15.09. (Wed) 20:45 Shakhtar - Partizan

History In The Making

This is the sixth time that Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk are featuring in the Champions League but until now they have never marched past the group stage. In 2007-08 and 2008-09 the Miners commenced their European Cup adventure with wins but failed to sustain that momentum.

Mircea Lucescu's side qualified automatically for the group stage of Europe's premier club competition but suffered a major injury setback. Brazilian playmaker Fernandinho suffered a serious leg injury in the weekend win against Obolon in the Ukrainian league and said in a statement to Shakhtar's official website:
"As many of you have probably seen during the match against Obolon, I have suffered a serious injury to my right leg that will rule me out of the action for a while.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody for the support that I received including the fans, club staff and the board of directors as well as my team-mates who have been very supportive since the injury.
"I will be supporting the club off the pitch during their domestic championship campaign and the UEFA Champions League. Very soon I hope to be playing for Shakhtar again.''
Fernandinho's loss will indeed be quite a crucial one for the 2008-09 UEFA Cup winners but they will still be confident of a home win on Wednesday as they defeated Partizan 4-1 at home in the group stage of the Europa League in 2009-10.

Beginning On A High

Partizan started their European Cup adventure from the second qualifying round, easing past FC Pyunik 4-1 on aggregate. A 5-1 aggregate victory over HJK saw them reach the play-off round where they got the better of Belgian giants Anderlecht on penalties.
This will be the Serbian champions' first appearance in the Champions League group stage since 2003-04 and the mood in the camp is one of delight and hope. However, like Shakhtar they too have an injury concern as veteran defender Mladen Krstajic is recovering from a broken nose.
Coach Alexander Stanojevic says, "He insists that he can play, but I still make the final decision. When someone has such desire, then you cannot let him decide. He is our captain and has shown overwhelming desire and motivation regardless of the broken nose."



TEAM NEWS

Shakhtar Donetsk

Fernandinho is a long-term injury concern while defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy has yet to feature since August 29 when he pulled his left hamstring against Illychivets Mariupil.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pyatov, Srna, Chizkov, Rakytski, Rat; Stepanenko, Hubschman; D. Costa, Mkhitaryan, Willian; M. Moreno

Partizan

Joseph Kizito has recovered and could start on Wednesday and so should Krstajic, even though he is recovering from a broken nose.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Stojkovic, Stevanovic, Jovanovic, Krstajic, Lazevski; Tomic, Petrovic, Smiljanic, S. Ilic; Iliev, Cleo

Prediction

Shakhtar should garner maximum points from this fixture although the game against Partizan is a potential banana skin.

Shakhtar 2-0 Partizan

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15.09. (Wed) 20:45 Bayern Munchen - Roma

Starting All Over Again

Last season German giants Bayern Munich reached the final of the Champions League in dramatic style, defeating Fiorentina, Manchester United and Olympique Lyonnais on their way. It was a great run from the Bavarians that was terminated by Inter at the Bernabeu.

Just as in last season this time too Bayern have an Italian team in their group - Roma. Bayern drew with the Bianconeri 0-0 at home and hammered them 4-1 away in Turin. A win against Roma at the Allianz Arena will be expected.

Coach Louis Van Gaal will know that reaching the final of the European Cup again will not be easy but he will urge his troops to start all over again. Pitted against Roma, Basel and Cluj, Bayern will be confident of progressing to the second round with ease but they have to make a winning start.

Worries Abound

Roma's Champions League campaign has already taken a kickback as the Italian side have lost a number of first-team regulars. Mirko Vucinic, Philippe Mexes, Stefano Okaka, John Arne Riise and Paolo Castellini were already ruled out of the trip to Munich and on Monday it was revealed that midfielder Rodrigo Taddei has been struck with an injury too.

However, every cloud has a silver lining and coach Claudio Ranieri will be boosted by the return of striker Adriano to the squad. Furthermore, club talisman Francesco Totti too has been included in the squad despite looking doubtful at one point.

Ranieri will know that garnering maximum points at the Allianz Arena will be far from easy especially with the German champions having a better squad, but even a point will be hugely encouraging given that the Giallorossi will take on Basel and Cluj in the next two games.



TEAM NEWS

Bayern Munich

Arjen Robben is a long-term injury concern and Breno is not yet back to full fitness. Franck Ribery is suspended for this fixture. Van Gaal will have to choose between Ivica Olic and Mario Gomez as his centre-forward for Wednesday's game.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Butt, Lahm, Van Buyten, Badstuber, Contento; Van Bommel, Schweinsteiger; Mueller, Kroos, Altintop; Olic

Roma

Mirko Vucinic, Rodrigo Taddei, Stefano Okaka, John Arne Riise and Philippe Mexes all have been ruled out with respective injuries. But striker Adriano has been included in the squad and so has Francesco Totti despite an intestinal virus that he has suffered recently.

Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Julio Sergio, Cassetti, N. Burdisso, Juan, Rosi; Perrotta, Pizarro, De Rossi; Menez; Totti, Borriello

Prediction

A win for Bayern is likely especially as Roma are suffering from injuries. However, the Germans shouldn't get very complacent and must stay focused against Totti and Borriello.

Bayern Munich 2-1 Roma

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15.09. (Wed) 20:45 Real - Ajax

Starting With A Bang

Every season for the last six seasons Real Madrid have started their Champions League campaign with hope and expectations but have consistently failed to get past the Round of 16 in a competition that they have won nine times. This year is no different as once again Madrid are being counted as one of the favourites and to win their tenth European Cup.

But with Jose Mourinho in charge and a bunch of young and hungry players in the squad, there is a reason for the Madridistas to be confident. Los Blancos haven't exactly lightened up the Spanish Primera Division but with four points from two matches they are ahead of Barcelona in the table.

Mourinho won the Champions League with Inter last season, masterminding the defeats of Chelsea, Barcelona and Bayern Munich on the way, and he believes that "this edition will be a very open, with six or seven clubs who will compete for the title."

Much of Madrid's success in the Champions League as well as the league will depend on their star player Cristiano Ronaldo, who himself admits that they have to take it slowly if they aim to win the most coveted of club competitions this season.

"This club, as always, has the ambition to win the Champions League," Ronaldo is quoted as saying by Realmadrid.com. "I have a special feeling about this season. We can win, but we cannot put pressure on ourselves. We have all the necessary ingredients to win the competition, but we have to take one step at a time."

Back In The Big Time

Dutch powerhouse Ajax are back in the Champions League for the first time in five years and indeed playing at the Bernabeu on Wednesday evening will be a special occasion for them. Once a European powerhouse, de Godenzonen have suffered of late but they will be keen to put things on track.

The clash with Madrid will also mark the debut of manager Martin Jol in Europe's premier club competition - not exactly something that infuses confidence given that his counterpart on Wednesday will be arguably the best coach in the world at the moment - Mourinho.

Ajax skipped past the challenge of Dynamo Kyiv in the play-off round to qualify for the group stage and they do have some very good players, some of whom featured in the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa for the Netherlands.




TEAM NEWS

Real Madrid

Star player Ronaldo has recovered his fitness and will start against Ajax as he started against Osasuna on Saturday. Midfielder Kaka is a long-term injury concern while centre-back Raul Albiol too is out. Fernando Gago and Ezequiel Garay are sidelined as well. Mahamadou Diarra is in the process of recovery.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Casillas, Ramos, Carvalho, Pepe, Marcelo; Alonso, L. Diarra; Ronaldo, Oezil, Higuain; Benzema

Ajax

Jol is likely to go with his accustomed 4-3-3 formation with a three-man attackline. However, striker Luis Suarez is suspended for the match and so is defender Jan Vertonghen.

Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Stekelenburg, Van der Wiel, Alderweireld, Ooijer, Anita; De Zeeuw, De Jong, Enoh; Sulejmani, El Hamdaoui, Emanuelson

Prediction

The win against Osasuna showed that under Mourinho Madrid aren't going to be very pretty - at least not in the immediate future - and that defensively los Blancos will be impenetrable. A sole goal for Madrid will do the trick for them but they have to be careful against Ajax's attack.

Real Madrid 1-0 Ajax

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15.09. (Wed) 20:45 CFR 1907 Cluj - Basel

Seeking Quick Boost

Wednesday’s encounter between Cluj and Basel may be the opening game of Group E, but it is a fixture neither side can realistically afford to lose as defeat would all but eliminate them from the competition. Paired with Bayern Munich and Roma, it would take a huge turn up for either of these underdogs to progress, and that probably means winning both fixtures against their fellow ‘makeweights’.

Romanian outfit Cluj have tasted a shock win at this level before, surprising Roma 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico two seasons ago – a result they cannot count on repeating in this edition. Emmanuel Culio, who scored twice on that famous night, remains, but the form the Feroviarii showed that night has largely deserted them.

Cluj may be the champions of their homeland, but already their crown is starting to slip, falling six points off the pace when they lost 2-0 against Rapid Bucharest on Friday night. Defeat was to have lasting consequences for coach Andrea Mandorlini, who was jettisoned on Monday, replaced by Sorin Cartu, a double winner with Universitatea Craiova nearly two decades ago.

To expect a rapid turnaround may be asking too much, but the highly disciplined coach will be aiming to stamp his authority on CFR with immediacy. Should the trainer have the instant impact hoped for, it’s possible that Cluj’s Champions League campaign won’t be as unspectacular as it previously looked like being.

Strong On The Road

Basel are by no means Champions League regulars, having qualified for the group stages only twice previously, yet they are a side with a winning record amongst Europe’s elite, claiming 23 wins to 22 losses when placed in Europe’s top competition.

And they are a side who are no strangers to causing the odd upset either, charging through to the second group stage of the competition in season 2002-03 and drawing with Barcelona at Camp Nou in 2008-09, though on the second occasion they did lose all of their other five games in the tournament.

League defeats against Bellinzona and Luzern have rather blotted the early part of Basel’s campaign, which has otherwise passed unbeaten, with four wins from four matches recorded in qualifying for the Champions League group stages. Debrecen were comfortably eased off before Sheriff threatened to cause some problems but ultimately capitulated towards the end of their home leg.

The St. Jakob-Park club will have pinpointed this encounter as a match that will need to be won if they are to wriggle out of the group stage somehow. With bright young talent such as Valentin Stocker and especially Xherdan Shaqiri combining with old heads like Scott Chipperfield and the prolific Alexander Frei, there is a nice balance to the squad and a worthy sense of optimism that something could be achieved over the next three months.

TEAM NEWS

Cluj

Yssouf Kone has not been included in the Champions League squad after picking up a knee injury in early August that is liable to keep him out for an extended period of time. Sasa Bjelanovic is liable to be sidelined with an ankle issue.

Tomas Costa and Ferdinando Sforzini debuted at the weekend as CFR had two men sent-off – the second time in as many matches on the road they’ve been depleted to nine men for disciplinary reasons.

Probable Starting XI: Stancioiu; Panin, Cadu, Piccolo, Edimar; Muresan, E. Kone, Costa, Bastos, Culio; Sforzini

Basel

Jacques Zoua picked up a thigh problem on international duty and won’t return until early to mid-October. Genseric Kusunga has had knee issues for the last month, while Valentin Stocker is fighting to overcome an ankle injury.

Scott Chipperfield’s contribution from the bench at the weekend may be enough to earn him a berth in the starting XI ahead of Fwayo Tembo, though the Australian has struggled to break into the team this season and could be consigned to the role of impact substitute once more.

Probable Starting XI: Costanzo; Inkoom, Abraham, Çagdaş, Safari; Tembo, Huggel, Yapi, Shaqiri; Frei, Streller

Prediction

Cluj have a long unbeaten record in their domestic league at home – 40 matches stretching back nearly two years – but the Champions League is an additional step up. Basel have done well on their travels to date and should fancy their chances, though the chance of coaching at the Romanian club may be enough to spark some resistance from the home side.

CFR Cluj 1-2 Basel

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15.09. (Wed) 20:45 Milan - Auxerre

Sacrifice More
After a summer transfer campaign geared towards success both domestically and continentally, Milan’s quest for an eighth Champions League gong starts on Wednesday, when they host an Auxerre side very much at the opposite end of the economic spectrum at this level.

The Rossoneri have spent lavishly over the summer, capturing the signatures of Zlatan Ibrahimovic (albeit on loan) and Robinho amongst others, yet simply opening the chequebook is little guarantee of success. Coach Massimiliano Allegri discovered this at the weekend, when Cesena proved too good for the Diavoli, running out 2-0 winners at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi.

“It is difficult to find positives tonight,” the coach declared after the fixture to Sky Sport Italia. “To win and fight for titles you cannot play with the attitude we displayed out there. We must learn to fight for every ball and be prepared to sacrifice more.”

Luca Antonini has already indicated the dangers of showing a similarly lackadaisical attitude in midweek. “Auxerre are a cheeky team who run a lot, but we must focus on doing well against the French side,” he declared to Milan Channel. “We need to make a good impression in front of the people who will follow and support us.”

Incredibly, Milan haven’t won a home European fixture in nearly two years, a run that captures six matches in total. Against Auxerre, however, the Serie A club do have experience of victory at the San Siro, though that comes 25 years ago, when the Rossoneri turned around a 3-1 first leg deficit by claiming a 3-0 home victory.

Dream Group
Having battled through heroically in the play-off stages against a Zenit St. Petersburg side previously on an outrageously long unbeaten streak, one could forgive Auxerre’s players if they were a little disappointed at being placed in a group from which they have virtually no chance of progression. But the men from Burgundy instead simply chose to grin when pulled out alongside Milan, Real Madrid and Ajax – three of the continent’s most storied club sides.

“This is the group of death and we are the underdogs, no doubt about it,” prolific Polish international striker Ireneusz Jelen exclaimed to the media. “Then again, I always dreamed about playing against teams like Real Madrid, AC Milan and Ajax.

“Getting into the group stage means realising my biggest footballing ambition. This is sport and anything can happen, but to be realistic we will be battling for third place.”

Auxerre only sneaked into the top three in Ligue 1 in the very last seconds of last term, with Cedric Hengbart scoring a dramatic late winner against Sochaux to push AJA back into Europe’s elite level, from which they’ve been absent since 2002.

Already the Champions League has proven to be something of a distraction from the domestic game. The Burgundy club have yet to record their first win of the season in France’s top flight, lingering towards the foot of the table with four draws to their credit after five games. Benoit Pedretti seemed to have done enough to give them a first success of the term against Caen on Saturday night, but the Stade Abbe-Deschamps club were pegged back at the last moment.

Even such a late blow will not be able to take the winds from their sails ahead of this mouth-watering opportunity.

TEAM NEWS

Milan

Thiago Silva suffered a muscular strain on Saturday against Cesena and is unlikely to feature in this encounter. Daniele Bonera is therefore expected to start alongside Alessandro Nesta after Sokratis Papastathopoulos’ lamentable weekend performance.

Clarence Seedorf is expected to be available to coach Allegri but Mathieu Flamini is still missing.

Robinho didn’t start at the weekend, coming off the bench to replace Ronaldinho, and it would seem unlikely ‘the Big Four’ would all start this encounter.

Probable Starting XI: Abbiati; Zambrotta, Bonera, Nesta, Antonini; Ambrosini, Pirlo, Seedorf; Pato, Ibrahimovic, Ronaldinho

Auxerre

Roy Contout is suspended after picking up a couple of yellow cards in the play-off encounter against Zenit St. Petersburg, but he is by no means an automatic pick for Jean Fernandez.

Alexandre Licata, meanwhile, was recently told he may be forced to retire if the ankle injury that has been plaguing him for over a year cannot be operated upon.

Ireneusz Jelen, Stephane Grichting and Valter Birsa were all benched at the weekend after playing two international matches in the previous week. All three will be recalled.

Probable Starting XI: Soirn; Hengbart, Coulibaly, Mignot, Grichting; Pedretti, Ndinga; Oliech, Le Tallec, Birsa; Jelen

Prediction

In Le Championnat, Auxerre tend to prove obstinate opponents for many of their foes. Milan, despite still settling in with a new squad, are at a superior level to anything AJA face on a weekly basis. Given AJA’s lamentable domestic form, they should be expected to succumb at the San Siro, though inspired by the atmosphere and the opposition, Jean Fernandez’s men will hope to produce a worthy account of themselves. The Rossoneri will win this fixture; it’s just a case of how many by.

Milan 2-0 AJ Auxerre

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15.09. (Wed) 20:45 Olympique Marseille - Spartak Moskva

Frustrated
Olympique de Marseille are aiming to regain a spot amongst Europe’s most highly thought of clubs, and their quest to do so begins with a home tie against Spartak Moscow on Wednesday night.

After OM picked up the French crown in May there was great bluster in the words of the players and staff, with coach Didier Deschamps promising to stay on only if he was given the potential to turn the club into a genuine European force once more.

The 1992 Champions League winners, instead of taking a step forward, have gone backwards, mismanaging their summer transfer campaign and as a result starting the season slowly. Only five points have been accrued from their opening five Ligue 1 matches, with the weekend’s 2-2 draw against Monaco somewhat typical of their season to date.

“I’m frustrated and disappointed, not really with the way we played, as I would have liked the players to have been compensated for their efforts,” Deschamps is quoted as having said by Ligue 1’s official website after the weekend fixture. “We had a lot of chances, while we were lacking a bit in terms of aggression in defence. We know Monaco are good on the break and without many chances they managed to score twice.”

OM have qualified for the last three Champions League group stages, though on each occasion they’ve stumbled, last term in the face of Real Madrid and Milan. The port city is buzzing with excitement as there is a belief this could be the year they make the knock-out stages, though a poor opening result against Spartak would leave les Phoceens on the back foot with Chelsea to come.

Revenge Mission

Marseille may be striking out on their domestic campaign, but Spartak Moscow are already more than halfway through theirs, and at present it doesn’t seem likely that Valery Karpin’s side will enjoy a particularly profitable season. Already they’re seven points off the pace for next term’s Champions League, and they also trail in the race to reach the Europa League.

The summer transfer window as offered up Aiden McGeady as a source of hope to the Moscow club. Signed from Celtic, the Scottish-born Ireland international has been hailed as the man to help turn the club around, and he made a positive contribution on his debut last weekend when he set-up Welliton’s strike in a 2-1 success.

Historically, Spartak have rarely been an especially powerful force on the continent, though they have qualified for the top tier competition on a handful of occasions since the turn of the millennium, never enjoying any form of success.

The UEFA Cup, the forerunner to the Europa League, was therefore a frequent hunting ground, and it was in that competition in 2007-08 that the Meat last met with OM. After losing the opening leg 3-0 in Provence – current Marseille players Benoit Cheyrou and Taye Taiwo amongst the scorers – Spartak claimed the second leg 2-0 but tumbled out of the competition.

Given their middling league form, their poor recent European record and their historical failure against OM, a draw would have to be considered a good achievement for the RPL side in this fixture.

TEAM NEWS

Marseille

Didier Deschamps has a couple of injury issues approaching this fixture, with Souleymane Diawara and Loic Remy both scheduled to miss out. On the other hand, the home boss can welcome back Edouard Cisse and Andre Ayew to his panel after both missed the weekend match due to suspension.

Gabriel Heinze wasn’t given a starting berth on Sunday but will probably replace Stephane Mbia, who looked well short of match sharpness against Monaco, costing his side the second goal.

Andre-Pierre Gignac is not fully match fit, so it’s something of a tossup between him and Brandao for the lone forward role.

Probable Starting XI: Mandanda; Azpilicueta, Hilton, Heinze, Taiwo; Cisse, Cheyrou; Valbuena, Lucho, A. Ayew; Brandao
Spartak

Nikita Bazhenov injured a thigh during training on Sunday so will not take part, while an ankle problem has forced Kirill Kombarov to train separate from the group. There are no concerns over Aiden McGeady’s fitness, despite the Irishman seeming to toil towards the end of the weekend’s match.

Andriy Dikan played in goal at the weekend but is liable to be replaced by Sergei Pesyakov.

Expect to see the exciting Zhano Ananidze come off the bench to try and change the flow of the match if Spartak are struggling.

Probable Starting XI: Pesyakov; Parshivlyuk, Suchy, Pareja, Ivanov; Mcgeady, Ibson, Alex, Sheshukov, Kombarov; Welliton

Prediction

There can be little doubt that Marseille have underperformed thus far this season, making a tricky home tie positively treacherous. In front of a red-hot crowd at Stade Velodrome, les Phoceens should be expected to gain maximum points, though it should be considered a massive surprise if they ended up with only one.

Marseille 2-1 Spartak  

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15.09. (Wed) 20:45 Arsenal - Sporting Braga

Arsenal & Wenger hoping for lucky 13th...

Arsenal may not have won a major trophy for five years, but it is testament to their consistency that they embark this week on their 13th consecutive Champions League campaign. Given that they had to absorb the cost and upheaval of building and moving from Highbury into the Emirates Stadium along the way, that’s no mean achievement – especially since they’ve progressed beyond
the group stage in each of the last ten seasons, reaching at least the quarter-finals in the last three.

Until Manchester United beat them in the semi-final in 2009, they’d been unbeaten at home in the competition for five years, including qualifiers, and in their most recent Champions League campaign Arsenal won all five home games before Barcelona held them to a 2-2 draw in the quarter-finals.

It was, of course, Barcelona who defeated them in 2006 in their only previous European Cup final, meaning this tournament remains an itch that the Gunners have not yet managed to scratch. Manager Arsene Wenger believes the squad he has painstakingly assembled is good enough to go all the way this time, containing a good mix of quality and experience. While few outside the red half of north London may share his confidence, Arsenal are generally expected to progress from a group containing Shakhtar Donetsk and Partizan Belgrade as well as Wednesday night’s opponents, Braga.

Wenger has stressed the importance of winning the home fixtures in this competition, and he will be looking for a strong start from his players against the Portuguese qualifiers. The Gunners go into the match unbeaten after four Premier League games, the last three of which they’ve won, including Saturday’s clash at home to Bolton, whom they ultimately dispatched 4-1 after a stern physical test of their mettle.

That result kept Arsenal second in the table behind Chelsea, and should have provided the perfect lift for another European adventure. It’s an adventure that begins in uncharted territory as Arsenal and Braga have never previously played each other, though the Gunners have met their Portuguese rivals Porto home and away three times in the last four seasons. They won four of the six games, drawing one and losing the other, scoring 14 goals and conceding two. 

...as Braga make their CL debut

Braga finished one place above Porto last season in Portugal’s Liga, en route to the runners-up spot behind Benfica, their highest-ever finish. But they were beaten 3-2 by Porto on Saturday – their first Liga defeat since going down 1-0 to eventual champions Benfica on March 27.

Domingos Paciencia's side had led 2-1 through goals from Luis Aguiar and Lima, but they couldn’t hold on and Silvestre Varela and Hulk both scored for the Dragons to inflict the first of the season on Braga, who lie fourth in their domestic league table, five points behind Porto.

However, Arsenal will underestimate at their peril a side who claimed their place in the group stage of the Champions League by overcoming first Celtic 4-2 on aggregate in the third qualifying round, and then Sevilla 5-3 in the play-off round. Both those triumphs defied the pundits, especially the two wins over Sevilla, and were testament to the strong never-say-die team spirit Paciencia has instilled in his troops.

Although Braga suffered defeats on their two previous visits to north London – losing 3-2 to Arsenal’s arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a 2006-07 Uefa Cup tie and 6-0 at White Hart Lane in the same competition in 1984-85 – they may feel more at home at the Emirates. For in 1921 when they changed their club shirts from green and white stripes, they took their inspiration from the Gunners, modelling themselves on Arsenal's distinctive red shirts with white sleeves.

Consequently, since then they have been known as Minho's Arsenalistas (Arsenal from Minho).

TEAM NEWS

Arsenal

Injuries are again becoming a worrying theme for the Gunners, whose ambitions last season were undermined by a crowded treatment room. Although Belgian centre-back Thomas Vermaelen, who missed Saturday’s Bolton game with an Achilles problem, should be back in contention, substitute Abou Diaby lasted only 13 minutes in that match before being replaced himself after suffering a leg injury.

Forwards Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott have both been ruled out until mid-October with ankle injuries, seriously depleting Wenger’s striking options, but midfielder Samir Nasri, who underwent surgery on a minor knee problem on August 18, is back in action.

Danish international Nicklas Bendtner has not played since the World Cup thanks to a groin injury, while an abdominal strain had kept midfielder Denilson sidelined until his substitute appearance on Saturday.

Meanwhile Aaron Ramsey (broken leg) and Emmanuel Frimpong (cruciate knee ligament damage) are long-term absentees.

Summer signings Marouane Chamakh, Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci could all make their first Champions League appearances in an Arsenal shirt.

Possible Starting XI: Almunia; Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen, Clichy; Rosicky, Song, Fabregas, Nasri; Chamakh, Arshavin.

Braga

Paciencia will be without Elderson and Leandro Salino, who both serve one-game suspensions on Matchday 1.

Also sidelined is Quim, who ruptured his right Achilles tendon in pre-season training and is expected to be out until the new year.

Mossoro played in a 4-1 friendly victory over Vizela on 1 September, which was his first appearance since he fractured his right leg against Benfica in March.

But Braga have plenty of options, having brought in no fewer than 17 new faces during the summer, including Lima from Belenenses, Artur (Roma), Hugo Viana (Valencia), George Lucas (Santos), Jose Collado (Villarreal), and loan signings Elton (Vasco da Gama), Luis Aguiar (Dinamo Moscow), Felipe (Corinthians) and Leo Fortunato (Cruzeiro).

Possible Starting XI: Felipe; Silvio, Moises, Rodriguez, Miguel Garcia; Vandinho, Luís Aguiar, Alan; Lima, Paulo Cesar, Matheus.

Prediction

Braga showed plenty of reasons why their Champions League baptism is likely to be an eventful one with stunning wins in the qualifying stages, and the sort of nerveless performances they produced against Sevilla in particular will stand them in good stead if they can be reproduced in the competition proper. But in Arsenal they face highly seasoned opponents at this level with an enviable record of successfully negotiating the group stage. Moreover the Gunners have started their season in good form and are determined to realise their undoubted potential this term. It should be an entertaining game, but expect a solid home win.

Arsenal 3-1 Braga

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15.09. (Wed) 20:45 MSK Zilina - Chelsea

Welcome to the jungle

Freedom from expectations can be a dangerous thing, and while Slovakian champions MSK Zilina won't be anyone's tips to progress from what is otherwise a relatively strong group, that doesn't mean they don't have the ability to derail one or more of their rivals' campaigns over the course of their six-game lap of honour.

Yes, expectations will be low, but that doesn't mean former Czech international Pavel Hapal won't be telling his side they are good enough to get results. After all, they have some form in Europe — beating Aston Villa in the Europa League just under two years ago — and eight top-two finishes (five titles) in the last nine years ably demonstrates they are no strangers to success. They also beat the more vaunted Sparta Prague to get to the group stages, so cannot be underestimated.

The team itself is led by Robert Jez, an all-action midfielder who leads by example. The rest of the team is a mix of Slovak and Czech players, with Gambia forward Ceesay leading the line. While unlikely to start, Slovakian international Tomas Oravec is a frequent scorer of goals off the substitutes' bench.

Manager Hapal has said it will take a combination of "bravery and cheekiness" to come away with anything from their first game against Chelsea, an acknowledgment that his side face an uphill challenge. But with the game taking place at the Stadium Pod Dubnom — capacity just over 11,000 — the atmosphere will be somewhat unique and the world-renowned stars that visit will all have to be on the guard if they don't want to be caught out.

Patience

From one extreme to the other on Matchday 1 — while Zilina may have minimal expectations of even dropping down into the Europa League come December, Chelsea will be fervently hoping they are hoisting the trophy at Wembley come May.

Indeed, among the big boys perhaps only Real Madrid share the Blues' urgency and determination to win Europe's top club prize. It has been owner Roman Abramovich's target ever since his arrival in 2003, but has so far remained frustratingly elusive. And with many of the club's stars at the peak or even beyond it, a certain 'now or never' feel is beginning to surface around the current squad.

John Terry, Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba et al were but a penalty kick away from winning the trophy in 2008, but with all three of them 30 or over their chances at redemption are growing ever slimmer. But with their apparent dominance over the rest of the Premier League already on display so far this season, it seems everything is clicking into place for a concerted title run.

Last season Carlo Ancelotti fell foul of Jose Mourinho's Inter in the last 16, an earlier than expected exit that the Italian still harbours certain regrets over. But he has an immediate shot at redemption this season and, with no Africa Cup of Nations and (hopefully) fewer injuries to contend with, will be confident of progressing further in the competition even if they are once again drawn with one of Europe's elite sooner than preferrable.

With Spartak Moscow and Olympique Marseille the other two teams in the group, Chelsea face three unenviable away trips but should still be confident of topping the group. An opening win in Slovakia would be a welcome first step on that path.

TEAM NEWS

MSK Zilina

Hapal has few injury concerns, but will likely make some changes after landing a 2-1 win against Tatran Presov at the weekend. On that occasion he played a 4-4-2, but Oravec is likely to make way for another midfielder — possibly Saturday substitute Vittor — as Zilina put on understandable emphasis on defence.

The two sides actually met in the competition in 2002, where Chelsea progressed 5-0 on aggregate in the third qualifying round. An improvement on that eight years on would be welcomed by the home support, but even they might be harder to please than usual — having seen tickets for this home game marked up by over 1000 per cent in a somewhat cynical move as one of Europe's A-listers comes into town.

Possible starting XI: Krnac; Angelovic, Placek, Pecalka, Mraz; Poliacek, Jez, Vittor, Vladavic, Bello; Ceesay.

Chelsea

The Blues have certain issues across the pitch, with Frank Lampard still injured for the game, Didier Drogba suspended and Ashley Cole set to be rested. But John Terry should be available after coming through the game against West Ham at the weekend.

Elsewhere, Ancelotti's squad has more than enough depth to cover the absentees, and even allow him to indulge in a little light rotation. Yury Zhirkov will replace Ashley Cole at left-back, while Ramires might be given his European bow with the Blues as he continues to adjust to the team. If the Brazilian's development is taken a bit slower, then fellow summer signing Yossi Benayoun will likely start.

Further forward, Drogba's absence simply paves the way for Florent Malouda to return to the first XI after the weekend rest, with Anelka playing up front and either Daniel Sturridge or Salomon  Kalou from the right. If Ancelotti is feeling particularly confident, Gael Kakuta may even get a runout — perhaps from the start or, more probably, as second-half substitutes.

Possible starting XI: Cech; Ivanovic, Alex, Terry, Zhirkov; Benayoun, Mikel, Essien; Sturridge Malouda, Anelka.

Prediction

So many unknown variables will define this game's eventual scoreline, but one thing that should be almost taken as a certainty is that Chelsea will win. If the Stadium Pod Dubnom is packed, despite the inflated ticket prices, then the atmosphere could cause some difficulties to the visitors, but Zilina lack the requisite skill and experience at this level to keep Chelsea at bay for 90 minutes.

For there part, the Blues have developed a recent habit of building up near-rugby scores against opposing teams, and could be in line to give the Slovakians a similar pasting. But with changes to the personnel and a certain sense of the unknown to contend with, a comfortable but not excessive win will still please Ancelotti more than enough.

MSK Zilina 0-3 Chelsea

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