Daily Success: The Detroit Lions Have Won A Competitive Football Game

Charlie Klein

Normally on this blog we like to highlight the particularly humourous failings of the professional sports world, and there are plenty we still have yet to cover. And yet today, instead of writing about how the Redskins failed, I wanted to take some time and give some love to the Detroit Lions for not failing, not today anyway.

Trust me, you are not the only one who is having a hard time remembering when the last time the Detroit Lions won a game. Much has happened in the space of time between December 23, 2007 and September 27, 2009. Mitch Albom's article in the Detroit Free Press provides a Detroit perspective on the historic occasion.

"After 644 losing days, 21 losing months, 18 losing Sundays, one losing Thursday, four starting quarterbacks, one fired coach, one tar-and-feathered team president and a million bad jokes about Detroit futility — after all that, the gun sounded on this last weekend of September, and our long, local nightmare was finally over.

The Lions won a game.

I swear."

Things that have happened since the Lions won their last game:

• The United States has had two Presidents
• Three different teams have won Super Bowls
• Brett Favre retired, unretired, re-retired, then unretired
• The wildcat was invented
• The Arizona Cardinals won a playoff game
• John Madden retired
• Three madden games have been released
• Rod Marinelli got fired
• The Red Wings went to two Stanley Cup Finals
• I completed two years of collegiate education
• Twitter was invented
• The iPhone 3G was invented
• The Detroit Lions have had at least three starting QB's (Kitna, Orlovski, Culpepper)
• Jeff Garcia has played for three teams.
• Mike Holmgren retired
• Terell Owens defended a quarterback
• Michael Vick was released from prison.
• Jim and Pam got together.

There are more but those are all I could come up with off the top of my head. Everyone will remember where they were the day they saw the Detroit Lions beat the Washington Redskins. I was on my dad's couch, celebrating. Detroit Lions, this Bud's for you. Roar Lions Roar, or whatever it is you guys do when you win. Maybe you don't remember the cheer either.

NFL Season Preview

Charlie Klein

With the NFL Regular Season ready to get under way within the next two hours, it is now time for my NFL season predictions, by division, and then of course a Super Bowl winner.

AFC EAST

1. New England Patriots

2. Miami Dolphins

3. New York Jets

4. Buffalo Bills

New England is the class of the division. With one team starting a rookie at QB (NYJ), another an inconsistent veteran (MIA), and the last having Team Obliterator (BUF) it makes the Patriots the easy pick to win the division. Brady to Moss could be even better than Montana (or Young) to Rice, and I'm not kidding.

AFC SOUTH

1. Tenessee Titans

2. Indiannapolis Colts

3. Houston Texans

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

I know, I know, you're yelling at me for picking the standings from last season so far, but honestly I see no change in the status quo. Tenessee has a top 5 NFL defense and a great tandem of running backs. Peyton Manning should still lead the Colts to the playoffs and I love Dallas Clark. I'm interested to see how Joseph Addai bounces back from a sub-par 2008 season. The bottom two teams are also decent but I do not see either making much noise.

AFC NORTH

1. Pittsburgh Steelers

2. Baltimore Ravens

3. Cinncinatti Bengals

4. Cleveland Browns

The two games between the Steelers and Ravens could be the best games we as football fans get to watch all season. And I mean that. Unless you like seeing games that are 45-41, you will love these games. And it is in these two games that the division will be decided. I have not seen anything to suggest that the Steelers will not win this again. I've even heard that James Harrison is even better than last season. As for the bottom two, the Bengals will be much improved so long as Carson Palmer stays healthy and their young defense comes of age. If not, there's always Chad Ochocinco to entertain. The Browns made a bad decision in hiring the Mangenius, who is witholding the name of their starting qb for absolutely no reason.

AFC WEST

1. San Diego Chargers

2. Kansas City Chiefs

3. Denver Broncos

4. Oakland Raiders

Everyone except the Chargers in this division is awful. The second place team in this division, which could be any of the remaining three, will have no more than six wins.

NFC EAST

1. New York Giants

2. Philadelphia Eagles

3. Dallas Cowboys

4. Washington Redskins

The so-called best division in football is really a two-horse race in my mind. I honestly just don't see it from Dallas this year. I know they have DeMarcus Ware and Marion Barber and Jessica Simpson's ex, but honestly I think that their spineless coach Wade Phillips will be their downfall. As for the best of the division, I have to go with the Giants. Even though they don't have a number one receiver (which never prevented the Eagles from winning the division) they still have a stellar defense, a bulldozer in the backfield (Brandon Jacobs), and a franchise quarterback ready to fully assume the mantle. While the Eagles definitely improved their receiving corps by adding Jeremy Maclin to the tandem of Kevin Curtis and DeSean Jackson, there are too many questions about their offensive line and the health of Brian Westbrook. I still think they make the playoffs, but I just don't see them winning the division.

NFC SOUTH

1. Atlanta Falcons

2. Carolina Panthers

3. New Orleans Saints

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I really like what the Falcons have put together in the past few years. They have a legitimate triple threat on offense in Matt Ryan (QB), Michael Turner (RB), and Roddy White (WR). Then they went out and traded for future Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez. The Panthers will hang tough but I have not been convinced by the play of Jake Delhomme in the preseason and are an injury to DeAngelo Williams away from being a distant second in this division. The bottom two of this division are not going to offer much this season. I picked the Saints over the Buccs just because the Na' Leans boys have much more certainty at QB in Drew Brees.

NFC NORTH

1. Green Bay Packers

2. Minnesota Vikings

3. Chicago Bears

4. Detroit Lions

For me there is no clear-cut winner in the NFC Norrest. It could be any of the top three. I picked the Packers for three reasons: 1) I, like everyone else, believe that Aaron Rodgers is on the verge of becoming a top quarterback in the game 2) Rodgers has the best receivers in the division (Jennings and Driver) and 3) I personally dislike the other two QB's (Favre and Cutler). The Packers have the best overall package and regardless of how nice the Vikes defense may or may not be, I don't see that being a major dealbreaker.

NFC WEST

1. Seattle Seahawks

2. Arizona Cardinals

3. San Francisco 49ers

4. St. Louis Rams

Call it a homer pick, call it what you will, but the Hawks are legitimate contenders this season. The offseason authored by Tim Ruskell is one of his best to date. The Seahawks added two good defensive tackles (an area of weakness last season) in Colin Cole and Cory Redding and drafted the best player in the 2009 NFL Draft in OLB Aaron Curry. Combine that with the sack master Patrick Kerney, All-Pro middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, and Pro Bowler Marcus Trufant and you have a recipe for success. And I almost forgot, the Seahawks added T.J. Houshmandzadeh to a great receiving corps. Plus, Matt Hasselbeck is healthy. As for the rest of the teams in the division, I do not think that Kurt Warner can pull two straight injury-free seasons together. Sure Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are the best 1-2 receiving tandem in the NFL, but for the Cardinals I'll believe it when I see it. In San Francisco they want winners, but they have none. And the Rams are just a bad team.

AFC PLAYOFF PICTURE

1. New England Patriots

2. Pittsburgh Steelers

3. Tennessee Titans

4. San Diego Chargers

5. Baltimore Ravens

6. Indiannapolis Colts

NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE

1. New York Giants

2. Seattle Seahawks

3. Atlanta Falcons

4. Green Bay Packers

5. Philadelphia Eagles

6. Carolina Panthers

AFC CHAMPION: PITTSBURGH STEELERS

NFC CHAMPION: NEW YORK GIANTS

SUPER BOWL CHAMPION: NEW YORK GIANTS

Hate it or love it, just comment on it.

Weekly Fail: Chelsea FC

Charlie Klein

English Premier League flavour of the week Chelsea FC have been banned by FIFA, world football's governing body, from two transfer windows following their illegal pursuit and signing of Lens' Gael Kakuta in 2007.

In spite of being warned that the signing of Kakuta would result in severe sanctions, Chelsea proceeded with signing their 2008 Youth Academy Scholar of the Year. Lens former general manager Francis Collado said, "I warned them this was going to happen. People used to think that nothing could happen to big clubs like Chelsea, AC Milan, Real Madrid or Barcelona."

According to Collado, who left Lens ten months ago, "They said take this (a sum of money attempted to silence Lens) and shut up. I rejected it and said watch out gentleman under the rules you risk, first of all, a fine and you risk a ban on transfers."

As it turns out, Collado was right. This ruling begs the question, is a 15 year-old 'prodigal' talent like Kakuta worth breaking FIFA rules in order to sign? That is very debatable. Surely Chelsea will rue their decision should FIFA deny their appeal, as especially for a team such as their's which is older and more injury prone than the other big four sides, it could lead to a drop from the top and the Champions League. But if Kakuta turns into a Zidane or Henry, it could be worth all this trouble.

The ruling made by FIFA begs questions of Arsenal's pursuit of every youngster in world football. Surely Chelsea cannot be the only big club to be guilty of such skulduggery. It is almost comical in a way how foolish Chelsea have been in this matter.

Housekeeping

Editorial Staff

Before we get into any other announcements, I would just like to give some recognition to one of our contributing writers John Quirk for landing a job working for CBS Sportsline writing about collegiate sports. We are all proud of the work he has done and will continue to do for this blog and are not surprised that CBS Sportsline saw fit to employ this man. We wish him the best of luck.

My apologies for not posting as regularly as you are accustomed to seeing at The Truth Blog. With our suddenly much more busy schedules it has been difficult to manage keeping you up to date on the latest sports analysis and news and also doing our school work. This conflict illustrates the massive amount of time that a journalist must dedicate to his work.

The blog's publication will now change into a more weekly format, meaning that at every weekend there will be a bevy of content available for you to peruse. There will be midweek posts as time allows, but most of the content will be published on the weekends.

Thank you for sticking with us through this slow time in our blog's short history. I hope you continue to check our blog as we now shift into MLB playoff races, NCAA football and NFL football openings, and the usual European football updates.

ESPN2 Making The Right Call With Soccer Saturday and Sunday

Puneet Singh

ESPN2 recently signed a deal with SkySports News to broadcast one or two games each Saturday from the English Premier League, the top footballing league in England. Last week Sky Sports reached a deal with La Liga (Primera Divison) to have rights to broadcast their games on Sundays. Sky Sports then passed this off to ESPN2 as a part of the first deal.

In conclusion; anyone who has ESPN2 can now watch Premier League action on Saturday mornings and La Liga action on Sundays.

While this may not be a big deal to some, footballing fans in the US should be rejoicing. The oppurtunity to watch two of the top leagues in the world (sorry Serie A) is now available to almost anyone who pays for cable.

This bodes well not just for soccer fans but Americans in general. Let's face it, has anyone ever been up on a Saturday or Sunday from 7:30 am to 9 am? If you have and ever turned on ESPN2 you'll notice that it's either fishing, bowling, Nascar or drag racing on tv.

Now let's be serious for one second? Is it more beneficial to gain exposure for a sport that's on the rise in the US (soccer) or wasting time on a whole bunch of nonsense that A.) No one cares about or B.) Isn't Entertaining.

By signing up the two biggest leagues in the world right now, US fans will get exposure to teams like Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Valencia to name a few. Not only do these teams score goals, but they play entertaining football; something that will entertain and keep ther view captivated as opposed to someone sitting on a boat waiting for a fish to bite. (no offense)

When it's all said and done both ESPN2 and the US audience's will be winners. ESPN2 will fetch ratings and American's will slowly begin to follow it. Moving soccer to a cable access channel is the best thing ESPN2 has done in awhile. Now if only we could get the NHL on it.....

Madrid Sell Two Dutchmen, But Were They The Wrong Ones?

Puneet Singh

With the saga of Wesley Sneijder to Inter Milan finally over, people can stop reading the mularky of his on and off deal with the La Beneamata. Jose Mourinho finally captured his man and for a cut rate price of £15 million, a steal for the dynamic dutchman. He'll be a staple in the center of the park making a nice duo with either Sulley Muntari or Esteban Cambaiasso. Madrid's loss.

In addition to Madrid selling Sneijder to Inter, they also found it necessary to sell Arjen Robben; this time in a deal to Bayern Munich for £25 million and nothing in a deal that solidifies Franck Ribery coming to the Bernabeau.

Wesley Sneijder was purchased for £27 million while Robben was brought in for £24 million, meaning a combined £51 million for the Dutch duo. The fact that they were sold a lot cheaper than what they should've been sold at shows that Madrid are just trying to minimize their debt from their lavish sprending spree this summer. (Those who argue that there is a £1 million profit on Robben must realize he can fetch at least £30 million if Madrid weren't desperate to move him).

Their sales were an insult to both the players and Madrid supporters.

Sneijder is a world class CM and was vital to Madrid's success in 2007-2008. He insisted over and over again that he didn't want to leave, yet was forced out the door by Florentino Perez.

The case of Robben is much worse. Robben is by many standards amongst the top wingers in the world; in the same conversation as Franck Ribery, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. While Messi and Ronaldo are on their own planet, Robben is only a notch below them. A proven success in the Premier League with Chelsea and then his successful run in La Liga with Madrid, he is one of Holland's more accomplished players. With all the big names coming to Madrid this summer, Robben was the one who's spot was supposidely safe and wouldn't be sold.

Little did we know that two of Madrid better and consistent performers would be sold.

Robben and Ribery on the flanks for Bayern will give them THE BEST Winger tandem in all of the world. A midfield of Ribery-Van Bommel-Schweinsteiger-Robben is better than most can imagine. Great pickup for Bayern as it is a steal.

With Sneijder to Inter, Jose is handing him the keys to the offense and letting him be the playmaker for Eto'o, Milito and Ballotelli.

The big question now arises. Why were two players who could fight for and deserve a place on the Madrid squad sold, when two players who clearly want out (Rafael Van Der Vaart and Ruud Van Nistelrooy) are still here?

Pellegrini said himself that he wanted Van Der Vaart out and Sneijder to stay. Sneijder offers more to the team with his versatility, work rate and skill than Van Der Vaart does. Even Esteban Granero has more to offer than Van Der Vaart. And Van Nistelrooy now seems the odd man out with the addition of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain and Raul still at forward.

It is still possible that Van Der Vaart and Van Nistelrooy both leave too? More than likely yes. But how do Madrid fix the sale of Wes and Arjen? Hopefully Guti can turn the clock back and De La Red's condition gets better or they have a gem in the Cantera. Otherwise, when someone goes down, they're gonna be thin on the flanks and kiss the creativity good bye.

Brandon Marshall On His Way Out of The Mile High City?

Puneet Singh

With Brandon Marshall's suspension this morning from the Denver Bronco's it looks like this marriage is slowly but surely over.

Things hit rock bottom yesterday in practice when Marshall was clearly dogging it and blocking the ball as opposed to catching it as he is paid to do. On top of that, he went off and punted a ball some 20 yards away for no apparent reason.

Here's video footage of the incident and analysis from ESPN (fast forward to 0:55 to see his antics):

As you can see Marshall wasn't doing his proper duty to be a good citizen. Both him and management have been at odds for awhile now over a contract and his habits and with the trade of Jay Cutler this offseason, it should be a message that no one player is bullet proof in the Josh McDaniels era.

In addition to Marshall's on field antics, he hasn't been a good sumaritan off the field. I'd go into detail about his trouble with the law, but I'll leave it to this link (<---click there) to explain his exploits.

Time to look at what teams desperately needs a WR and what is the market value for the embattled WR:

Denver is asking for a 1st AND 4th rounder. Based on his numbers it's well deserved. The last two years Marshall has posted numbers of 102 catches for 1,325 yards and 7 TDs in 2007 and 104 catches for 1,265 and 6 TDs. Clearly All-Pro numbers given that he was 23 and 24 when he posted those numbers. Unfortunately given his habit for getting in trouble with the law and management, the Broncos should be fortunate to get a 1st and 5th or multiple 2nd/3rd/4th round choices.

Now onto who needs a WR: NY Giants, Chicago Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, NY Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Tenneessee Titans and The Jacksonville Jaguars.

You can cross off the Rams Bears, Browns, and Bucs off this list. The Ram's could use a new WR now that the "Greatest Show on Turf" has officially ended with Torry Holt being cut and signing with the Jags. Will they pay the price? They have too many other holes to fill on defense and the O-Line for the next coming years that it doesn't make sense to mortage it for a WR. So the Rams will be out of it. The Bears probably can't afford him given they just traded off a lot to get Cutler from the Broncos, and the Browns and Bucs both have young QB's in Brady Quinn and Josh Freeman and the last thing they'd want to do is rattle a young QB by bringing in a a loudmouthed headcase to the lockeroom.

The Giants JUST finished dealing with Plexico Burress. However, the need for WR is so apparent. Their WR group consists of Sinorice Moss, Mario Manningham, Steve Smith, Domick Hixon and David "One Catch Brought Me Fame" Tyree. Clearly there is no number one in that group, although Manningham has the potential to develop into one. Can the Giant's hustle the Broncos and afford him? Absolutely. Do Coughlin and Manning want to deal with another headache? Desperate times call for desperate measures. By week 3 we'll know.

There have been mumurs in Jet's camp about Marshall. He would be an instant number 1 there and further help Jerricho Cotchery and Mark Sanchez. Rex Ryan is knowing for handling brash personalities well (see: Ray Lewis) so handling an ego and attitude like Marshall shouldn't be too big of a task for the first year head coach.

The Ravens are a class organization. Ozzie Newsome only brings in players who are going to be upstanding people. Just by that Marshall doesn't fit. But the Ravens are so desperate for a WR anything is possible, whether it be a player and low level pick going to the Broncos or just moving draft picks to the Bronco's to give Flacco a target for the next 4 to 5 years.

Although the Titans are content at WR, the oppurtunity to land an unprecedented number one is hard to turn down. They have one major headcase of their own in Vince Young and because of that I don't see them making a move.

The Jacksonville Jaguars landed a jewel in Torry Holt this offseason. Pairing him and Marshall together would give them a 1-2 similar to Holt-Bruce from the glory days in St. Louie. Problem is, the Jags have had their share of terrible WRs with law problems over the last few years and with Jack Del Rio on the hotseat this year, I doubt he makes a move that will further put his job into jepordy.

Final Guess: Brandon Marshall will be a NY Giant no later than Week 2. The Giant's desperately need a WR and Denver is fully into shopping Marshall's services at this moment. This deal makes too much sense to not happen now.

UEFA Awards, Champions League Draw for 2009 And A Preview

Puneet Singh

Here's a recap of today's events in the footballing world dealing with the Champions League meeting that was held in Monaco, France.

Awards:

UEFA Goal Keeper of The Year: Edwin Van Der Sar, Manchester United (ENG).

Runners Up: Petr Cech of Chelsea FC (ENG) and Victor Valdes of FC Barcelona (ESP)

(Presented by Victor Maia, keeper for the 2004 FC Porto team that won the CL that year.)

UEFA Defender of The Year: John Terry, Chelsea FC (ENG).

Runners Up: Nemanja Vidic, Manchester United (ENG) and Gerard Pique, FC Barcelona (ESP).

(Presented by Paolo Maldini, Five Time winner, Eight Time Finalist during his 25 year career; all of which was with AC Milan.)

UEFA Midfielder of The Year: Xavi Hernandez, FC Barcelona (ESP).

Runners Up: Andres Iniesta, FC Barcelona (ESP) and Steven Gerard, Liverpool FC (ENG).

(Presented by Luis Figo, winner of the 2002 Champions League with Real Madrid.)

UEFA Forward of The Year: Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona (ESP).

Runners Up: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United (ENG) and Samuel Eto'o, FC Barcelona (ESP).

(Presented by Denis Law, winner of the 1968 European Cup with Manchester United).

European Footballer of The Year: Lionel Messi, FC Barcelona (ESP).

Runners Up: Xavi Hernandez, FC Barcelona (ESP), John Terry, Chelsea FC (ENG) and Edwin Van Der Sar, Manchester United (ENG).

In addition to these awards, Paolo Maldini was given a lifetime achievemant award, presented by Michel Platini. This award was to celebrate his 25 year career in which Maldini carried himself and his team with Pride, Honor and Respect as well as all the accolades he had earned over those years.

Champions League Draw.

The pots were broken down as follows:

POT 1:

Manchester United FC (ENG)

Liverpool FC (ENG)

FC Sevilla (ESP)

Chelsea FC (ENG)

FC Barcelona (ESP)

FC Bayern Munich (GER)

Arsenal FC (ENG)

AC Milan (ITA)

POT 2:

Olympique Lyonnais (FRA)

Juventus FC (ITA)

Real Madrid CF (ESP)

CSKA Moskow (RUS)

FC Porto (POR)

Internaziole FC (ITA)

Glasgow Ranger (SCO)

AZ Alkmaar (NED)

POT 3:

Atletico Madrid CF (ESP)

Olympiacos FC (GRE)

Vfb Stuttgart (GER)

Dinaymo Kiev (UKR)

ACF Fiorentina (ITA)

Olympique Marsaille CF (FRA)

Besjtikas CF (TUR)

Girdons Bordeaux FC (FRA)

POT 4:

Macabbi Haifa FC (ISR)

FC Zurich (SWI)

VfL Wolfsburg (GER)

Standard de Liege (BEL)

FC Rubin Kazan (RUS)

AFC Unirea Urziceni (ROM)

Debreceni FC (HUN)

Apoel FC (CYP)

One team from each pot is distributed towards a group going from letters A-H. Teams from the same country cannot play each other meaning, in the likelihood that Lyon (Pot 2) and Bordeaux (Pot 3) or Munich (Pot 1) and Wolfsburg (Pot 4) were placed together, they would null it and move it to a different spot. Also, teams from the same country cannot be playing on the same day. They'd be distributed evenly 1-1 or 2-2.

The Groups are as follows: (the number in parenthesis tells what number they were called out of from their respective pot)

Group A: (2) FC Bayern Munich, (7) Juventus FC, (2) Girdons Bordeaux FC, (8) Maccabi Haifa.

Group B: (3) Manchester United FC, (8) CSKA Moskow, (3) Besjtikas FC, (4) VfL Wolfsburg.

Group C: (5) AC Milan, (2) Real Madrid CF, (8) Olympique Marsaille, (6) FC Zurich.

Group D: (6) Chelsea FC, (1) FC Porto, (6) Atletico Madrid CF, (5) Apoel FC.

Group E: (1) Liverpool FC, (3) Olympique Lyonnais, (4) ACF Fiorentina, (3) Debreceni FC.

Group F: (7) FC Barcelona, (4) FC Internaziole (Inter Milan), (5) Dinaymo Kiev, (7) FC Rubin Kazan.

Group G:(8) FC Sevilla, (5) Glasgow Rangers, (1) VfB Stuttgart, (2) AFC Unirea Urziceni.

Group H: (4) Arsenal FC, (6) AZ Alkmaar, (7) Olympiacos FC, (1) Standard de Liege.

Group Analysis

Group A:

A contender for the group of death.

Juventus has built their squad up excentelly this past transfer window adding a key defender in Fabio Cannavaro's return to the Bianconeri and the addition of two brazilian playmakers in Diego and Felipe Melo. Already with a good attack force, Juve has built the complete squad this summer to not only contend for the Scudetto domestically but to make a monster run in the Champions League, similar to their glory years.

Like Juventus, Bayern too is a well rounded squad that has made some key additions, their biggest being keeping Franck Ribery in the Allainz Arena for at least this season. In addition to that, they have added a proven Bundesliga talent in Mario Gomez to replace the outgoing Lukas Podolski. With Lucio being replaced by the youngster Breno and Bastian Schweinsteiger taking over Ze Roberto's role, Bayern are a legitate challenger out of this group and possibly even further if they can manage to finish the signing of the Dutch wizard Arjen Robben.

Bordeaux are a young upstart group led by the French phenom Yohan Gourcouff and the Moracan forward Maroune Chamakh, both of whom have yet to hit their prime. With a balanced team, Bordeaux is a middle of the tier club in this competition.

Sadly for Maccabi Haifa, I will not beat around the bush; the chances of them advancing out of this group are slim to none. Let's put it this way, there's a better chance of Stoke City winning the Premier League this season than Haifa winning the Champions League. Although a good team in their league, they just cannot match up against the biggest of the giants.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Juve 2.) Bayern Munich. Europa League: Bordeaux. Eliminated: Macabbi Haifa.

Group B:

The battle for #2 will be a fun and entertaining scrap.

This should be a cake walk for United, making it easier for them to rest their starters significantly for the latter stages. They have a squad built for this type of competition with all the depth and talent they possess and will be more hungry coming off their disappointing loss in the previous CL Final, after winning it the year before.

CSKA is a power, but nothing to the upper echelon extent. They boast a squad of Vagner Love, Danny Carvalho, Igor Afinfeev and Mark Gonzalez; all skilled players that have been in the CL before and played against good opponents in Inter Milan and Liverpool in recent times.

Besjtikas is a squad built on home grown talent mixed with some outside internationals. Sadly they will come up short as Nihat, Delgado, Bobo and Matteo Ferrari cannot carry this entire team.

The final team in this group is VfL Wolfsburg. This is a team that can do damage to this entire group including Manchester United. You can build an all national team out of their players. Talented, proven and a strong unit they will be the team to advance along side United. Boasting forwards Edin Dzeko, Obafemi Martins, and Grafite and a defense of Ricardo Costa, Cristian Zaccardo and Andrea Bargzali they've got both ends of the ball covered very well.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Manchester United 2) VfL Wolfsburg. Europa League: CSKA Moskow. Eliminated: Besjtikas.

Group C:

The second contestent for the "Group Of Death" label.

AC Milan finally returns to battle the big boys after taking a year off and playing in the UEFA cup last year. With the additions of Oguchi Oneywu, Thiago Silva, and Klass Jan-Huntelaar, they add some much needed youth to their squad. Kaka leaving for Madrid will be a huge hole to fill; luckily they have Ronaldinho to give it a shot. A good veteran midfield in Gattuso, Pirlo, Seedorf, Flamini, a solid backline and world class forwards, Milan will be sure to tell everyone of their return to the Champions League.

Real Madrid are favorites for this year. Wanna know why? Kaka. Ronaldo. Alonso. Benzema. Bernabeau. With the additions of four mega stars and superstar talents to go with their other new additions of Raul Albiol and Arbeloa, Madrid have filled up every hole possible and then some. With an offensive minded coach finally running the show, Madrid will go as far as their legs and will let them. Having the final at their home ground gives them that much more reason to succeed this year more than ever.

Take a look at some players Olympique Marsaille have sold over the last years: Karim Ziani, Franck Ribery, Samir Nasri, Djibril Cisse, Aroudon Kone. World class talent at its finest. While they still have players in Bakari Kone, Mattieu Valbuena, Lucho Gonzalez and Haten Ben Arfa, they will fall a weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee bit short this year. Nothing to be disappointed about as they have a young talented squad, as long as they decide to keep it together.

This is FC Zurich's 1st time in this competition. That gives you an idea of what chance they have.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Madrid 2) Milan. Europa League: Marsaille. Eliminated: FC Zurich.

Group D:

The last group of death from this year's draw. A lot of entertaining and exciting football in this group.

Chelsea have a coach. A coach who has not only won this a few years back, but a coach who has some idea of how to run a team. Carlo Ancelloti has brought a whole new mentality to the Chelsea locker room. With no big name addition this offseason, the Pensioner's couldn't add a player to the likes of Kaka or Sergio Aguero so Ancelloti came up with an idea his predescesors(AV Grant and Phil Scolari) couldn't; adapt new tactics. He has Chelsea up and running and with that core in place for the past several years, the chemistry is there.

FC Porto are like Marsaille; selling away some amazing talent, but some how always qualifying for CL the next year. This season looks a little bleak however, selling both Lisandro Lopez and Lucho Gonzalez. Although they added the Columbian sensation Falcao from River Plate, they could use another forward.

Atletico Madrid quite possibly have one of the world's best forward duo's in Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan. Both have a knack for scoring goals, especially Forlan who just won the Pinchini award as La Liga's top scorer as well as the European Gold Shoe. While the backline may be makeshift, it is still decent and make up for it with a strong midfield featuring Simao and Maxi Rodriguez.

This is Apoel FC's first time in the Champions League. They better be prepared to get some lumps as Chelsea and Atletico will give them a struggle.

Predicitions: Advancing: 1) Chelsea 2) Atletico Madrid. Europa League: FC Porto. Eliminated: Apoel FC.

Group E:

Could this be the year that the Scouser's hit a knock? A "trap group" for all parties involved.

Liverpool are struggling so far in their Premier League campaign. Is that a sign of things to come this year? With the sales of Alonso and Arbeloa and the signings of Alberto Aquilani and Glen Johnson to replace them one would guess they'd be in good shape right? Not at all apparently. Liverpool fans will soon learn that Aquilani cannot even sniff Xabi Alonso's boots and that Aquilani does not possess a killer ball like the Spaniard did. Same with Arbeloa, Johnson doesn't have the mental toughness and grit that the Spanish international possessed. Couple these developing problems with the fact that the backline is thin due to injuries to both Daniel Agger and Martin Skrytel and this could be a quick exit for the Merseysiders.

Some would think selling your best young player who's eventually going to develop in a dynamo forward is a potentially bad thing? Well not for Olympique Lyonnais' luck. With the sale of Karim Benzema to Real Madrid, Lyon purchased forward Lisandro Lopez from FC Porto, LB Aly Cissokho from FC Porto and LM Michel Bastos from Lille. These three have already helped Lyon get through the qualifying stages and figure to be a staple in the French squad for as long as they hope to stay. The loss of Juninho will hurt, but their is depth with Ederson and Kim Kallstrom. This is the strongest Lyon have looked in awhile on the European stage. That say's a lot.

Alberto Gilardino of Fiorentina wanted the big dogs this year and he surely got it. Liverpool will undoubtadely prove a test for the Florence based squad as will Lyon who knocked Fiorentina out last year of the group stages. Depth is the key. Even with the loss of Felipe Melo to Italian rivals Juve, Fiorentina still boast a squad featuring good forwards (Adrian Mutu and Gilardino) and a world class keeper in Sebastian Frey. With Cesar Prandelli a magician as a coach anything is possible with this bunch.

FC Debreceni is another new comer. With these three powers in here, they'll be fortunate to walk away with one point.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Lyon 2) Liverpool. Europa League: Fiorentina. Eliminated: FC Debreceni.

Group F:

Heavyweights and The Eastern European Block.

The reigning champions come back looking better than ever. Barca added anther player in Zlatan Ibrahimovic although at the expense of Samuel Eto'o. They bring back the same exact sqaud with a few minor changes. Dymoto Chygrynskiy may be on his way in on Saturday, giving Barca another holding mid with the ability to play CB. They also added a top quality attacking LB in Maxwell from Inter. All these additions make them that much more lethal than last year. Think about that.

Inter Milan may have benefitted from selling Ibrahimovic. It brought in Eto'o and 40 million euros. With those 40 million it help to fund the purchases of Diego Milito, Thiago Motta, Lucio, Kerlon, Marko Arnautovic and possibly the addition of Wesley Sneijder as soon as tomorrow. A 4-2-3-1 looking like this: GK: Julio Cesar || RB: Maicon CB: Lucio CB: Samuel LB: Chivu || CM: Muntari/Cambiasso CM: Sneijder/Motta || RM: Mancini/Zanetti LM: Quaresma/Arnautovic CF: Eto'o/Kerlon || ST: Milito/Ballotelli. This team is built for the long haul and can battle with any team in Europe.

Kiev are based heavily on homegrown Ukraine players and they have had small success in Europe. It'll get them far, but not as much as one would hope. Europa League seems likely for them, where they have a better chance to contend.

FC Rubin Kazan of the Russian Super League. Never heard of them? Tells you all you need to know for this team. Maybe they battle it out with Kiev for that Europa League spot. MAYBE

Predictions: 1) Barcelona 2) Inter Milan. Europa League: Dynamo Kiev. Eliminated: FC Rubin Kazan.

Group G:

Between three middle of the pack teams, this can go anyway.

You can label Sevilla the favorite of this group. They have one of the top strikers in all of Europe and the world in Luis Fabiano. In addition to that, they also possess to up and coming wingers in Diego Capel and Jesus Navas. With a solid squad year in and year out and Fabiano in his prime, they should win Group G with ease. Don't expect a thorough march through Europe though; their backline may be sufficient enough to get through the group stages, but if they have to face any team with a good strike for (ie; Barca, Madrid, United) it will be a quick exit for the Spanish side.

Glasgow Rangers are no strangers to this competition. They've been in this competition or the UEFA cup for the last decade. With a blend of good midfielders (DaMarcus Beasley, Pedro Mendes) and a forward in Kris Boyd who has a knack for scoring goals in bunches, Rangers FC should be a stern test for anyone, whether it be Champions League or if they play in Europa League. With a veteran and tactical coach in Walter Smith, they should be able to make it a good fight in the Group Stages.

VfB Stuttgart have world class players and are coming off a successful campaign in the Bundesliga finishing 3rd and qualifying for this tourney. Selling their top scorer in Mario Gomez certainly hurts, but they still possess a solid team with Jens Lehman, Khalid Bhoularouz, Jan Simek, Thomas Hitzelberger, Boka, Elson and the newly acquired Alexsander Hleb. With a veteran keeper in Lehman who apparently still has something left in the tank and good Champions League experience and Hleb coming off CL glory with Barca, they have a winning and determined mindset in that lockerroom.

With AFC Unirea Urziceni, its the same story again. New comer into CL play. Although I don't expect them to advance, I still expect them to put up the best of fights compared to most of the other new teams in this tourney. Walking away with 5-6 points is possible and a good start for someone new into a big stage like this.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Sevilla 2) Vfb Stuttgart. Europa League: Glasgow Rangers. Eliminated: AFC Unirea Urziceni.

Group H:

The "Pancake" Group.

Arsenal fans and players have to be ecstatic. This is the easiest of the groups in this years draw. This bodes well for the Gunners as Wenger can experiment with tactics, formations and players to get a feel for how he can move about in the knockout rounds. Also this gives him a good chance to rest injured stars whomever me pick up a knock of so. With Eduardo running at full pace and Bedtner promising a plethora of goals, this would be the perfect time for those two to build chemistry and an understanding with one another, which will ultimately help them in the long run. One key concern in the backline; selling Toure leaves them thin with only Gallas and Vermaeleen as their CBs and no other reliable source. (Note: I didn't say they didn't have an able body to put there, they don't have anyone of quality who could make a difference).

AZ Alkmaar are making their first ever appearence in the Champions League. Believe me when I say they have the talent to make magic as they just won the Dutch Erdivisie last year. The loss of trainer/tactician Louis Van Gaal will hurt, especially because they replaced him with Ronald Koeman; yes the same Ronald Koeman who almost managed to wipe Valencia CF off the face of the planet. If Van Gaal was still here, I could give them a thumbs up to do something. Sadly he's not and Koeman will more than likely guide them to Europa League.

Another old face in this tournament is none other than Olympiacos CF Piraeus. Always coming through VIA winning the Greek League, almost every year the Greek Giants boast a formidable squad. Names like Rivaldo have at one time suited up for the team. This year, Olympiacos boast a talented and tested team featuring; Olof Mellberg, Luciano Galletti, Oscar, Diogo, Matt Derbeyshire, Raul Bravo, Dudu Cearense, Enzo Maresca and Cristian Ledesma; all big time players and talented as well. Although these are some big name players they will struggle when they meet a formidable squad such as Bayern Munich or Juventus.

Standard de Liege are also marking their first appearence in CL play. They lost their top defender in Oguchi Oneywu which certainly will not help. Expect a quick and quiet exit from the Belgium side.

Predictions: Advancing: 1) Arsenal 2) Olypiacos CFP. Europa League: AZ Alkmaar. Eliminated: Standard de Liege.

And there you have it there are the predictions for this years draw. One final thing to look at which stands out this year more than ever; storylines. And there are two that will capture every headline.

REAL MADRID VS A.C. MILAN

Kaka going back to Milan. One can only imagine the reception he will receive; nothing but warmth and love for the former Rosseneri player. Remember he never fully wanted to leave, but it was said to have been beneficial to Milan in the long run. With Kaka playing against his former mates, the same will be the case for "The Hunter" Klaas Jan-Huntelaar. One can state, Huntelaar wasn't given a fair shake during his stay at the White House, but let's be honest; he was a panic buy by Ramon Calderon. Now at Milan, he can see proper minutes and work with another up and comer in Alexander Pato. Madrid fans will be indifferent with Klaas, as he never exactly set the world on fire during his stay at the Bernabeau.

INTERNAZIOLE VS FC BARCELONA

'Samu' comes home to visit the Blaungra. Ibra'cadbra takes stroll through Milan again. Eto'o will be received with cry and tears, maybe some jeers. During his tenure at the Nou Camp, no matter how enigmatic he was, he was still loved by the Barca fans for his ability to score goals in key games (something Barca fans will learn this year that Zlatan doesn't possess in his arsenal). It was a bitter exit marked by a lot of "he said" "she said" non-sense between Joan Laporta and Pep Guardiola. As the exit was tough for Eto'o, the same cannot be said for Inter; management and fans for ready to cash in on another enigmatic figure for the chance at 40 million euros and forward who has a penance for scoring big goals and goals in bunches. It's easier to see who was happier when this was all said and done.

And there you have it, a full recap of everything and what's in stores. CL recaps will be posted after matchdays with analysis and possibly video footage.