Besiktas

Leixoes 1 - Benfica 1 (SuperLiga, October 6, 2008) Benfica went to high flying Leixoes and they took a 33rd minute lead when Oscar Cardozo took advantage of a lack of concentration in the defence to fire home inside the near post. But Leixoes equalised in the final minutes, Wesley headed home a corner to earn a point.

Vitoria Guimaraes 0 - Braga 0 (SuperLiga, October 6, 2008)

***

Besiktas 2 - Hacettepe 1 (Super Lig, October 6, 2008) Karadeniz exposed some poor Hacettepe defending to give Besiktas the lead. Bekmezci levelled with a fabulous strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box after a corner was only partially cleared. But Besiktas hit back after the break, Nobre heading home the winner.

***

Unirea 0 - Poli Iasi 1 (Liga I, October 6, 2008) Poli scored a fabulous goal on the counter-attack on the stroke of halftime, breaking from defence the ball finally fell at the feet of Bratu who fired home a shot into the far top corner.

***

Red Star Belgrade 0 - Partizan Belgrade 2 (Serbian Superliga, October 5, 2008) (Longer highlights here.) Partizan Belgrade went 13 points clear of bitter city rivals Red Star after a fine away win. Lamine Diarra fired the champions ahead in the 56th minute and Antonello Juca sealed the win in the final minute after both sides had a player sent off after exchanging blows.

Leixoes 1, Benfica 1 (SuperLiga, Oct. 6, 2008)

Benfica went to high-flying Leixoes and took a 33rd-minute lead when Oscar Cardozo took advantage of a lack of concentration in the defence to fire home inside the near post. But Leixoes equalised in the final minutes, as Wesley headed home a corner to earn a point.

Vitoria Guimaraes 0, Braga 0 (SuperLiga, Oct. 6, 2008)

Besiktas 2, Hacettepe 1 (Super Lig, Oct. 6, 2008)

Karadeniz exposed some poor Hacettepe defending to give Besiktas the lead. Bekmezci leveled with a fabulous strike into the bottom corner from the edge of the box after a corner was only partially cleared. But Besiktas hit back after the break, Nobre heading home the winner.

Unirea 0, Poli Iasi 1 (Liga I, Oct. 6, 2008)

Poli scored a fabulous goal on the counter-attack on the stroke of halftime; breaking from defence, the ball finally fell at the feet of Bratu, who fired home a shot into the far top corner.

Red Star Belgrade 0, Partizan Belgrade 2 (Serbian Superliga, Oct. 5, 2008)

(Longer highlights here.) Partizan Belgrade went 13 points clear of bitter city rivals Red Star after a fine away win. Lamine Diarra fired the champions ahead in the 56th minute and Antonello Juca sealed the win in the final minute, after both sides had a player sent off following an exchange of blows.

Group A: Liverpool, Porto, Marseille, Besiktas

Liverpool 

The Reds are renowned for their superb form in the Champions League, even if they've underachieved in the Premiership. 

They came out winners in 2005, and lost to Milan in the final last season. What can they expect this year?

 The club will probably hit the top of a weak group. The inspirational leadership of Steven Gerrard will be very, very crucial to Liverpool's destiny.

FC Porto

Having won the UCL back in 2004, Porto are not on unfamiliar ground. 

Unfortunately, the club is without magic coach Jose Mourinho, and is also missing star player Deco. 

Look for Ricardo Quaresma to be an indispensable player in this tournament; the 23-year-old winger will use his speed to make a huge impact. Porto can hope for a second-place finish, but I doubt they can do better than that.

Marseille

A powerhouse in Ligue 1, Marseille will make some impact on the European stage. 

Compared to the 1993 championship club, though, today's team is something of a flop. 

Marseille once boasted the likes of Eric Cantona, William Gallas, Robert Pires, Fabien Barthez, and, of course, Franck Ribery. Now, they rely on the attacking abilities of Djbril Cisse and the pace of Samir Nasri. 

Not to be pessimistic, but I don't see Marseille clearing the Round of 16 this year.

Besiktas

Although a household name in Turkey, Besiktas are just fairly new in the Champions League. 

The club can only hope to gain some experience here and give it their best shot. 

One player I admire in Besiktas is the Brazilian Richardinho; if any of the Boro fans remember, he had a short spell with the club.   

That sums up my prediction for Group A: Liverpool and FC Porto will advance. Comments agreeing or disagreeing with my viewpoint are welcome. Thanks a bunch.