By Myles Palmer
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PATRICK VIEIRA could achieve his long-cherished dream this season by lifting the Champions League with Juventus.
Juventus are in Group A with Bruges, Rapid Vienna and Bayern Munich, a team Juve beat twice by 1-0 in last season’s group stage.
ARSENE must be delighted with his Group B fixtures against Ajax, Sparta Prague and Swiss minnows FC Thun, who eliminated Malmo.
GROUP C might be the strongest group, with dark horses Udinese playing Barcelona, Panathinaikos and Werder Bremen.
On a deafening night in Athens, Ronaldinho will be glad he has Mark Van Bommel playing with him.
GROUP D is an interesting one for Cristiano Ronaldo, as it takes him home to Portugal to face Benfica.
United also play Lille, and Villareal, who have eight South American players and a Chilean coach, Manuel Pellegrini.
AC Milan and PSV Eindhoven know each other well from last season’s semi-final, where Park Ji-Sung made Milan’s back four look elderly.
Schalke and Fenerbahce complete that group.
PAULO MALDINI can recall losing often in Turkey – and that was before Stevie G and co turned the aristocrats upside down in Istanbul.
LYON will not be as good with Houllier managing them, but they can still qualify with Real Madrid from Group F at the expense of Olympiakos and Rosenborg.
LUIS GARCIA beat Chelsea last year with the goal that never was.
Now Chelsea and Liverpool meet again in Group G, alongside Anderlecht and Real Betis, whose Brazilian striker Ricardo Oliviera has already started doing what he needs to do in a World Cup season.
OLIVIERA is a player I watch closely because I wonder whether he is better than the team he plays in, and whether he is the striker Arsenal need.
Regular readers already know what Myles Palmer would say if he was a Champions League manager : My Brazilians are better than your Brazilians !
Incidentally, watch out for Vagner Love in the CSKA Moscow Super Cup game against Liverpool tonight.
ARTMEDIA BRATISLAVA can use the money they will make by playing Rangers, Porto and Inter Milan.
Mancini has improved Inter to the point where I now regard them as a serious team rarther than one that wastes hundreds of millions and under-achieves.
Real Madrid rejects Figo, Solari and Samuel have joined and they know Cambiasso very well since he signed from Real a year ago.
THE BEST TEAMS in Europe right now are Juventus, Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Of those four I love Barcelona’s style of play the most, but they are less likely to win the Champions League than the other three.
Will Real Madrid make a comeback with Robinho and Baptista?
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ARSENAL’S FIRST GAME is at home:
Wednesday 14th September Arsenal v FC Thun
Tuesday 27th September Ajax v Arsenal
Tuesday 18th October Sparta Prague v Arsenal
Wednesday 2nd November Arsenal v Sparta Prague
Tuesday 22nd November FC Thun v Arsenal FC
Wednesday 7th December Arsenal v Ajax.
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Time to watch the Test Match at Trent Bridge, second day.
I think I’ve just missed the first over, or first two overs, while typing this asfastasican.
26th August 2005