Champions League kicks off

PARIS – The star quality of Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Fernando Morientes will be missing from this week’s opening Champions League group fixtures as the world’s premier club competition gets under way in its 50th anniversary year.

The 32-team group stage will be whittled down to just two teams come the final on May 17 at the Stade de France next year after the cream of Europe will have battled it out for eight months. Real Madrid’s Zidane suffered a groin strain in France’s 1-0 World Cup victory over Republic of Ireland last week and will be out for three weeks and hence will miss today’s Group F match at French champions Lyon.Zidane only returned to international duty a month ago after initially retiring from the French national side which he inspired to the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.And Arsenal’s Thierry Henry, who scored a sensational goal for France in their Irish victory, also hurt his groin in the same match and will miss Arsenal’s Group B clash at home to Swiss club Thun tomorrow.The 28-year-old scored five goals in last season’s competition before the north London outfit were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the last 16.Morientes, a European champion with Real Madrid, a runner-up on-loan at Monaco and now playing for reigning champions Liverpool, hurt himself in Spain’s 1-1 draw with Serbia and Montenegro last week.The striker hurt his hamstring but scans revealed only a slight tear and Spain’s team doctor Genaro Borras said he would be out for up to two weeks.It now looks like two metres-tall Peter Crouch will take Morientes’s place in their bid to beat Real Betis in their opening Group G match today alongside Frenchman Djibril Cisse.Also in Group G, Chelsea will be without Asier Del Horno for Tuesday’s game at home to Belgians Anderlecht.The Spanish international left-back picked up a thigh injury during added time at the end of Saturday’s 2-0 Premiership win against Sunderland.It is not yet known how long the 24-year-old defender will be out of action.It was fitting the competition’s final returned to France for its 50th edition next year.The first final in 1956 was held in the Parc des Princes in Paris where Real Madrid beat French club Reims 4-3.- Nampa-AFPReal Madrid’s Zidane suffered a groin strain in France’s 1-0 World Cup victory over Republic of Ireland last week and will be out for three weeks and hence will miss today’s Group F match at French champions Lyon.Zidane only returned to international duty a month ago after initially retiring from the French national side which he inspired to the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.And Arsenal’s Thierry Henry, who scored a sensational goal for France in their Irish victory, also hurt his groin in the same match and will miss Arsenal’s Group B clash at home to Swiss club Thun tomorrow.The 28-year-old scored five goals in last season’s competition before the north London outfit were eliminated by Bayern Munich in the last 16.Morientes, a European champion with Real Madrid, a runner-up on-loan at Monaco and now playing for reigning champions Liverpool, hurt himself in Spain’s 1-1 draw with Serbia and Montenegro last week.The striker hurt his hamstring but scans revealed only a slight tear and Spain’s team doctor Genaro Borras said he would be out for up to two weeks.It now looks like two metres-tall Peter Crouch will take Morientes’s place in their bid to beat Real Betis in their opening Group G match today alongside Frenchman Djibril Cisse.Also in Group G, Chelsea will be without Asier Del Horno for Tuesday’s game at home to Belgians Anderlecht.The Spanish international left-back picked up a thigh injury during added time at the end of Saturday’s 2-0 Premiership win against Sunderland.It is not yet known how long the 24-year-old defender will be out of action.It was fitting the competition’s final returned to France for its 50th edition next year.The first final in 1956 was held in the Parc des Princes in Paris where Real Madrid beat French club Reims 4-3.- Nampa-AFP