Ruud van Nistelrooy (left) and Real Madrid are the team to beat in this year's Champions League. (Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
Backgrounder
2007-08 Champions League
Last Updated Tues., Sept. 18, 2007
John F. Molinaro, CBC Sports
The list of previous champions is long, and it includes such historic soccer clubs as Real Madrid, Liverpool, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Ajax Amsterdam and Benfica.
Ever since 1955, the biggest and best teams in the world have won European soccer's annual Champions League, the most important club tournament in the sport.
Dwarfed only by the World Cup and Euro in importance and prestige, the Champions League and its forerunner, the European Cup, have drawn the champions and the very best teams from across Europe into a single winner-take-all super tournament for more than 50 years.
Talk about a smorgasbord of soccer!
Last year, Brazilian superstar Kaka led AC Milan to victory over Liverpool in the final in Athens in a rematch of the 2005 final.
The 2007-08 tournament kicks off on Tuesday with several pressing questions on the minds of soccer fans around the world:
Can AC Milan repeat as champions? Can Spanish giants Real Madrid win their 10th European title? Can London super-club Chelsea finally break through and win it all?
CBCSports.ca tries to offer some answers with this comprehensive breakdown of the teams and players to watch on the road to the final next May in Moscow.
THE FAVOURITES
Real Madrid (Spain)
2006-07 result: Second round
Best result: Champions (1956, 1957, 1958, 1959,
1960, 1966, 1998, 2000 and 2002)
After winning their first Spanish league title in four seasons last
year, Real Madrid now focus their attention on winning their first
Champions League crown since 2002. The Spanish champions bid farewell
to the last of the Galacticos - David Beckham and Roberto
Carlos - and invested hundreds of millions of dollars in new players,
including Dutch trio Wesley Sneijder, Royston Drenthe and Arjen
Robben, and defenders Gabriel Heinze (Argentina), Pepe (Portugal)
and Christoph Metzelder (Germany). New coach Bernd Schuster is already
under pressure from club management to deliver a 10th Champions
League title for Los Blancos. Anything short of that will
be considered a failure, especially after Madrid meekly bowed in
the second round the last two years. Look for Sneijder and Robben
to drive the attack for the Spaniards in midfield, while the always
dangerous Ruud van Nistelrooy, one of the most lethal forwards in
the game, will provide the goals.
Typical starting lineup:
(GK) Casillas - (D) Ramos, Cannavaro, Pepe, Drenthe - (M) Diarra,
Robben, Sneijder, Robinho - (F) Raul, Van Nistelrooy
Key player: Ruud van Nistelrooy
Manchester United (England)
2006-07 result: Semifinals
Best result: Champions (1968 and 1999)
Like Real Madrid, Manchester United heavily invested in new players during the off-season, signing Argentine forward Carlos Tevez, and Portuguese midfielders Nani and Anderson. The most notable newcomer, though, is Calgary-born midfielder Owen Hargreaves. The Red Devils were long-time admirers of the former Bayern Munich star, but after they were bullied around by Genaro Gattuso and AC Milan in last year's semifinals, manager Sir Alex Ferguson made it a priority to go after Hargreaves in order to toughen up the midfield. Hargreaves will take care of the dirty work, allowing fellow midfielders Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo to lead the attack. Ronaldo disappointed in last year's tournament, so look for him to have a breakout campaign. Tevez is a world-class player, and should combine brilliantly with Wayne Rooney up front. Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic form a deadly duo in the centre of the defence, although they are prone to lack concentration from time to time.
Typical starting lineup: (GK) Van der Sar - (D)
Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra - (M) Hargreaves, Giggs, Ronaldo,
Scholes - (F) Rooney, Tevez
Key player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Inter Milan (Italy)
2006-07 result: Second round
Best result: Champions (1964 and 1965)
If there's one team with a point to prove in this year's tournament,
it's Inter. Buoyed by the class of Serbian playmaker Dejan Stankovic
and Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Nerazzurri
romped to the Serie A title last season but disappointingly bowed
out of the Champions League in the second round. Crosstown rivals
AC Milan, meanwhile, claimed a seventh European title, stealing
the headlines from Inter. The Italian league champions look set
to make a solid run at winning this tournament for the first time
since 1965. Coach Roberto Mancini has the nucleus of last year's
side intact, and added a few key players, including Honduran forward
David Suazo, Romanian defender Cristian Chivu, and Chilean midfielder
Luis Jiminez. Inter have plenty of depth at every position - Argentina
forward Hernan Crespo could struggle to see action with the arrival
of Suazo - and are well-organized defensively. Ibrahimovic will
be his mercurial best, scoring highlight-reel goals for the Italians.
Typical starting lineup: (GK) Cesar - (D) Maxwell,
Materazzi, Chivu, Maicon - (M) Viera, Dacourt, Stankovic, Zanetti
- (F) Ibrahimovic, Suazo
Key player: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Chelsea (England)
2006-07 result: Semifinals
Best result: Semifinals (2004, 2005 and 2007)
Like Inter, Chelsea has a point to prove. The London club has been knocking on the door (it lost in the semifinals three of the last four years), but manager Jose Mourinho's team could be ready to finally walk through it. Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba is coming off a great season in the Premiership, winger Shaun Wright-Phillips has finally come into his own, and John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho form one of the best central defensive pairings in the European game. The addition of Florent Malouda will give the Chelsea attack more width, as the Frenchman will take the place of departed winger Arjen Robben (now with Real Madrid). There are some concerns, though. Terry's prolonged absence last season due to injury exposed Chelsea's lack of depth at the back. Brazilian Alex was signed in the off-season, but the Blues are still lacking another top-quality defender. Also, German playmaker Michael Ballack and Ukrainian forward Andriy Shevchenko seem to be at odds with Mourinho over their lack of playing time and that could pose a major distraction for the team.
Typical starting lineup: (GK) Cech - (D) Belletti,
Terry, Carvalho, Cole - (M) Wright-Phillips, Lampard, Essien, Obi-Mikel,
Malouda - (F) Drogba, Shevchenko
Key player: Didier Drogba
ON THE RISE
Mario Gomez leads the attack for Stuttgart. (Torsten Silz/AFP/Getty Images)
VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
2006-07 result: did not qualify
Best result: Second round (2004)
Stuttgart stunned critics in Germany when it came from nowhere to win last season's Bundesliga crown, its first since 1992. This is a fairly young side, but the team plays with a maturity far beyond its average age of 25. Stuttgart is greater than the sum of its parts, combining guile, hard work and determination in midfield. Serdar Tasci is a versatile midfielder who perfectly compliments goal-scoring midfielder Sami Khedira, creative spark plug Robert Hilbert and Thomas Hitzlsperger. Up front, striker Mario Gomez gives Stuttgart a legitimate scoring threat, while Portugal's Fernando Meira and Frenchman Mathieu Delpierre anchor the defence with their athleticism and intelligence. The addition of Romanian youngster Ciprian Marica, purchased from Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk, should help take the pressure off of Gomez. The key signing, though, was goalkeeper Rafael Schafer, who replaces Timo Hildebrand, now with Valencia after six seasons with Stuttgart.
Typical starting lineup: (GK) Schafer - (D) Meira,
Osorio, Boka, Tasci - (M) Pardo, Hitzlsperger, Hilbert, Khedira
- (F) Gomez, Marica
Key player: Mario Gomez
FC Barcelona (Spain)
2006-07 result: Second round
Best result: Champions (1992 and 2006)
The Catalan club walked away empty-handed last season after failing to defend its Spanish league and Champions League title - Barcelona finished second to Real Madrid in La Liga and bowed out in the second round of the Champions League. That was enough for Dutch manager Frank Rijkaard to make some moves in the transfer market. Frenchman Eric Abidal and Gabi Milito of Argentina reinforce a top-notch defence that already includes Carlos Puyol, Gianluca Zambrotta and Lillian Thuram. Yaya Toure of the Ivory Coast gives the Catalans more grit in midfield. The big signing, though, was French striker Thierry Henry. The former Arsenal star comes to Spain with a glittering reputation and should pair up brilliantly with fellow striker Samuel Eto'o. The Spaniards are not too shabby when it comes to attacking options in midfield, either. Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Deco are all explosive playmakers who can score and give the Barcelona attack its cutting edge.
Typical starting lineup: (GK) Valdes - (D) Abidal,
Puyol, Milito, Zambrotta - (M) Deco, Xavi, Ronaldinho, Messi - (F)
Henry, Eto'o
Key player: Thierry Henry
ON A SLIDE
AC Milan (Italy)
2006-07 result: Champions
Best result: Champions (1963, 1969, 1989, 1990,
1994, 2003 and 2007)
The reigning champions failed to make a splash in the transfer market
- the Rossoneri limited themselves to buying defensive
midfielder Emerson and Brazilian forward Alexandre Pato who, because
of age restrictions, won't be eligible to play until he turns 18
in January. Why Milan didn't see the need to bolster its aging defence
(captain Paolo Maldini is 39) is anybody's guess, but the decision
not to bring in another two or three young defenders will hurt the
team. Goal-scoring could also be a problem. Filippo Inzaghi is 34
and has lost a step of pace, Ronaldo is battling injuries, and Alberto
Gilardino has completely lost his scoring touch. With that in mind,
even more pressure will be place on Brazilian Kaka, last season's
Champions League MVP, to lead the attack. Heaven forbid he gets
injured, because without him, the Italians will stutter. With the
defence not getting any younger, Brazilian goalkeeper Dida, prone
to making big mistakes in big games, will be badly exposed.
Typical starting lineup: (GK) Dida - (D) Maldini,
Nesta, Oddo, Kaladze - (M) Gattuso, Emerson, Pirlo, Seedorf - (F)
Kaka, Ronaldo
Key Player: Kaka
Olympique Lyon (France)
2006-07 result: Second round
Best result: Quarter-finals (2004, 2005 and 2006)
After winning a sixth straight French league title, Olympique Lyon is anxious to prove it belongs on European soccer's biggest stage. Although possessing plenty of skilled players, the knock on Lyon was that they lacked the tactical nous to advance to the final four - Lyon crashed out in the second round last year, after reaching the quarter-finals the three previous years. Massive changes at the club mean Lyon will have to wait at least another year to reach the semifinals. Coach Gerard Houlier is gone, as are several key players: Florent Malouda (now with Chelsea), defender Eric Abidal (FC Barcelona), and midfielders Alou Diarra (Bordeaux) and Tiago (Juventus). The only major addition to the club was defender Fabio Grosso, and the Italian has looked shaky in French league games for Lyon thus far. First-team goalkeeper Gregory Coupet and Brazilian central defender Cris will miss several months of action due to injuries. Playmaker Juninho is at odds with Sidney Govu over comments the Frenchman made about the Brazilian, which could hurt the team's chemistry on the field.
Typical starting lineup: (GK) Vercoutre - (D) Reveillere,
Squillaci, Grosso, Bodmer - (M) Toulalan, Kallstrom, Govou, Juninho
- (F) Keita, Benzema
Key player: Juninho
THE DARK HORSES
Francesco Totti is the heart and soul of AS Roma. (Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images)
AS Roma (Italy)
2006-07 result: Quarter-finals
Best result: Finalist (1984)
Roma is still smarting from its 7-1 loss to Manchester United at
Old Trafford in the quarter-finals last season, but the Giallorossi
are a strong team and manager Luciano Spalletti is a formidable
tactician who doesn't tie himself down to one formation. Francesco
Totti, last year's winner of the Golden Shoe award as Europe's top
scorer, is playing his best soccer in years and, supported by the
likes of Mancini and Rodrigo Taddei, he leads a dangerous and potent
Roma attack. The defence is pretty solid, even with the departure
of Cristian Chivu to Inter Milan - Roma drafted in Brazilian Juan
as his replacement. Youngsters Daniele De Rossi and Roberto Aquilani
give the Italians a creative force in midfield, while Simone Perrotta
acts as the policeman in the centre of the park. French winger Ludovic
Giuly was an excellent addition, giving Roma more attacking options
on the wing. It'll be interesting to see how Roma balance the demands
of the Champions League and the Serie A season, but they have enough
depth to cope.
Typical starting lineup: (GK) Doni - (D) Pannuci,
Juan, Mexes, Tonetto - (M) De Rossi, Perrotta, Mancini, Taddei -
(F) Giuly, Totti
Key player: Francesco Totti
Sevilla (Spain)
2006-07 result: Did not qualify
Best result: Never qualified for the Champions
League before.
After winning the UEFA Cup the last two seasons, Sevilla is now ready to play with the big boys. The Spanish outfit is an exciting, talented and attack-minded team that plays an entertaining brand of soccer. Even though they'll be making their Champions League debut, the Spaniards have plenty of experience. Juande Ramos is one of the most tactically astute managers in European soccer and gets the most out of his players. After years of underachieving in England, Mali forward Fredi Kanoute has developed into one of the game's most prolific strikers in Spain. Brazilian wingback Daniel Alves anchors a strong defence and gives Sevilla another attacking option with his probing runs down the wings. Danish playmaker Christian Poulsen and Italian Enzo Maresca has never received the accolades they deserve, but they are both skilful midfielders who can dictate the pace of game. Goalkeeper Andres Palop is an unheralded shot-stopper, capable of winning games on his own. The tragic passing of star midfielder Antonio Puerta, 22, means Sevilla has even more incentive to succeed.
Typical starting lineup: (GK) Palop - (D) Hinkle,
Dragutinovic, Escude, Alves - (M) Navas, Poulsen, Maresca, Adriano
- (F) Fabiano, Kanoute
Key player: Fredi Kanoute
MORE ON THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
BACKGROUND
Champions League History
The European Cup, the forerunner to the Champions League, was the brainchild of French sports journalist Gabriel Hanot. English league champions Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated Hungarian side Honved in a 1953 exhibition match, leading Wolves' manager to rather arrogantly dub his team the "champions of the world" in the next day's newspapers.
Hanot, editor of influential French sports newspaper L'Equipe, used this as the impetus to pitch his idea for a continental-wide tournament featuring the best European clubs. UEFA, European soccer's governing body, approved Hanot's idea in April 1955 and the European Cup began in 1955-56.
In 1993, the European Cup was re-christened the Champions League.
Tournament Format
The 32-team field is divided into eight round-robin groups. Teams play three games at home and on the road with three points for a win and one for a tie. The top two teams in each group at the end of the group stage advance to the next round.
After the first round, the tournament takes on a single-elimination format. The remaining 16 teams are paired off and play a home-and-away playoff. If the teams each win a game, the overall score over the course of the two games acts as the tiebreaker, followed by goals scored on the road. If the teams are still tied, a penalty shootout solves the issue.
This two-game playoff format carries over into the quarter-finals and semifinals before the last two teams standing meet in the final on May 21 in Moscow.
The First Round Groups
Group A: Liverpool FC (England), Olympique Marseille (France), Besiktas (Turkey), FC Porto (Portugal)
Group B: Valencia (Spain), Chelsea (England), Rosenborg (Norway), Schalke 04 (Germany)
Group C: Lazio (Italy), Real Madrid (Spain), Werder Bremen (Germany), Olympiacos (Greece)
Group D: Celtic FC (Scotland), AC Milan (Italy) Benfica (Portugal), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Group E: Olympique Lyon (France), Rangers (Scotland), VfB Stuttgart (Germany), FC Barcelona (Spain)
Group F: Manchester United (England), AS Roma (Italy), Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine), Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)
Group G: Inter Milan (Italy), PSV Eindhoven (the Netherlands), CSKA Moscow (Russia), Fenerbahce (Turkey)
Group H: Steaua Bucharest (Romania), Arsenal (England), Sevilla (Spain), Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
Previous European Cup/Champions League winners
2007 AC Milan (Italy)
2006 FC Barcelona (Spain)
2005 Liverpool (England)
2004 FC Porto (Portugal)
2003 AC Milan (Italy)
2002 Real Madrid (Spain)
2001 Bayern Munich(Germany)
2000 Real Madrid (Spain)
1999 Manchester United (England)
1998 Real Madrid (Spain)
1997 Borussia Dortmund (Germany)
1996 Juventus (Italy)
1995 Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)
1994 AC Milan (Italy)
1993 Olympique Marseille (France)
European Cup becomes Champions League in 1993
1992 FC Barcelona (Spain)
1991 Red Star Belgrade (Yugoslavia)
1990 AC Milan (Italy)
1989 AC Milan (Italy)
1988 PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands)
1987 FC Porto (Portugal)
1986 Steaua Bucharest (Romania)
1985 Juventus (Italy)
1984 Liverpool (England)
1983 Hamburger SV (Germany)
1982 Aston Villa (England)
1981 Liverpool (England)
1980 Nottingham Forrest (England)
1979 Nottingham Forrest (England)
1978 Liverpool (England)
1977 Liverpool (England)
1976 Bayern Munich (Germany)
1975 Bayern Munich (Germany)
1974 Bayern Munich (Germany)
1973 Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)
1972 Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)
1971 Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)
1970 Feyenoord (Netherlands)
1969 AC Milan (Italy)
1968 Manchester United (England)
1967 Celtic (Scotland)
1966 Real Madrid (Spain)
1965 Inter Milan (Italy)
1964 Inter Milan (Italy)
1963 AC Milan (Italy)
1962 Benfica (Portugal)
1961 Benfica (Portugal)
1960 Real Madrid (Spain)
1959 Real Madrid (Spain)
1958 Real Madrid (Spain)
1957 Real Madrid (Spain)
1956 Real Madrid (Spain)
Ruud van Nistelrooy (left) and Real Madrid are the team to beat in this year's Champions League. (Jasper Juinen/Getty Images)
Mario Gomez leads the attack for Stuttgart. (Torsten Silz/AFP/Getty Images)
Francesco Totti is the heart and soul of AS Roma. (Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images)







