Luiz Felipe Scolari coincided with Drogba being out of the lineup.

In fairness to the counter-argument, Chelsea was also missing a very important piece in Jose Bosingwa (also suspended) and a less important piece in Michael Ballack (injured). Drogba’s absence is not isolated, but even Chelsea supporters know deep in their heart that without Drogba, this team is not going anywhere. They got a workmanlike victory over APOEL today, but they’ll need to be more than workmanlike to advance deep in this competition.

Thankfully for Chelsea, the group is proving one of the easier ones, particularly after seeing Porto struggle against Atlético Madrid in Portugal. Atlético has been less-than-stellar in La Liga and were only able to get a scoreless draw on Matchday 1 (at home against APOEL). Today though, the Atléti held out for 75 minutes before Ramadel Falcão slotted home the winner. Porto’s iteration of Ronaldo get an insurance tally, giving the Portuguese champs a 2-0 win, but with so many teams in La Liga being able to pick apart Atlético, this ends up being a less than convincing performance for Porto.

Group A is the only group that does not feature a team from England or Spain, part of the reason why it is quickly becoming the UEFA Champions League’s most interesting quartet. There is no clear favorite. Your expert of choice could be backing any of Bayern Munich, Juventus, or Bordeaux. It also means on a given match day, two of those teams will be playing.

Last match day, Bordeaux went to Turin and got a point from a Juventus club that was missing Alessandro del Piero, Diego, and Georgio Chiellini. Today, the Old Lady goes to München with defender Fabio Cannavaro the only regular who will be unavailable. Coming off that draw to Bordeaux, the prospect of again dropping points – or, more readily, not reclaiming their home points lost – gives this match greater importance for Juve.

Though they lead the group with three points (having won in Haifa two weeks ago), nobody is sure how good Bayern can be. After a poor start in Bundesliga play, they’ve rebounded over the last month, though they lost this weekend to league-leading Hamburger SV. They are still without Martín Demichelis and Mark van Bommel, though their depth in attackers will allow them to compensate of the continued absence of Luca Toni.

Which of those attackers Louis van Gaal elects to play is part of the fun of a Bayern match. Prominent names Mario Gomez and Miroslav Klöse started the Hamburg match on the bench, hinting they may be in today’s starting XI. But Thomas Müller and Ivica Olic have been the better players (which may be the real reason by Gomez and Klöse did not start).

The key to Bayern’s return to form has been on the wings. The acquisition or Arjen Robben to close the transfer window allows their attack balance to Franck Ribery on the opposite side. With Bastian Schweinsteiger having fit into a more central role, van Gaal seems to have found a winning (if ambitious) combination.

In the open Bundesliga, that progressive approach may work. Whether that philosophy gives Bayern enough cover to contain Diego, del Piero, and Vincenzo Iaquinta will be answered today.

If Juve drops points, the draw in Turin against Bordeaux looks much worse, as they will suddenly be the third amongst the group’s three contenders. If Bayern drops points, they will switch places with a Juve and become the team that has dropped points at home and needs to reclaim them on the road.

That mantle will be passed around over the next five rounds of play. The team left with the distinction on December 9 (the day after the last group Matchday) will be the club going to Europa League.

In the other Group A match, Bordeaux hosts Maccabi Haifa for what should be three points. Haifa lost in Israel, 3-0 to Bayern, on the first match day.

For Bordeaux, where holding serve at home against the other two contenders will be critical, losing points (at any point) to Maccabi will be fatal.

Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand will provide a new obstacle of VfL Wolfsburg.

CSKA Moscow hosts Turkish champions Besiktas in Wednesday’s early game, a match between two teams who have lost the form that got them into Champions League. CSKA has undergone a recent coaching change, bringing in Juande Ramos – a change that didn’t help at Wolfsburg two weeks ago. Besiktas, struggling in Turkcell SüperLig and not completely healthy, has already dropped points at home. Visiting a talented CSKA side in Russia should only make things worse.

The group’s marquee match-up sees the two favorites to go through meet at Old Trafford. Manchester United seems to get better every week as they adapt to their post-Ronaldo reality. They should be able to handle a Wolfsburg team which, though seemingly back in form with their 4-2 win over Hannover this weekend, is completely unfamiliar with the difficulties of unlocking Manchester United’s defense.

Even if Wolfsburg is able to make headway against United’s back line, there is the matter of defending. Wolfsburg (at times) had troubles with CSKA’s attack, not to mention their woes in the Bundesliga. Manchester United should be good for two or three goals.

Marseille manager Didier Deschamps goes to the Santiago Bernabéu already in a hole.

The fall of Marseille, who lost at Valenciennes this weekend in Ligue 1 (allowing three goals), eliminated a lot of the interest this group previously held. Whereas three weeks ago we were debating which of Marseille and Milan was most likely to make it to the knock-out phase, Milan’s 2-1 victory at the Stade Vélodrome all but killed Marseille’s chances. Nothing is settled and Didier Deschamps can still turn his group stage around, but a more interesting question than whether Marseille can advance is whether they can keep Real Madrid under four goals on Wednesday at the Santiago Bernabéu.

Marseille’s major failing has been in defense, as they appear to be sacrificing reinforcement at the back in favor of pushing players forward. This led to two goals from Filippo Inzaghi on Matchday 1, and it is likely to lead to more on Matchday 2. If you have Gonzalo Higuain in your Champions League fantasy team, start him.

In the other group match, Milan hosts an FC Zürich side that make life interesting for Real Madrid in Switzerland. Milan has been in poor form in the Serie A, but they showed two weeks ago that they are capable of elevating their game in Champions League. Such is life at a club that so values this competition.

After hosting Zürich, Milan should still be atop the group, keeping alive Milanistas’ dim hopes for a turnaround.

Colombian Ramadel Falcão, who came to Porto from River Plate this summer, leads the team with five goals.

Coming off their shocking loss this weekend, Chelsea travels to Cyprus to face APOEL. Ivan Jovanović, APOEL’s manager, is unlikely to be happy that Roberto Martínez gave the Blues a wake-up call. Now Chelsea, given the first reminder of their mortality, travels to Cyprus. Jovanović would have rather done the waking-up.

The other fixture in Group D features the first rematch of a Round of 16 match from last season. F.C. Porto, having given Chelsea all they could handle two weeks ago at Stamford Bridge, welcomes a struggling Atlético Madrid side to the Dragão, having eliminated them from last season’s competition.

This weekend, the Atléti got their first decent result of the season, drawing at Valencia. Though they got one point against a notable club, the match still highlighted Atlético’s problems in defense, needing a miraculous finish in second half stoppage time to claim their point.

Porto hit a recent speed bump in Liga Sagres, losing at first place Braga. Porto righted the ship by defeating Sporting CP, and with new offensive threat Ramadel Falcão (who did not start at Chelsea) having fully integrated himself into the team, Porto should continue to improve.

This should be a comfortable victory for Porto.

What a difference three days made for Milan.

In that time, Leonardo revitalized the squad that only managed a scoreless draw Saturday at newly-promoted Livorno. Today, thanks to two goals from Pippo Inzaghi, Leonardo’s Champions League coaching debut ended with a 2-1 over Marseille and the Vélodrome.

This could be a crushing loss for Marseille and a launching pad for Milan. These two clubs are expected to compete for second place in Group C, which also includes Real Madrid. With FC Zurich the fourth club in the group, the matches between Milan and Marseille are the best chance for the two sides to distinguish themselves. Neither can expect points from Madrid, while neither should drop points to Zurich.

That’s why today’s win was huge for Milan. If form holds, they will only need to draw in the reverse fixture in order to assure second place in the group. Marseille, on the other hand, will either need to win in Italy or find a way to get points from Real Madrid – and that’s if they can get out of Switzerland with three.

It’s only one match out of six, but after losing at home against their main competition for second place, Marseille is a very long shot to make it out of Group C.

For their part, Real Madrid held form, though not without drama. Up 3-0 in the second half, Real’s implicit commitment to entertaining matches (at the expense of defense) allowed Zurich to pull within one before late goals from Cristiano Ronaldo (his second of the match) and substitute Guti made for a superficially impressive 5-2 result.

Here’s how today’s other six matches played out:

Bordeaux celebrates the tying goal in Turin

Group A

The match of the day was in Turin, where Juventus hosted Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux.

After a scoreless first half, Vincenzo Iaquinta put Juventus ahead in the 63rd minute, beating Bordeaux’s back-up keeper (Ulrich Ramé) after Cédric Carrasso had to leave with an injury. Bordeaux drew even through Jaroslav Plasil converting on a set-piece, giving Laurent Blanc’s side a valuable road point.

Bayern Munich’s trip to Haifa got off to a slow start as Maccabi held them scoreless through the sixty minutes. Daniel Van Buyten put the Germans on the board in the 64th, with Thomas Müller’s second consecutive brace giving München a 3-0 win.

Though Louis van Gaal’s men got a result, they should be disappointed with Bordeaux’s result. Unless Juventus drops another match, the Old Lady has to still be considered the group’s best squad. Today their two best players were injured and a leading defender was suspended, but when those players return, the league leaders from Italy should be able to make up the points they lost.

When Juve makes up those points, second place will remain a fight between Bordeaux and München. Today, Bordeaux got a point in Turin, something München may not be able to replicate. Bordeaux, on the other hand, will be favored in Haifa. Play these scenarios out and you see Bordeaux’s draw in Turin means München may have to get a point in France.

Wolfsburg made a smashing UCL debut against CSKA

Group B

Manchester United would have been happy with a draw, but for the first time since David Beckham and Eric Cantona were scoring goals against Fenerbaçhe, United won in Turkey, beating Besiktas (1-0) on a goal from Paul Scholes.

Since reading his name will undoubtedly beg your question: No. Scholes did not pick up any cards today.

In Germany, VfL Wolfsburg’s first Champions League appearance was a resounding success, with Grafite posting a hat-trick to beat CSKA Moscow, 3-1. Whereas there were pre-match questions regarding Wolfsburg (given their recent Bundesliga form), Armin Veh’s side reaffirmed the notion that they are the group’s second best team.

Anelka's trademark celebration came after the match's only goal

Group D

Chelsea and Porto did their best on a wet London pitch, but Nicolas Anelka put home is own rebound in the 48th minute for match’s only goal, giving the group favorites their three points.

In the last minute of play, Porto midfielder Fernando picked up a second yellow card, earning a dismissal that will see him suspended for the tournament’s next match.

The day’s least publicized match lived up to its subdued billing when Atlético Madrid was held to a scoreless draw at the Vincente Calderon by Cyprus club APOEL . For APOEL, it was a valuable road point against one of the clubs they’ll need to upset in order to advance. For the Atléti, this will make it that much more difficult to out-point FC Porto for second place.

Atlético now needs to hope APOEL can replicate this result when they go to the Dragão; else, Atlético will be forced to win their head-to-head match-up with Porto, something they could not do in last season’s Round of 16.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader. He also hosts Inside the Six, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.” And while you are at it, feel free to check out RF Football.

Look for road points.

A straight forward formula for getting to the competition’s knock-out phase is to get full points (nine) at home while trying to steal a couple on the road. Be it with an upset win or a couple of draws, if you can get two or three points away from home and combine them with full points at home, you’re on ten or eleven group stage points and likely into the next round.

The real value in road points, though, is keeping a competitor from full home points. In Champions League, clubs are traveling farther, to unfamiliar environments, in mid-week, making road results more difficult to achieve. As a home team, if you give up points on your pitch, you are not only enabling a relatively scarce result, you’re creating circumstances where you’ll need road points in order to survive. Instead of hoping for a draw or two away from home, you’re creating “must” situations which require you to overcome all unique obstacles of Champions League travel.

This is why you will see a lot of teams play conservatively away from home. Any road result is very good. Away from home, against less talented sides, big clubs will use their defensively responsible squad players knowing they’re capable of earning a draw (while providing their stars with some much-needed rest).

For the clubs below the elite – the ones on the bubble for the knock-out stage – road points can be the difference between second and third place. When you see the results come in today, look for the road results. The clubs that get them will have a let up on the rest of the group.

While getting road points will be critical throughout group play, Tuesday’s theme is the battle of France versus Italy, with the best match-ups in groups A and C featuring clubs from Ligue 1 and Serie A. Tomorrow, the theme carries over into Fiorentina’s visit to Lyon.

Ligue 1's best, Yoann Gourcuff, returns to Italy on Tuesday

Group A

The day’s best match-up seeing the best in France travel to the best in Italy. With apologies to Internazionale, Marseille, and Lyonnais, today’s match in Turin between Juventus and Bordeaux is the type of elite-versus-elite this competition is about.

In Ciro Ferrara’s UCL debut, Juventus will be without Diego, their attacking midfielder that’s so important to their attack. He was injured on the weekend, preventing a midfield battle with Bordeaux’s Yoann Gourcuff, the best player in France. Without their Brazilian playmaker, Juventus is vulnerable – the same squad as last year that lacked creativity and athleticism in their midfield.

Bordeaux was capable of stealing a point even with Diego in the lineup. Without him playing, Juventus should be worried. With the Old Lady still without star striker Alessandro del Piero, a draw at home might actually be a good result. As if the injuries aren’t enough, Giorgio Chiellini is serving a one match suspension.

Bordeaux has never won in Italy, but today, that may change.

In the other match, Bayern Munich goes to Israel to visit Maccabi Haifa, one of the beneficiaries of UEFA’s new qualifying structure. This is the type of weird travel situation that you only face in Champions League (a mid-week flight to Haifa), but Bayern’s depth should get them three points.

Turkish international Nihat Kavechi returned to Besiktas from Villareal

Group B

For Manchester United, going to Turkey to face Beşiktaş three days after a critical league match at White Hart Lane is exactly the kind of Champions League scenario that has managers at big clubs happy with one point when traveling in group stage. Manchester United is as deep as any club in the world, but even for them, a draw in this match would be a good result.

The group’s other match is a battle of two clubs in flux. CSKA Moscow, who just hired Juande Ramos to replace Zico, goes to Wolfsburg, the defending Bundesliga champions who suddenly can’t keep the ball out of their own net. A week ago, this would have been an easy match to pick, but after Wolfsburg was picked apart by Bayer Leverkusen this weekend, you have to wonder if CSKA (who won 3-0 in Ramos’s debut) can’t get a result.

CSKA will be without Chilean attacker Mark González, still nursing a thigh injury, while Woflsburg will be making their Champions League debut.

If they can, a group that looked like it had a top two would all-of-a-sudden be Manchester United and three relatively even clubs fighting for a second spot.

Andrea Pirlo will try to restore Milan to European glory

Group C

Another marquee, France versus Italy match-up sees the French side a decided favorite. Marseille hosts Milan at the Velódrome, and while Milan’s European record always begs caution, this team is not playing very well right now. Marseille, on the other hand, has been steady-if-unspectacular, which should be enough. However, for a club with the ethos of Milan – where Europe means everything – it’s possible they’ve been waiting for this opportunity to turn it on.

With Milan, however, it is unclear what kind of “it” they have to turn on. Without injured Gennaro Gattuso and Marco Boriello, Leonardo will have less of “it” to use.

This also sees the continental debut of Galactícos 2.0, with Real Madrid going to Zürich. FC Zürich’s manager has warned his team to worry about trading kits after the match. Sounds like sound, if obligatory, advise.

It’s still amazing that Madrid and Milan are in the same group.

Frank Lampard will lead a short-handed Chelsea side

Group D

The struggling Atléti host Cypriots APOEL in a match that could be dicey for Atlético if they can’t find a way to defend. Many a club and country have gone wrong underestimating Cyprus football, and Atlético Madrid is in no position to overlook any detail, any opponent.

But the big match in this group is Chelsea hosting FC Porto. In last year’s quarterfinals we saw the damage FC Porto can do on English soil. To get a second, consecutive road draw against Premiership elite would be a great accomplishment, as Carlo Ancelotti’s club is not only perfect through five league matches, but they’ve also made Champions League their priority.

That priority will have to be accomplished without Didier Drogba and Jose Bosingwa, we serving suspensions stemming from conducting in last year’s semifinal. In addition, Chelsea will be without injured Yuri Zhirkov, Deco, and Joe Cole. The Blues have the depth to deal with all these absences, but considering the talent at Porto, a draw would be a less than miraculous result.

Richard Farley is a U.S.-based contributor to World Soccer Reader. He also hosts Inside the Six, the site’s regular podcast. He can be reached at richardfarley at gmail dot com and followed on Twitter, username “richardfarley.” And while you are at it, feel free to check out RF Football.