Inter Milan's players celebrate with the trophy after winning the UEFA Champions League final football match over Bayern Munich last season. Can Inter repeat its Champions League magic without manager Jose Mourinho, who is now running the show at Real Madrird? (Pedro Armestre/AFP/Getty Images)

After a long summer break, 32 of the best soccer teams from across Europe begin their quest to be crowned continental kings when the group stage of the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League kicks off this week.

Defending champions Inter Milan, nine-time tournament winners Real Madrid, English powerhouse Manchester United, German giants Bayern Munich and a host of usual suspects will all be trying to survive the opening round and progress through the knockout stage in order to earn a spot in the final next May at London's Wembley Stadium.

Last season, Inter Milan won its third crown in team history, overpowering Bayern Munich in the final in Madrid.

Who will it be this year?

CBC Sports commentators Nigel Reed and Jason de Vos offer their analysis and predictions of Groups A, B, C and D. To read about Groups E, F, G and H, click here.

Group A: Inter Milan (Italy), Tottenham Hotspur (England), Twente Enschede (Netherlands), Werder Bremen (Germany)

de Vos: There are always a few groups that throw up a few surprises, and in this season's Champions League, one of those groups could be this one.

At first glance, Inter, the reigning champions, look to be clear favourites. Despite the departure of manager Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid, I still expect the Italian champions to top this group with relative ease.

Werder Bremen has a solid European pedigree and should be strong contenders for second place, although the loss of Mesut Oezil to Real Madrid is a big blow for the Germans. They will certainly be keen to do better than last year, where they finished third in their group and fell at the first hurdle.

Tottenham had a tremendous season last year in the English Premier League, but they are Champions League newcomers. They have added Rafael Van der Vaart to their squad, and they will be hoping that his pedigree will prolong their European adventure.

Twente Enschede could play the role of spoiler, but I don't think they will get beyond the group stage. Don't expect them to simply make up the numbers though, especially at home.

Prediction: 1. Inter Milan, 2. Werder Bremen, 3. Tottenham, 4. Twente Enschede

Reed: The Special One has gone and that spells trouble for Inter Milan. The Italian champions will not be so special without Jose Mourinho in charge. New boss Rafa Benitez has a decent European pedigree of his own and will certainly lead Inter out of the group.

The battle to join Inter in the knockout stages will be a two team tussle. Germany's Werder Bremen and England's Tottenham Hotspur will fight for the right to accompany the defending champions into the round of 16.

Spurs probably have the stronger team but have been hit by serious injuries to two key players. Striker Jermain Defoe will likely miss all the group games and centre back Michael Dawson will be absent for at least six weeks.

New Dutch champions Twente will struggle to be competitive at this level. Despite their domestic success, they're likely find the step up in class is too wide a bridge to gap. They've nothing to lose of course and may spring a surprise or two.

Prediction: 1. Inter Milan, 2. Tottenham, 3. Werder Bremen, 4. Twente Enschede

Group B: Benfica (Portugal), Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel), Olympique Lyon (France), Schalke 04 (Germany)

de Vos: Last year Olympique Lyon reached the Champions League semifinals, where they lost to Bayern Munich. Along the way, they knocked off Real Madrid and French rivals Bordeaux, as well as taking four points from Liverpool in the group stage. I expect them to put in another strong showing in this year's tournament by advancing to the knockout stage, despite starting their league campaign off slowly.

Benfica managed to hold on to the highly rated Brazilian defender, David Luiz, during the transfer window, and that will certainly help their chances in the Champions League. They lost both Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid) and Ramires (Chelsea), but they still have a solid enough squad to challenge for second place.

Schalke 04 boasts an impressive front line — Raul, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Jefferson Farfan. The latter put on a show in a recent friendly between Peru and Canada in Toronto and looks very exciting. At the other end of the park, they have German 'keeper Manuel Neuer, who I thought was excellent in the World Cup. Just 24, Neuer looks to have a long international career in front of him.

Hapoel Tel Aviv, I'm afraid, will likely be going home with the wooden spoon in Group B. They simply do not have the quality of the other three teams, and if they are to find success, they will need Nigerian 'keeper Vincent Enyeama to be at his best.

Prediciton: 1. Olympique Lyon, 2. Benfica, 3. Schalke 04, 4. Hapoel Tel Aviv

Reed: France may have been a disgrace at the World Cup, but there's nothing wrong with their top club teams entering the Champions League. Lyon reached the semifinals last season and will be confident of another productive campaign across Europe.

Hugo Lloris has established himself as one of the top goalkeepers in Europe while Yoann Gourcuff will, again, be expected to dictate their offensive movement from midfield. Coach Claude Puel will be cautiously optimistic his players will top Group B.

After missing out for the last two seasons, Benfica and Schalke are both back in the Champions League, but only one of them will survive beyond the group stages. Neither has made a good start domestically but I'll take the Germans to edge the Portuguese giants in Group B.

Winning the League and Cup double in Israel is a notable achievement, but it won't help newcomers Hapoel Tel-Aviv in the Champions League. The Reds have been on an upward curve for the last three years but reaching the knock out stages is surely beyond them.

Prediciton: 1. Olympique Lyon, 2. Schalke 04, 3. Benfica, 4. Hapoel Tel Aviv

Group C: Bursaspor (Turkey), Manchester United (England), Rangers (Scotland), Valencia (Spain)

de Vos: Manchester United will win this group. Easy enough? There isn't much to justify any other conclusion. Wayne Rooney's marital woes could become a factor, and manager Alex Ferguson will need to use all of his experience to get his star player back on the rails. But in his absence, Dimitar Berbatov seems rejuvenated, and I can't help but wonder if this season Berbatov is finally going to live up to his price tag for the Red Devils.

Valencia could be in for a rough ride after selling both David Silva (Manchester City) and David Villa (Barcelona). Roberto Soldado and Juan Mata will have to come up big if Valencia is to threaten Manchester United in any way.

Don't be surprised if Bursaspor is the shock team in this year's Champions League. They have no real star players, yet they managed to win the Turkish league ahead of Fenerbahce by a single point. They are off to a good start this season as well, winning their first four games to sit perched on top of the league table.

Rangers will need to rely on the atmosphere generated by their tremendous fans at Ibrox if they are to have any chance of finishing in a decent position. Having played there myself, I can assure you that it can be an intimidating experience, and Rangers' lack of genuine quality on the field will need to be compensated for by their vocal supporters.

Prediction: 1. Manchester United, 2. Valencia, 3. Bursaspor, 4. Rangers

Reed: This section is almost certainly cut and dried before a ball is kicked. The only question is whether Manchester United or Valencia will win the group. Most will favour the English runners-up, whose quarter-final exit last season was their poorest showing for four years.

Sir Alex Ferguson has added the exciting young Mexican Javier Hernandez to his squad and if the 22-year-old striker can reproduce his form from the World Cup, United has another match winner in its ranks. The speed and skill of midfielders Nani and Antonio Valencia will simply be too much for most teams to handle.

Valencia's return to the Champions League had much to do with the goals of David Villa. However, the Spanish superstar has moved onto to Barcelona, leaving an almost impossible hole to fill at the Mestalla Stadium.

The other teams in the group are only there to make up the numbers. Rangers routinely struggle and failed to win a single game last season while Bursapor, the newly crowned Turkish champions, are complete novices at this level.

Prediction: 1. Manchester United, 2. Valencia, 3. Bursaspor, 4. Rangers

Group D: Barcelona (Spain), FC Copenhagen (Denmark), Panathinaikos (Greece), Rubin Kazan (Russia)

de Vos: Again, there are no prizes for guessing who will win this group.

Barcelona are one of the best teams in the world, and the fact that they added David Villa to their ranks means that they have one more world-class goal scoring threat. They will win this group and are strong candidates to win the tournament outright.

The battle for second place is much more complicated.

Rubin Kazan beat Barcelona last year — in Spain — and they are arguably the most well-equipped to deal with the frightening prospect of a trip to the Camp Nou. The Russians lack a genuine goal scoring threat up front, though, and that could make second place just beyond their reach.

Panathinaikos are strong on home soil and have added the experienced French duo of Sidney Govou and Jean-Alain Boumsong. The experience of Gilberto Silva and Luis Garcia is balanced by the promise of youth, in the form of Sotiris Ninis. Sir Alex Ferguson is rumoured to be an admirer, and a strong showing in the Champions League might take Ninis to a bigger stage.

FC Copenhagen can rely on the timeless Jesper Gronkjaer, but I feel they will need more than that to get through the group stage. Canadian international Atiba Hutchinson has left to join PSV Eindhoven, and seeing as he was voted Copenhagen's player of the year in 2010, that won't help their chances.

Prediction: 1. Barcelona, 2. Panathinaikos, 3. Rubin Kazan, 4. FC Copenhagen

Reed: Barcelona may no longer be the best team in Europe but they're still better than most. The Catalans, now stronger following the arrival of World Cup hero David Villa, should top the group without ever getting out of second gear.

Coach Pep Guardiola has also recruited Javier Mascherano from Liverpool to add some midfield bite, though his true value to the team may not emerge until the latter stages of the competition. His Argentine teammate Lionel Messi will terrorize defences across the continent.

A former Barcelona youth product, Luis Garcia, is now part of a new look Panathinaikos. The Greek champions have also imported French international Sidney Govou to join Djibril Cisse who's enjoying a new lease of life in Athens.

Russian champions Rubin Kazan announced themselves by beating Barcelona at the Camp Nou last season but it was their only victory in the group stages. Rubin will find it tough going again as will FC Copenhagen, with a run in the UEFA Europa League more likely.

Prediction: 1. Barcelona, 2. Panathinaikos, 3. Rubin Kazan, 4. FC Copenhagen

Group E: Basel (Switzerland), Bayern Munich (Germany), CFR Cluj (Romania), Roma (Italy)

de Vos: This appears to be a two horse race between Bayern Munich and Roma. I am going to give the edge to the beaten finalists from last season.

Bayern have an excellent team, with a fine mix of youth and experience. Thomas Mueller, Toni Kroos and Holger Badstuber are just breaking into the limelight, but quality players who can carry the load when the going gets tough surround them. Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger pull the strings in midfield, while Miroslav Klose will hope to carry on his fine World Cup scoring form at club level after a disappointing campaign last season.

Roma also have a talented squad of players led by Francesco Totti. He isn't what he used to be, but he is still capable of taking his team into the knockout stage of the competition, alongside loan signing Marco Borriello. Daniele De Rossi will be keen to impress after a disappointing World Cup for Italy, and keeping him healthy will be important for manager Claudio Ranieri.

They had to win two qualifiers to get to the group stage, so Swiss champions Basel will be keen to continue their winning ways. They are led by Swiss star Alexander Frei, and they will be heavily reliant upon him to score the goals to threaten Bayern and Roma.

CFR Cluj do not have the talent of either Bayern or Roma, but they will still be hopeful of causing an upset along the way. Their home form will be key for them, as it usually is for underdogs. I fear that they will be fighting it out with Basel for third place, rather than contending for a top-two finish.

Prediction: 1. Bayern Munich, 2. Roma, 3. Basel, 4. CFR Cluj

Reed: Bayern Munich has to be considered the class of Group E but the man who makes them tick won't be around for a while.

Dutch winger Arjen Robben is recovering from a pre-World Cup torn thigh muscle and his absence is a major blow for last season's beaten finalists.

Coach Luis van Gaal is not exactly down to the bare bones with Franck Ribery able to supply the ammunition for Miroslav Klose but his team may look a little unbalanced before Robben is ready to return. Nonetheless, the German champions should top the section.

AS Roma are their likely companions into the round of 16. Coach Claudio Ranieri will expect Daniele De Rossi and the evergreen Francesco Totti to provide leadership and the Tinkerman has also gambled on bringing Brazilian striker Adriano back to Italy.

It will be a major surprise if Swiss champions Basel or their Romanian counterparts Cluj make a significant impression. Neither has ever reached the knock out stages and, with Bayern and Roma for company, don't expect that to change.

Prediction: 1. Bayern Munich, 2. Roma, 3. Basel, 4. CFR Cluj

Group F: Chelsea (England), Marseille (France), Spartak Moscow (Russia), Zilina (Slovakia)

de Vos: On paper, this would appear to be an easy group for Chelsea. I just have a feeling that they won't have things all their own way.

There is no doubt that they are off to a flying start in the English Premier League, and they are scoring goals for fun. Selling Ricardo Carvalho to Real Madrid was a mistake, in my opinion. He was their best central defender, despite some fans' allegiances to skipper John Terry. Injuries could be an issue, especially at the back, but they have Michael Essien fit again, which is a massive boost for the Londoners.

French champions Marseille look the most likely side to push Chelsea for first place. Both sides will have to deal with the tricky away ties in Russia and Slovakia, and the outcome of those games could decide who finishes on top. Former Chelsea player Didier Deschamps has proven to be a talented manager, and he has recruited Andre-Pierre Gignac and Loic Remy up front to find the back of the net.

Spartak Moscow finished runners-up in the Russian Premier League last year, but they are having a difficult league campaign this season. They have recruited Aidan McGeady from Glasgow Celtic, but it will be their home form that determines where they finish in Group F. Win all three games, and they might just nick second place.

Zilina is another team who, on paper at least, appear to have little chance of advancing out of the group stage. This is their first appearance in the Champions League and I expect them to be outmatched. Again, home form will be the key, but for Zilina I fear that it will only be about avoiding a last place finish.

Prediction: 1. Chelsea, 2. Marseille, 3. Spartak Moscow, 4. Zilina

Reed: With the Champions League Final taking place in London, maybe this is the year when Chelsea finally delivers the ultimate prize. The Blues have reached the semi finals in four of the last six seasons but were systematically undone by Inter in the round of 16 last time around.

Little has changed around Stamford Bridge in terms of personnel. Michael Ballack has left, as have Joe Cole and Deco but manager Carlo Ancelotti is hoping Brazilian midfielder Ramires will be a more than adequate replacement.

Marseille could be one of the Champions League dark horses. The French champions have won their first domestic title in 18 years and are keen to recapture the glory days of the early 90s. The influence of former World Cup winning captain Didier Deschamps is clearly having the desired effect.

It's difficult to see Spartak Moscow or tournament newcomers Zilnia competing with their group rivals. Spartak will be tough to beat at home on their artificial playing surface, while the Slovakian champions will face the steepest of learning curves.

Prediction: 1. Chelsea, 2. Marseille, 3. Spartak Moscow, 4. Zilina

Group G: AC Milan (Italy), Ajax (Netherlands), Auxerre (France), Real Madrid (Spain)

de Vos: If Jose Mourinho really is the 'Special One', he will be keen to prove it once again in this group. He's done it before, and I'm betting on him doing it again.

AC Milan took four points off Real Madrid in last year's group stage, yet the Spaniards were still able to top the table with ease. The additions of Mesut Oezil, Sami Khedira and Ricardo Carvalho will make Madrid even stronger, and I expect them to come out of this group unscathed.

Milan is a shadow of the team who won this competition as recently as 2007. They are aging defensively, and they will need to outscore their opponents, because I don't foresee many shutouts in their future. To that end, they have recruited Robinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to go along with players like Pato and Ronaldinho. It should be fun to watch, in any case, because I'm sure there will be goals at both ends.

Ajax is, like Milan, nowhere near the force they used to be. In the mid 90s, Ajax was one of the dominant teams in Europe, and they had a conveyor belt of talent coming through the ranks. They still produce players, but most of them move on to bigger clubs before they fulfil their potential with Ajax. Under Martin Jol, they will be well organized and confident that they can get through to the next round by finishing as group runners-up.

Auxerre do not boast a reputation like their group opponents, but that will not faze them in any way. Sometimes it is better to be considered the underdogs, and manager Jean Fernandez will play on that.

Prediction: 1. Real Madrid, 2. AC Milan, 3. Ajax, 4. Auxerre

Reed: If you're on the hunt for a Group of Death, perhaps this is it. Real Madrid and AC Milan are clearly the favourites to progress but Ajax and Auxerre intend to do more than merely make up the numbers on their respective returns to the Champions League.

All eyes will be on the Spanish giants who have flattered to deceive in recent seasons. Now they've got their man, the pressure is on Jose Mourinho to revive their Champions League fortunes. He'll get them out of the group but Madrid is not yet the best team in Spain, never mind Europe.

AC Milan may be the stronger of the two, if all their recent acquisitions come off. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Robinho promise to a potent strike force and the addition of Kevin-Prince Boateng will toughen up the midfield engine room.

Ajax are not the dominant European force they once were but experienced manager Martin Jol has got them moving in the right direction and scoring plenty of goals. Auxerre conceded fewer goals than any team in France last season. That defence will have to be just as solid among Europe's elite.

Prediction: 1. Real Madrid, 2. AC Milan, 3. Ajax, 4. Auxerre

Group H: Arsenal (England), Partizan Belgrade (Serbia), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine), Sporting Braga (Portugal)

de Vos: I consider myself a bit of an oddity, in that I don't have a team that I grew up supporting. There isn't one that I latched on to as a youngster that I will support until the end of time, regardless of how they fare.

That being said, I appreciate teams who try to play football the right way — by passing the ball.

Arsenal is one of those teams, and I think they will pretty much have their way with Group H.

Arsene Wenger managed to hold on to skipper Cesc Fabregas, and he will be of vital importance to their fortunes. The return from injury late last season of Robin van Persie is like signing a new player, and the Dutchman will be keen to make up for lost time. Laurent Koscielny is an exciting prospect, and if Wenger can get his other youngsters to mature at the same time, Arsenal could be in store for a breakout season.

Shakhtar Donetsk won the UEFA Cup in 2009, and they will be relying on their Brazilian contingent to lead them into the knockout stages of the Champions League. There are seven Brazilians on their roster — eight if you include Brazilian-born Croatian international Eduardo. Shakhtar will be hoping that Eduardo can recover his form after a serious broken leg while playing for Arsenal threatened his career. If he can, his six million pound transfer fee will be quite the bargain.

The other two teams in this group, Sporting Braga and Partizan Belgrade will battle it out for third place, I'm afraid. Braga knocked off Sevilla in a playoff to reach the group stage, so they should not be completely underestimated. Partizan, meanwhile, just managed to get here, after beating Anderlecht on penalties. Unfortunately, both teams lack the skill and depth of Arsenal, and neither have the distinct advantage of playing their home games in the freezing conditions of Donetsk.

Prediction: 1. Arsenal, 2. Shakhtar Donetsk, 3. Sporting Braga, 4. Partizan Belgrade

Reed: Arsenal, like Chelsea, has been close, and closer still in recent years, but the Gunners have yet to taste Champions League glory. Arsene Wenger's carefully assembled squad will serve him well again and it would be major upset if they don't finish top of the group.

Wenger has brought in Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh, who made such an impression in Bordeaux's run to the quarter-finals last season. But the Arsenal boss's most important summer 'signing' was to persuade Cesc Fabregas not to join Barcelona.

The race for the runners-up spot is wide open. Portuguese newcomers Braga are clearly in the mood after knocking out both Celtic and Sevilla to claim a berth in the group stages. Brazilian striker Matheus is their chief weapon - and opponents have been warned.

FK Partizan has had to wait seven years for a second crack at the Champions League but I believe it will be a brief return. Shakhtar Donetsk has the experience at this level to pip their rivals as the Ukrainian champions look to reach the round of 16 for the first time.

Prediction: 1. Arsenal, 2. Shakhtar Donetsk, 3. Sporting Braga, 4. Partizan Belgrade