LONDON: After breezing through last season’s group stage without breaking a sweat, Champions League defending champion Manchester United’s dream of a fourth European Cup will be imperiled if it stumbles at Aalborg today.
The title defense began with Villarreal frustrating the Red Devils with a 0-0 draw at Old Trafford in a repeat of the Spaniards’ results against the English team in the 2005 competition.
And today’s group match in Denmark — one of 16 this week — will also revive memories of the defeat at FC Copenhagen at this stage two years ago.
United’s struggle hasn’t been confined to Europe, taking just eight points from the first five matches in its Premier League defense.
“Having dropped two points in our first game it is important we get it right against Aalborg,” United manager Alex Ferguson said. “They are playing Manchester United, they will have a sellout crowd and the whole town will be up for it. Danish clubs are always battlers.”
Group E is a stalemate after Celtic, which is at Villarreal, also held Aalborg 0-0 two weeks ago.
Nine-time European champion Real Madrid travels to UEFA Cup holder Zenit St. Petersburg sitting second in the Spanish league after its fourth straight victory. Madrid beat newcomer BATE Borisov of Belarus 2-0 in unconvincing fashion in the Group H opener, and will be without influential midfielders Wesley Sneijder and Jose Maria “Guti” Gutierrez in Russia.
Zenit’s entrance on the Champions League stage ended in a 1-0 defeat at Juventus, and coach Dick Advocaat needs a positive response to Madrid now the Russians’ domestic title defense is over.
Coming off two draws in Serie A, Juventus visits BATE without goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon (thigh), and surgery on both knees will keep striker David Trezeguet out until next year.
“We’ve made mistakes and we’ve paid for them,” Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini said. “But I think we’re on the right road and slowly but surely we’ll be able to win again.”
Especially with BATE still getting to grips with the elite opponents.
“As in Madrid, we do not know what to expect from our opponents — we had never before played against such teams,” coach Viktor Goncharenko said.
The champions of Germany and France meet in Group F, with Bayern Munich eager to make up for its second straight Bundesliga loss against Lyon. Juergen Klinsmann’s team began by beating Steaua Bucharest and is alert to the danger posed by Lyon striker Karim Benzema, who should play despite a slight ankle knock Saturday.
Steaua’s focus will be on stymieing striker Alberto Gilardino when the Romanian club visits Fiorentina. The Italy international scored two of his six goals this campaign in the 2-2 draw with Lyon in the first round of matches.
Arsene Wenger will shake up his Arsenal lineup against FC Porto after his side surrendered the Premier League top spot after an unexpected loss to newcomer Hull on Saturday.
“There will be changes on Tuesday, certainly,” Wenger said.
Arsenal captain William Gallas salvaged a 1-1 draw when Group G began at Dinamo Kiev.
Fenerbahce plays Kiev coming off three losses in five games domestically — the Turks’ worst start in 20 years.
Having stunned AS Roma 2-1, Chelsea fears CFR Cluj repeating its eye-catching Champions League debut when May’s beaten finalist travels to Romania.
“If Cluj can win away from home then we are in danger,” said Luiz Felipe Scolari, whose Chelsea team swept past Bordeaux 4-0.
After Barcelona’s worst start to a season for 35 years, new coach Pep Guardiola has reversed the team’s slump by finding the offensive rhythm that was initially lacking.
Barcelona kickstarted the revival with a 3-1 win over Sporting Lisbon and the Catalans can put themselves in command of Group C at Ukraine’s Donetsk, which opened by beating FC Basel 2-1.
Five-time champion Liverpool can effectively end PSV Eindhoven’s campaign and smooth its progression with a victory at Anfield. The Dutch side was beaten 3-0 by Atletico Madrid as the Reds opened with a 2-1 win at Marseille.
“It was really disappointing to start the campaign with such a heavy home defeat,” PSV coach Huub Steven said. “Going to Liverpool will be even more difficult.”
Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho lost his first derby against city rival AC Milan on Sunday as he prepares to meet Werder Bremen.
Inter controls Group B thanks to its 2-0 victory at Panathinaikos, while Anorthosis Famagusta of Cyprus announced its Champions League debut by holding Bremen to a scoreless draw in Germany.
