Barcelona have been the most successful and consistent Spanish club in the Champions League since the second half of the last decade. Having won Europe's most prestigious club competition in 2006, the Blaugrana won it again in 2009 and also reached the semi-finals last year.
This time too Pep Guardiola's team will start the Champions League as the favourites and indeed they remain the best and strongest team on the planet. With Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi all remaining the best in their respective positions and David Villa having already started to score for his new club, there are few challengers to Barca.
However, the Spanish champions have to be careful. Just like last season, this time too the Catalans have been pitted in a group where all the teams are reigning champions of their respective domestic leagues. At one point in the group stage in 2009-10, Barca looked as if they wouldn't qualify for the second round and having suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to minnows Hercules at Camp Nou on Saturday, Barca will aspire to bounce back on Tuesday.
Back In The Big Time
Greek champions Panathinaikos are back in the Champions League fold after an absence of one year and they will be looking to make the most out of it. With Barcelona in the group, the Shamrock will realise that winning it is going to be tough but they should aim for the runners-up spot.
Starting their European campaign against Barca at Camp Nou is not a beginning that the Greek giants would have wanted though. Of the 11 games they have played in Spain, Panathinaikos have lost ten and managed just one draw. When the two sides met in 2001-02 in the quarterfinals, Panathinaikos lost over two legs. In the group stage in 2005-06, the Greeks were hammered 5-0 at Camp Nou.
Nevertheless, Panathinaikos should take heart from the fact that two years ago they began their Champions League quest with a defeat but eventually ended up winning the group that also featured Italian powerhouse Inter.
TEAM NEWS
Barcelona
Carles Puyol has been passed fit to play against Panathinaikos and he is likely to start. Xavi, Daniel Alves, Sergio Busquets all should make the line-up after starting on the bench against Hercules on Saturday. Pedro too should return and striker Villa could be slotted in the middle rather than on the left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Valdes, Alves, Pique, Puyol, Maxwell; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Messi, Villa, Pedro
Panathinaikos
Coach Nikos Nioplias is likely to go ahead with his 4-2-3-1 system in which Djibril Cisse will be the lone striker upfront. Sidney Govou should start, although former Barcelona midfielder Luis Garcia too could make the cut.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Tzorvas, Marinos, Kante, Boumsong, Vyntra; Gilberto Silva, Simao; Leto, Ninis, Govou; Cisse
Prediction
A win for Barcelona is certainly on the cards. The Blaugrana may have lost at home on Saturday but as they showed last season, under Pep Guardiola they have assumed a characteristic of bouncing back.
Barcelona 3-0 Panathinaikos 
