Odds and Sods

A.C. Milan

The Rossoneri are a squad of aging veterans.  This killed them during a slow start at the beginning of the season when the creaking old men failed to find their legs, but aided them in the second-half as the crafty battle-tested side stormed back to finish 4th in Serie A and win the Champions League.  They are a squad full of ancients, but when those elders have names like Maldini, Inzaghi, Ronaldo, Seedorf, Emerson, and Cafu its not necessarily a bad thing.  They also have a few 20-somethings like Kaka, Gattuso, and Pirlo, who may have something to say in their performance as well.

They are currently 3rd in Serie A with 4 pts form two matches after beating Genoa 3-0 and drawing Fiorentina 1-1.  Kaka has three goals in the two games, and is backing up his claim as the best player in the world.  They have too much quality to be beaten in this group.

Celtic

Gordon Strachan led Celtic to an incredible season last year.  The Bhoys easily cleared Rangers by 12 points for the SPL title.  They also scored a dramatic victory at home against Manchester United to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages, where they performed admirably but lost 1-0 on aggregate to eventual champion A.C. Milan.  They added Scott Brown, Scott McDonald, and Massimo Donati, but offloaded some experience with Kenny Miller, captain Neil Lennon, and Gravesen leaving the club.  They haven’t run away with the SPL, mostly because Rangers have shown signs of life in the early going.  They currently sit 2nd with 13 pts from 5 matches.

Benfica

Benfica was one of a trio of dominant clubs in the Portuguese Liga last season, finishing third on 67 pts, 2 pts behind winners Porto.  They qualified for the Champions League, but were eliminated in the group stage as Manchester United and Celtic progressed.  This season will be one of transition.  They sold off a number of key players including Simao (Atletico Madrid), Manuel Fernandes (Valencia), and Anderson (Lyon).  They spent 9.1 m euros on Paraguayan star Oscar Cardozo and also brought in Argentinian teammates Angel Di Maria and Andres Diaz and high-profile American youngster Freddy Adu.  They have the talent to be competitive, but with so much squad turnover and the manager being sacked, it is hard to see them progressing to the next round.

Shakhtar Donetsk

Shakhtar Donetsk finished 2nd in the Ukranian Premier League last season.  They brought in talented Italian striker Cristiano Lucarelli from Livorno, but lost Brazilian playmaker Elano to Manchester City.  Ukraine is not weak!  But they will be in this group.