GROUP A						
Real Madrid					
Spartak Moscow					
Leverkusen				
Sporting Lisbon				

This looks like an easy route to the next stage for reigning Champions Real
Madrid because it is. Spartak Moscow play great football but always flatter
to deceive. Leverkusen have made a poor start to their Bundesliga campaign.
Schmeichel's influence at Sporting Lisbon cannot be underestimated and
having helped his club break Porto's stranglehold on the Portuguese
Championship the second phase of the Champions League is a realistic target.
 
Top Two : Real Madrid, Sporting Lisbon


GROUP B
Lazio
Arsenal
Sparta Prague
Shakhtar

Lazio will have no problem winning this group, they have more quality on
their bench than the other first teams combined. Eriksson's biggest problem
will be deciding who to play. Arsenal have choked miserably in the Champions
League for two successive seasons and have an appalling defence and fat, old
goalkeeper. Sparta Prague have lost almost their entire first team to
Bundesliga clubs and Shakhtar?

Top Two : Lazio, Arsenal


GROUP C
Valencia
Lyon
Olympiakos
Heerenveen

Valencia may have lost three key players (Lopez, Gerard and Farinos) but
Cuper has spent  shrewdly over the summer with Zahovic and Deschamps the
most notable acquisitions and they still have the awesome Mendieta. Lyon have
spent heavily but so far stunk in the French League giving Olympiakos a good
shot at making the next phase. Heerenveen are rank outsiders.

Top Two : Valencia, Olympiakos

GROUP D		
Monaco		
Galatasaray	
Rangers		
Sturm Graz	

The English media are under the illusion that Rangers are certain to qualify.
UEFA Cup Champions Galatasaray have plenty of experience, are high on
confidence having won the UEFA Cup and European Super Cup and more
importantly have the best forward in the World - Jardel. Monaco have made
an appalling start to the defence of their championship but they have a
reasonable record in the European Cup and plenty of experienced players.
Rangers awful defence and second rate attack could cost them dearly, as it
has done in past seasons. Sturm Graz haven't got a prayer. The clashes
between Monaco and Rangers will decide second place.

Top Two : Galatasaray, Monaco

GROUP E
Juventus
Deportivo
Panathinaikos
Hamburg

Juve never find things as easy in Europe as in Italy due to less favourable
refereeing but with the amount of experience and quality in the squad it's
hard to imagine anything other than top spot. Deportivo have spent heavily
in the summer and they needed to because of a shocking defence and an injury
to star striker Roy Makaay. Panathinaikos are capable of a shock result as
long as Sousa and Vlaovic stay fit but that's the limit to their ambitions.
Hamburg are previous winners of the competition but those days are long gone.

Top Two : Juve, Deportivo

GROUP F
Bayern Munich
PSG
Rosenborg
Helsingborg

Despite the loss of Effenberg to injury there is enough quality in Bayern's
team to make qualification a formality. Big spending PSG are starting to
click in the French league, super-brat Anelka is on fire. This time Rosenborg
may find it difficult to continue the fairytale and Helsingborg probably
used up all their luck to qualify at the expense of Inter.

Top Two : PSG, Bayern Munich 


GROUP G
Man United
PSV
Dynamo Kyiv
Anderlecht

Man United could not have asked for an easier draw and with such a lack of
serious competition in the Premiership they can concentrate all their efforts
on a successful Champions League campaign.  Even with Van Nisetelroij in
the side PSV couldn't make the second phase last season and there's little to
suggest things will be different this time round. Dynamo Kyiv may have lost
Rebrov but the team that pushed Real Madrid all the way in the second phase
last season has largely been kept together.

Top Two : Man United, Dynamo Kyiv


GROUP H
Barcelona
Milan
Leeds
Besiktas

The group of death. Barca are perennial pretenders but their problems usually
start in the knockout stages and most of their opponents freeze in the Nou
Camp. Milan have failed to address defensive shortcomings and still lack a
quality playmaker, Boban has struggled with injury in recent years. 
Leeds also have problems in the creativity department with playmaker Harry
Kewell out until the end of the year but they are the strongest team in this
group defensively. 

Top Two : Barcelona, Milan