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With the groups confirmed for the Champions League, now is as good a time as any to look at this season�s renewal of Europe�s premier club competition and attempt to decipher where the value lies for punters.
When punting in an antepost market such as this, it�s a wise school of thought to split stakes and back two sides, thus spreading the risk. At 8/1 (Coral) and 12/1 (Betfred) respectively, Manchester United and Real Madrid appeal most of the 32 clubs in the competition at the time of writing.
By their own exalted standards, Real Madrid, nine times European Cup winners, haven�t flown as high in the Champions League as anticipated in recent campaigns. They�ve achieved one semi, but been eliminated twice at the quarter-final stage and twice in the first knockout round in five seasons since last lifting the trophy in 2001/2002.
However, as they demonstrated when coming out best of what turned into a three-horse race with Barcelona and Sevilla for the La Liga title last term, the Whites are very much on the ascendancy following a few seasons of under-achievement, and the signings coach Bernd Schuster has made during the transfer window offer plenty of promise.
It may well be a vain pursuit for Real present and future to reproduce the majestic football with which they were synonymous during the late 90s/early 2000s when the likes of Roberto Carlos, Luis Figo and, most notably, Zinedine Zidane were in their prime, but their current crop of stars are top class in their own right.
Indeed, followers of the Premier League will be well aware what Dutch international Arjen Robben is capable of. The 23-year-old endured a torrid time of it injury-wise during his two years at Stamford Bridge, but is fighting fit now and looks set to play a major role in Real�s quest for silverware during 2007/08.
Defensively they�ve strengthened with Cristoph Metzelder, Gabriel Heinze and the precocious Portuguese centre back Pepe joining the ranks. The midfield has been bolstered through the arrival of Robben�s fellow countrymen Wesley Sneijder and Royston Drenthe, while an already impressive attack featuring Raul, Robinho and Ruud van Nistelrooy has been augmented through the capture of Argentine Javier Saviola.
Schuster, who was with Real Madrid for two years as a player, has created a sense of team spirit with the squad and, such is his influence and inspiration, I am confident that the new signings will acclimatise rapidly and that the result will be a cohesive side that play attractive football. I expect Real to have little trouble in sailing through their group, Group C, against Werder Bremen, Lazio and Olympiakos.
However, Man Utd simply cannot be ignored. For all that their start to the Premiership season hasn�t been as one would have hoped, it would be folly to even think of writing them off. This is their worst start to a season since the 1998/99 campaign, but we all know how that season ended: United went on to complete a glittering treble, winning this competition, in addition to the FA Cup and Premier League.
The Red Devils have had a disproportionate helping of bad luck in their opening few games domestically with Wayne Rooney incurring a broken metatarsal on the first day of the season in the Reading match, then playmaker-in-chief Cristiano Ronaldo was hit with a three-match ban after being sent off against Portsmouth, not to mention the absences of Gary Neville, Louis Saha and new signing Anderson.
That quintet will all be back in the mix by the time that this competition begins in earnest and although Group F isn�t one of the easiest with Roma, Sporting Lisbon and Dynamo Kiev in opposition, it would be a bitter disappointment if Sir Alex Ferguson�s men cannot emerge from this group on top. Roma certainly won�t look forward to playing United having been beaten 8-3 on aggregate by them at the quarter-final stage last term.
The current United set-up looks well equipped for the rigours of the Champions League. Carlos Tevez�s recent arrival has added much needed firepower to the ranks and he will be fully acclimatised by the time the group stages commence on September 18. In midfield Anderson and Hargreaves will be potent weapons, and Nani has already made a huge impact at Old Trafford. He is capable of terrorising the best of defences.
Sir Alex�s charges are confidently expected to outshine their fellow Premier League compatriots, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool, although the last-named club should give a good account, as they did when runners-up last year and winners in 2004/2005. Arsenal appears to be going through a transitional period and don�t appear strong enough, while Chelsea may lack the cutting edge of the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United.
The Rossoneri, AC Milan, once again proved what formidable opponents they are when it comes to the Champions League when eliminating United at the semi-final stage last year before going on to avenge their defeat in the �05 final against Liverpool by proving too strong for the Reds in Athens in May. Milan should have little trouble in progressing from Group D in which they will meet Benfica, Celtic and Shakhtar Donetsk, but their ageing squad may come unstuck in the latter stages this time.
Needless to say, penultimate winners of this, Barcelona, merit the utmost respect. With Thierry Henry joining an already star-studded team, the Catalan side are certainly worthy of their position as tournament favourites, albeit they are a bit too short for my liking at around the 9/2 mark. And Group E won�t be plain sailing for Barca as Lyon and Stuttgart will offer plenty of resistance. It will be hard going for Rangers, though.
Admittedly, coach Frank Rijkaard has a wealth of talent at his disposal and while it�s far from good news that striker Samuel Eto�o is set to be out of action at least until the end of October due to a tendon injury, if Henry, Messi and Ronaldo all remain fit then Barcelona will lack nothing in terms of firepower. I just wonder, though, whether collectively theses superstars will be effective as they look on paper�
This may sound like a case of clutching at straws, but Barca lacked consistency during 2006/07 and, consequently, I�m a layer rather than a backer at the odds on offer. Inter lifted the Serie A title this year but the critics have already been out in force after they were beaten by Roma in the Super Cup and were held to a draw by the comparative minnows that are Udinese on the opening day of their domestic campaign.
Roberto Mancini�s are a class side � the very fact that Adriano is currently fifth in the pecking order of their strikers is testament to that � so it�s premature to think that a stuttering start will debar a good Champions League innings. But, I can�t help feeling that while their passage to the knockout stage looks assured with PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and Fenerbahce for company in Group G, they too may be found out in the latter stages.
For those that like a dabble in the Champions League top goalscorer market, you could do a lot worse than have a wager on Real�s predatory Dutchman Ruud van Nistelrooy, who looks a solid option at 12/1 with Skybet. The former Man Utd man scored six times in seven Champions League appearances for the Spaniards last term when they were eliminated at that last 16 stage. Real and Ruud will both do better this time around I fancy.
Dylan Jenear, readaBet.com
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