This season’s Champions League has already thrown up the inevitable thrills and spills that keep us glued to the competition throughout the campaign until its climax in May.
Last term’s winners, Inter Milan, were looking good again when they secured victories over Werder Bremen and Tottenham Hotspur following an opening-day draw at FC Twente, but a recent 3-1 humbling at Spurs has knocked them off their perch.
The Premier League side, armed with the on-song Gareth Bale, are enjoying life in Europe’s premier event and are looking good for qualification from Group A while Inter should also be confident of winning through with Samuel Eto’o leading the goal chart with seven efforts in just four outings.
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French side Lyon may be struggling on the domestic front, but they sit on the top of Group B.
However, they crashed 4-3 at Benfica last time out and the Portuguese giants now trail German side Schalke, who occupy the second qualification berth, by just one point. As expected, Israeli outfit Hapoel Tel Aviv are rooted to the foot of the table with just one point to their name.
Manchester United, winners of the competition in 1999 and 2008, are on the verge of progressing from Group C after claiming ten points from a possible 12.
Only a disappointing goalless draw with Rangers on matchday one has marred their copybook slightly, but a fine 1-0 triumph in Valencia and back-to-back successes over Bursaspor have placed them in control of the section.
Young striker Javier Hernandez has been a revelation this term. His form has came at the right time with mis-firing Wayne Rooney struggling to click through the gears.
Group D is bossed by Barcelona and, although they are yet to win on the road after draws at Rubin Kazan and FC Copenhagen, the Catalan giants are massive online sportsbook favourites to win through a weak-looking section that also consists of basement boys Panathinaikos.
As ever, Barca have been indebted to the sharp-shooting Lionel Messi, who has already notched five times.
Bayern Munich, 2-0 losing finalists to Inter in May, have already wrapped up four successive victories in Group E. Their 100 per cent record means they are already through to the last-16 while AS Roma, CFR Cluj and Basel are all battling for second position.
Like Bayern, all-conquering Chelsea are safely through to the next stage of the competition after finding life easy alongside Spartak Moscow, Marseille and MSK Zilina in Group F.
The Pensioners are proving themselves to be a ruthless beast under Italian tactician Carlo Ancelotti with Nicolas Anelka, who has struck on five occasions, and Didier Drogba causing no end of problems to opposition defences.
They have scored 12 times so far but, with their name in the hat for the next round with two games to spare, expect the likes of Josh McEachran, Daniel Sturridge, Jeffrey Bruma and Gael Kakuta to be handed some vital European experience against Zilina and Marseille.
With Real Madrid charging clear at the top of Group G, the Spaniards look likely to be joined by either AC Milan or Ajax in the next round.
French side Auxerre make up the numbers in the section with their inability to score goals bringing about their premature elimination from the competition.
Arsenal are sitting pretty at the summit of Group H, despite last week’s 2-1 setback to Shakhtar Donetsk.
Manager Arsene Wenger opted to hand Jack Wilshere and Craig Eastmond starts in Ukraine and his rotational policy looked to be paying dividends when Theo Walcott raced through to open the scoring.
But goals by Dmytro Chygrynskiy and former Gunner Eduardo ensured the eastern European outfit secured all three points at the Donbass Arena.
That result leaves the two combatants locked together on nine points apiece while Portugal debutants Braga have secured two victories and two defeats.
Partizan Belgrade are preparing for an early exit and, alongside Group C and F whipping boys Bursaspor and Zilina, are the only sides with nothing to show from their four fixtures.
