Barca bid for second champions title

PARIS – Spanish giants Barcelona are looking to strike a psychological blow to the numerous challengers for their Champions League crown when the competition kicks off this Tuesday.

Barcelona last season ended a 14-year wait to be re-crowned kings of Europe after dominating Arsenal in a pulsating final in Paris. And Frank Rijkaard’s Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho-inspired side begin this season’s campaign in group A with what should be a manageable encounter at the Nou Camp against Levski Sofia.On the first night of Champions League group action this season, no fewer than five former European champions are in action – and all, including Barcelona, will be desperate to get their respective campaigns off on the right foot.Former titleholders Bayern Munich are at home to Spartak Moscow, PSV Eindhoven host fellow former champions Liverpool and Inter Milan take their European pedigree to Sporting Lisbon.However, a night of European action would not be complete without those who have yet to get their hands on football’s most coveted club trophy – and Chelsea are leading the early claimants.Chelsea and their expensively assembled squad were sent crashing out of the competition before the quarter-final stage by Barcelona last season.But the Londoners face Werder Bremen at home hoping that tips from at least two of their new signings, former Bayern man Michael Ballack and former Arsenal star Ashley Cole will give them the edge.Bayern have been getting used to life without Ballack, but the German has already sounded out Bremen – and their star striker Miroslav Klose – for his new boss, Jose Mourino.Ballack already knows how dangerous Werder can be from his encounters against them in the Bundesliga when he was at Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.He believes Klose, who finished as top scorer at the World Cup with five goals, is one of the best strikers in Europe and told Chelsea’s website: “He is scoring regularly.He can change a game on his own.”At this moment, for the last six months, they are the best performances that he has ever produced.”England defender Ashley Cole is hoping his experience – in getting a sniff of the trophy by going all the way to the final with Arsenal last May – will come to the fore for his new club.”I feel like a new man.I am hungry for more medals and I think we have a good chance of winning the Champions League,” said a confident Cole.Liverpool travel to PSV Eindhoven whose coach, Ronald Koeman, masterminded the Reds’ exit from the competition last season when he was in charge of Benfica.”Liverpool are a strong side and they must be favourites to win the group, but when I was at Benfica we beat them so they will probably respect myself and PSV,” said Koeman.Barcelona begin this season’s campaign as one of the odds-on favourites for the trophy.A slight stumble at the start of their campaign to defend the Spanish league title, which came in the wake of a 3-0 hammering to fellow Liga side Sevilla in the European Super Cup last month, has been followed by more positive results.Eto’o, last season’s top scorer in the Spanish first division, got two goals within half an hour as the reigning Spanish champions romped to a 3-0 win over Osasuna on Saturday.World Player of the Year Ronaldinho was instrumental in the first goal, and showed encouraging signs of recovering from an indifferent World Cup as well as recent thigh and back problems which have meant he has only trained four times in the last month.Tuesday’s fixtures Group A Barcelona v Levski Sofia Chelsea v Werder Bremen Group B Bayern Munich v Spartak Moscow Sporting Lisbon v Inter Milan Group C Galatasaray v Bordeaux PSV Eindhoven v Liverpool Group D Olympiacos v Valencia Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk – Nampa-AFPAnd Frank Rijkaard’s Samuel Eto’o and Ronaldinho-inspired side begin this season’s campaign in group A with what should be a manageable encounter at the Nou Camp against Levski Sofia.On the first night of Champions League group action this season, no fewer than five former European champions are in action – and all, including Barcelona, will be desperate to get their respective campaigns off on the right foot.Former titleholders Bayern Munich are at home to Spartak Moscow, PSV Eindhoven host fellow former champions Liverpool and Inter Milan take their European pedigree to Sporting Lisbon.However, a night of European action would not be complete without those who have yet to get their hands on football’s most coveted club trophy – and Chelsea are leading the early claimants.Chelsea and their expensively assembled squad were sent crashing out of the competition before the quarter-final stage by Barcelona last season.But the Londoners face Werder Bremen at home hoping that tips from at least two of their new signings, former Bayern man Michael Ballack and former Arsenal star Ashley Cole will give them the edge.Bayern have been getting used to life without Ballack, but the German has already sounded out Bremen – and their star striker Miroslav Klose – for his new boss, Jose Mourino.Ballack already knows how dangerous Werder can be from his encounters against them in the Bundesliga when he was at Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.He believes Klose, who finished as top scorer at the World Cup with five goals, is one of the best strikers in Europe and told Chelsea’s website: “He is scoring regularly.He can change a game on his own.”At this moment, for the last six months, they are the best performances that he has ever produced.”England defender Ashley Cole is hoping his experience – in getting a sniff of the trophy by going all the way to the final with Arsenal last May – will come to the fore for his new club.”I feel like a new man.I am hungry for more medals and I think we have a good chance of winning the Champions League,” said a confident Cole.Liverpool travel to PSV Eindhoven whose coach, Ronald Koeman, masterminded the Reds’ exit from the competition last season when he was in charge of Benfica.”Liverpool are a strong side and they must be favourites to win the group, but when I was at Benfica we beat them so they will probably respect myself and PSV,” said Koeman.Barcelona begin this season’s campaign as one of the odds-on favourites for the trophy.A slight stumble at the start of their campaign to defend the Spanish league title, which came in the wake of a 3-0 hammering to fellow Liga side Sevilla in the European Super Cup last month, has been followed by more positive results.Eto’o, last season’s top scorer in the Spanish first division, got two goals within half an hour as the reigning Spanish champions romped to a 3-0 win over Osasuna on Saturday.World Player of the Year Ronaldinho was instrumental in the first goal, and showed encouraging signs of recovering from an indifferent World Cup as well as recent thigh and back problems which have meant he has only trained four times in the last month.Tuesday’s fixtures Group A Barcelona v Levski Sofia Chelsea v Werder Bremen Group B Bayern Munich v Spartak Moscow Sporting Lisbon v Inter Milan Group C Galatasaray v Bordeaux PSV Eindhoven v Liverpool Group D Olympiacos v Valencia Roma v Shakhtar Donetsk – Nampa-AFP