Transfer Deadline Day - No Rumours just Done Deals!

Updated regularly all-day today..............The August transfer window is now officially closed. Here are a list of the 'done deals.'





Paris St Germain have completed the signing of Uruguay captain Diego Lugano from Fenerbahce on a three-year contract.

Juventus have signed Dutch player Eljero Elia from Hamburg SV on a four-year deal, for a fee of €9 million.

Plymouth Argyle have snapped up 28 year-old defender Simon King on a month's loan from Gillingham.

Siena have signed Argentine striker Pablo Andres Gonzalez and Serbian defender Milan Milanovic from Palermo, both on loan.

Hannover have snapped up Austria international Daniel Royer from SV Ried for an undisclosed fee.

West Ham have signed Guy Demel from Hamburg. The full-back has signed a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Birmingham have signed former Wrexham defender Jack Deaman on a one-year professional contract.

Peterborough Utd sign striker Emile Sinclair from Macclesfield on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Udinese have signed Uruguay right-back Maximiliano Pereyra on a permanent transfer from River Plate, and goalkeeper Daniele Padelli on a season-long deal from Sampdoria.

AS Roma have completed the signing of centre-back Simon Kjaer on a season-long loan deal from Wolfsburg.

Lille, the French champions have signed Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole on loan for the rest of the season.

Chievo Verona have signed USA midfielder Michael Bradley from Borussia Monchengladbach.

Caglairi have signed 24 year-old Portuguese midfielder Rui Sampaio from Beira Mar.

Newcastle Utd have signed Davide Santon from Internazionale on a 5 year contract, for an undisclosed fee. Last season the the 20 year-old full-back was sent out on loan to Cesena.

Vitesse Arnham have signed Chelsea's 20 year-old midfielder Ulises Dávila for the rest of the season. Dávila only joined The Blues 4 days ago from Mexican side Guadalajara, on a five-year deal.

St Etienne have confirmed the signing of winger Max Gradel from Leeds United on a four-year contract, for a fee of around £2.5 million.

Crystal Palace have extended their loan deal with QPR defender Peter Ramage until January.

Wolfsburg have confirmed that Alexander Hleb has joined the Bundesliga side on loan from Barcelona.

Tottenham Hotspur have completed the signing of long-term target Scott Parker from West Ham United for a fee of £5 million.

QPR has joined goalkeeper Tommaso Trani on a two-year deal following his release by AC Milan

Évian TG, the French Ligue 1 club have confirmed the signing of Denmark midfielder Christian Poulsen from Liverpool.

Inter Milan have completed the transfer of Diego Forlan from Atletico Madrid for an undisclosed fee. Inter have also agreed a loan deal to take Mauro Zarate from Lazio.

Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has confirmed that he has lined up a deal for Shamrock Rovers defender Enda Stevens. The 21-year-old is set to join Villa on a three-year deal in January.

Arsenal have signed Brazil defender Andre Santos on a long-term contract from Fenerbahce. The 28-year-old left-back moves to the Emirates for an undisclosed fee, thought to be in the region of £6 million.

Swindon have signed West Ham's Saudi Arabian-born striker Ahmed Abdullah, on a six-month loan deal.

Genoa have signed Andrea Caracciolo from Brescia on loan with the view to a permanent deal for €1.6 million.

PSV Eindhoven have signed Slovenian international striker Tim Matavz from Groningen on a 5 years deal.

Scunthorpe have had an undisclosed six-figure bid accepted by Bury for midfielder Damien Mozika.

Watford have completed the signing of Joe Garner from Nottingham Forest on a two-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.

Hamburg have announced the signing of Croatian international midfielder Ivo Ilicevic from Kaiserslautern on a four-year deal, for a fee in the region €4 million.

Parma have signed Lazio striker Sergio Floccari on loan with a view to a permanent move.

Liverpool have completed the signing of United States Under-18 striker Villyan Bijev from California Odyssey after the youngster impressed on trial.

Fulham have wrapped up the signing of Juventus' Czech Republic defender Zdenek Grygera on an initial one-year contract.

West Ham have confirmed that Tottenham winger David Bentley has joined the club on a season-long loan.

Millwall have captured the permanent signing of Dany N'Guessan from Leicester.

Rotherham have confirmed that Leyton Orient striker Alex Revell has joined The Millers on a two-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.

Port Vale have completed the loan signing of Rangers youngster Andrew Little on loan until January.

AS Roma have signed Bosnian playmaker Miralem Pjanic from Olympique Lyon for €11 million.

Arsenal have agreed terms with Werder Bremen to sign German international defender Per Mertesacker on a four-year deal for a reporteted £9 million.

Scunthorpe have made their second signing of the day, bringing in Everton defender Shane Duffy on loan for a month.

Blackpool have signed 19-year-old West Brom defender James Hurst on a season-long loan deal.

Brentford have captured Mike Grella on a permanent deal, and he will see out the season at Griffin Park after becoming a free agent.

Rennes have re-signed Morocco international Youssouf Hadji from fellow Ligue 1 outfit Nancy for €1.7million.

Cardiff City have confirmed the signing of defender Ben Turner from Coventry City for a fee of £750,000.

Charlton have confirmed that 19-year-old striker Michael Smith has joined them from Darlington on a three-year contract, for an undisclosed fee.

West Ham confirm the signing of Arsenal midfielder Henri Lansbury on an initial season-long loan.

Oldham have signed Norwich City midfielder Tom Adeyemi on loan until 3rd January.

Bury have signed Northampton Town striker Shaun Harrad for an undisclosed fee.

AS Roma have confirmed the loan signing of Argentina midfielder Fernando Gago from Real Madrid.

Aldershot Town have signed 19-year-old left-back Jordan Brown on a one-month loan from West Ham.

Wigan have confirmed the signing of Shaun Maloney from Celtic, for a fee of £1 million.

Ajax have signed Russia striker Dmitri Bulykin from Belgian side Anderlecht on a free transfer.

Atalanta, the Serie A newcomers have bolstered their midfield for the coming campaign with a double loan capture, signing Luca Cigarini and Matteo Brighi.

Preston have signed winger Keammar Daley from Jamaican club Tivoli Gardens on a two-year deal.

AC Milan have signed midfielder Antonio Nocerino from Palermo on a five-year deal.

Wigan have signed Chelsea's 21-year-old Dutch left-back Patrick van Aanholt on a season-long loan deal.

Manchester City have confirmed they have signed free-agent Owen Hargreaves on a one-year contract.

Blackpool have signed Sheffield United forward Daniel Bogdanovic on a one-year deal, for an undisclosed fee.

Rochdale have signed Manchester City midfielder Ahmed Benali on a season-long loan deal.

Celtic have signed Moroccan left-back Badr El Kaddouri on a six-month loan from Dynamo Kiev.

Bolton have completed the signing of Liverpool's French striker David Ngog, for a fee of £4 million.

Bradford have signed former Hull goalkeeper Matt Duke on a two-year deal.

MK Dons have signed Sheffield Wednesday defender Mark Beevers in a loan deal until 31st December.

Bolton have confirmed that they have signed Gael Kakuta from Chelsea on loan until 1st January.

Burnley have signed West Ham striker Junior Stanislas for an undisclosed fee. They have also agreed an undisclosed fee with the Hammers for frontman Zavon Hines, who moved to the Clarets 13 days ago.

Bury have made another signing today, with Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Giles Coke joining on a two-month loan deal.

Hearts have signed midfielder Callum Tapping from Tottenham for a nominal fee. The 18-year-old, has signed a two-year contract with an option of a further 12 months.

Rochdale have signed Peterborough frontman David Ball on a three-month loan deal.

Trabzonspor of Turkey have confirmed the signing of Marek Cech from West Brom for an undisclosed fee.

Leicester City have completed the signing of Everton striker Jermaine Beckford, for a fee which could rise to £4 million.

West Ham have signed Ivory Coast utility man Guy Demel from Hamburg.

Millwall have signed Bournemouth winger Liam Feeney for an undisclosed fee.

Oxford United have completed the signing of Middlesbrough forward Jonathan Franks on loan until 1st January.

Stoke City have announced the capture of midfielder Wilson Palacios from Tottenham, on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £8 million.

Lincoln have signed sign 22-year-old defender Mitchell Nelson on loan from Bournemouth until October.

Oldham have signed former Newcastle striker Shefki Kuqi until the end of the season.

Southend United have signed Swindon midfielder Michael Timlin on loan until January.

QPR complete the signing of Shaun Wright-Phillips from Manchester City.

Blackburn sign defender Scott Dann from Birmingham on a four-year deal, for a fee approaching £8 million.

Liverpool announce that Craig Bellamy has left Manchester City and re-signed for The Reds.

Arsenal sign Yossi Benayoun on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

MK Dons have signed Norwich City midfielder Anthony McNamee on a free transfer.

Birmingham complete the signing of midfielder Wayne Elliott from Burnley for a fee of £500,,000.

Southampton have taken Celtic centre-half Jos Hooiveld on loan.

Chelsea have signed Raul Meireles on a four-year deal, for a fee believed to be in the region of £12 million.

Arsenal have signed Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta, for a fee in the region of £10 million.

Sunderland have signed Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner on a season-long loan.

Blackburn sign Sheffield United striker Jordan Slew. The 18-year-old frontman will cost Rovers an initial £1m.

Millwall have signed Hull City striker Jay Simpson on loan until January.

Birmingham have signed West Brom defender Pablo Ibanez for a fee of £1.5 million.

Aston Villa have captured Spurs full-back Alan Hutton, on a permanent deal until 2015, for a fee in the region £4 million. His North London team-mate Jermaine Jenas has also joined Villa on a season-long loan.

Atletico Madrid have agreed to take Brazil playmaker Diego on loan from Wolfsburg.

Stoke have confirmed the signing of Birmingham striker Cameron Jerome on a four-year deal, for a fee of £4 million.

Everton have confirmed the signing of striker Denis Stracqualursi on a season-long loan from Argentinian side Tigre.

Fulham have completed the free signing of former Porto striker Orlando Sa on a three-year deal.

Hull City have signed Leicester striker Martyn Waghorn on loan until January.

Swansea have re-signed their former left-back Federico Bessone from Leeds on a two-year deal deal.

Blackburn have confirmed the signing of Everton striker Yakubu on a three-year deal, for a fee in the region of £2 million.

Everton have confirmed the signing of Real Madrid winger Royston Drenthe on a season-long loan.

West Ham have captured Spurs midfielder David Bentley on a season long loan.

QPR have completed the signing of Sunderland defender Anton Ferdinand, for a fee in the region of £4.5 million.

Fulham have signed FC Twente striker Bryan Ruiz for a fee of £10.5 million

Stoke have completed the £10 million signing of England and Spurs striker Peter Crouch.

All The Latest Transfer Gossip

All of today's latest transfer gossip, as we approach the middle of January and the half way point in the January transfer window. Clubs now have just two more weeks to finalise any transfer deals, whilst other Clubs will be hoping that they can hang on to their better players - at least for the remainder of the season.

Liverpool, Ajax, Hamburg, Chelsea, Wigan, Bayern Munich, CFR Cluj, Lille, Fiorentina, Malaga, Blackburn, Manchester City, Benfica, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Tottenham, West Ham, Birmingham, Aston Villa, Boca Juniors, Hoffenheim, Stoke, Lyon, Newcastle, Real Madrid, Brescia, Inter Milan, Everton, Burnley, Plymouth, Blackpool, Barnsley, Crystal Palace, MK Dons, Borussia Dortmund, Southampton, Manchester United, Valencia, Derby, Leicester, Fulham, Sampdoria, Celtic, Carlisle, Leeds, Brann Bergen and Reading..................are all currently caught up in transfer gossip.

Is your Club involved?

King Kenny's Liverpool revolution will see a flurry of new signings heading to Anfield. His list of transfer targets are though to include Uruguayan Luis Suárez from Ajax for £15, Hamburg's Dutch forward Eljero Elias (right), Wigan playmaker Charles N'Zogbia, Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge and CFR Cluj hitman Lacina Traoré. Dalglish also wants a midfield enforcer and has an eye on Bayern Munich's Mark van Bommel - The Guardian

Defender Daniel Agger may be one player on his way out of Liverpool, with Fiorentina and Malaga both interested in a £3m deal - The Sun

The Reds may also try and tempt left-back Urby Emanuelson to follow Suarez to Anfield from Ajax while the Lille pair, striker Gervinho and mildfielder Eden Hazard (right) are also on manager Kenny Dalglish's list of targets - Daily Telegraph

Blackburn have signed former star Roque Santa Cruz from Manchester City on loan until the end of the season - Skysports.com

Chelsea are close to a £21m deal for Benfica centre-back David Luiz, with right-back Paulo Ferreira moving in the opposite direction. The Premier League champions are also keen on £18m Ajax right-back Gregory van der Wiel - The Mirror

There may be more changes in Chelsea's defence with right-back Jose Bosingwa put up for sale and Atletico Madrid's £15m-rated centre-half Diego Godin in the West London side's sights - Daily Telegraph

AC Milan Sports Director Ariedo Braida has declared: "We always admire the good players, and Bosingwa is one of them, but now we are in stand-by. For the moment there is not a real interest, in June who knows" - Footballpress.net

Birmingham have had a bid accepted by Tottenham for unsettled striker Robbie Keane. The 30-year-old had been heavily linked with a loan move to West Ham, but Spurs boss Harry Redknapp moved to silence that speculation, stressing that any deal must be to buy the striker. The Blues have now emerged as frontrunners to secure Keane's signature after agreeing a £4million fee with Tottenham, which could rise to £6m via various add-ons and clauses in the deal - Skysports.com

West Ham are also now at the head of the queue for £12.5m-rated 'Argentinian wonderkid' Pablo Mouche (right) from Boca Juniors - The Guardian

Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has played down reports claiming he is interested in signing Karim Benzema from Real Madrid. Houllier said: "I don't think Benzema will come to Villa. Jose (Mourinho) said he is missing strikers so how can he get rid of one of the only ones he has available at the moment?" - Skysports.com

However Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam does remains a target for Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier. Villa have already seen two bids for the Scot knocked back, but are considering a third approach - Skysports.com

Birmingham, meanwhile, want Brescia striker Andrea Caracciolo - The Guardian

Hoffenheim striker Demba Ba has undergone a medical this morning ahead of a proposed move to Stoke City. Stoke tabled a £5.9m offer for the France born Senegal international, and the German club have granted The Potters permission to discuss terms with the 25-year-old, ahead of his move to the Britannia Stadium - adifferentleague.co.uk

Steven Pienaar's talks over a move to Chelsea have broken down and sources understand the Everton midfielder will sign a pre-contract agreement with a major European club, possibly Atletico Madrid or Inter Milan - Skysports.com

Aston Villa are close to completing a £6.5m deal for midfielder Jean Makoun (right) from Lyon - The Times

Arsenal look set to beat Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United to the signature of Southampton's highly rated teenage midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain for £5m - Daily Mail

Arsène Wenger will also tie up a cut-price deal for West Ham central defender Matthew Upson. The Arsenal boss is willing to pay £500,000 for the England centre-back - The Guardian

Everton are set to sign Burnley winger Chris Eagles in a £1.5m deal - The Sun

Blackpool are back in for Plymouth's Bradley Wright-Phillips and Barnsley's Adam Hammill - The Guardian

The agent of Borussia Dortmund's Neven Subotic has told Arsenal they would be wasting their time pursuing the Serbia international defender - Talksport.co.uk

Newcastle are ready to offer Joey Barton a new deal to keep him at St James' Park. Barton, is thought to have attracted the interest of a number of clubs, including Aston Villa and West Ham. The midfielder has 18 months to run on his current contract and Newcastle are planning to give Barton a new deal to ward off interest from his list of suitors - Skysports.com

Crystal Palace today signed Jermaine Easter (right) from MK Dons for an undisclosed fee. The Welsh international has penned a two-and-a-half year contract with South London club - cpfc.co.uk

Valencia have moved to tie down highly-rated winger Juan Mata by extending his contract to 2014 - Skysports.com

Fulham striker Diomansy Kamara has emerged as a target for Italian side Sampdoria - Inside Futbol

Derby County want Leicester striker Martyn Waghorn - The Guardian

Real Madrid have identified Bayern Munich's Miroslav Klose as possible cover for the injured Gonzalo Higuain. With their leading marksman set to be sidelined for the foreseeable future after undergoing back surgery, Real are in the market for a proven striker - Skysports.com

Goalkeeper Adam Federici has penned a new two-and-a-half-year contract with Reading - Skysports.com

Celtic have pulled out of a £2m deal for Brann Bergen striker Erik Huseklepp after the Norwegian club asked for more money for the 26-year-old - Daily Record

Carlisle United have signed Lubomir Michalik on an 18-month contract after leaving Leeds United - Skysports.com

All The Latest Transfer Gossip

With the January transfer window less than two weeks away, rumours are rife both at home and abroad as Clubs look to reinforce their squads in an attempt to secure the services of new players for various reasons.
Some managers jobs may be on the line as a result of their teams failure to meet pre-season expectations, whether they were trophy or survival driven. There are unhappy players, owners and fans across Europe, and of course we are in the middle of an global economic recession.

Do clubs have the money to sign new players in an attempt to achieve their goals? Are clubs willing to risk putting themselves into debt in order to fund transfers and players salaries?

Whatever the situation, which varies hugely from club to club the transfer rumour mill is really hotting up!

It is interesting to note that there are some players that look certain to be on the move in January, but their destinations seem to vary according to the source of the rumour!

Manchester City, AC Milan, Barcelona, Wolfsburg, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Celtic, Zenit St Petersburg, Tottenham, Lazio, Birmingham, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Borussia Monchengladbach, Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle, Blackburn, Everton, West Ham, Blackpool, West Brom, Sunderland, Fulham, Norwich, Sheffield United, Millwall, Southampton and Swindon.............are all currently caught up in transfer gossip.

Is your Club involved?

Manchester City are reportedly planning a January move for AC Milan star Ronaldinho. The 30-year-old is thought to be surplus to requirements at the San Siro caughtoffside.com

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has renewed his interest for Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko (right) and could offer over 20 million Euros for the Bosnian international. However, the German club officials want more than 30 million Euros - footballpress.net

Manchester City are set to battle Chelsea for the signing of Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko - imscouting.com

Manchester United are also interested in Dzeko and are planning a club-record £35m offer for the 24-year old - caughtoffside.com

West Ham are lining up a January swoop for Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor - The Sun

Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier is ready to resume his pursuit of Joey Barton. He tried to sign Barton for Liverpool when the midfielder was at Manchester City and has joined West Ham in a bid to prise the 28-year-old away from Newcastle in January - Daily Mail

Fulham and Liverpool are interested in 24-year-old Irish midfielder Stephen Ireland, who wants to leave Aston Villa after a recent bust-up with coach Gerard Houllier - footballpress.net

Bayern Munich are lining up a £9m offer for Everton defender Leighton Baines - Daily Mail

Bayern Munich are planning to sign 26-year-old right-back Glen Johnson from Liverpool in January. The England international is valued at 15 million Euros - footballpress.net

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson is reportedly interested in securing the signing of Zenit St Petersburg's attacking midfielder Danny (right) as well as young Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Marco Reus and Borussia Dortmund playmaker Mario Götz - sport360.com

According to Russian media reports, Zenit St Petersburg are tracking Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, and hope to sign him in January - footballpress.net

Arsenal's Brazilian midfielder Denilson is attracting the interest of Spanish giants Barcelona - imscouting.com

The Gunners will use the money from Denilson's sale to Barcelona to fund a move for Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott - Metro

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is planning a double swoop for Tottenham striker Peter Crouch and Manchester City winger Shaun Wright-Phillips - caughtoffside.com

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is set to offer Newcastle £20m for striker Andy Carroll and could use forward Peter Crouch as part of the deal - Daily Express

Birmingham will bid £6m to pinch Tottenham forward Robbie Keane from under the noses of neighbours Aston Villa - The Sun

Blackburn want to start their rebuilding process by signing Blackpool's Scottish midfielder Charlie Adam (right) - Daily Mirror

Lazio chairman Claudio Lotito wants to sign an additional striker in January and one option is Bayern Munich's Miroslav Klose 33, who is for sale in January before his contract expires at the end of the season - footballpress.net

West Brom are set to make a January offer for Celtic striker Georgios Samaras - Daily Mail

Celtic's bid to sign Anton Ferdinand next month is set to be scuppered by a defensive crisis at Sunderland - Daily Record

A host of clubs are chasing Norwich midfielder Owain Tudur Jones, including Sheffield United, Millwall, Southampton and Swindon - Skysports.com

The UEFA Champions League Group Draw, My Predictions & The Betting Odds.

An intriguing Champions League draw has paired Celtic & Man Utd together in Group E along with Danish champions Aalborg & the dangerous Spaniards’ Villarreal, runners up to Real Madrid in La Liga last season & finishing ten points clear of third placed Catalan giants Barcelona.
In fact if they had performed to the same degree during the first half of the 2007/08 La Liga season, as they did in the second half Villarreal would have been crowned Champions, conceding just one goal at home & losing only 3 of their last 19 domestic league fixtures. 'The Yellow Submarines' won 12 of all their 19 league games away from the El Madrigal Stadium, so they don’t suffer from travel sickness!
I believe Man Utd & Villarreal will both qualify for the first round knockout stage of the competition. The tournament second favourites Man Utd can be backed at a best priced 13/2 to win it outright while you can get 40/1 on 'The Yellow Submarines' shooting down all around come Rome next May.
The Bhoys are 8/1 to get through to the next stage but I would keep my money in my pocket & Aalborg managed by Scotsman Bruce Rioch, the former manager of Middlesbrough, Bolton & Arsenal to name but a few, make their first appearance in the competition for 13 years & I expect them to be the whipping boys of Group E.

The so called ‘Group of Death’ is probably a toss up between Group F & Group G.
Group F looks like a straight three way fight between Bayern Munich, Lyon & Fiorentina. The 1986 European Cup Winners Steaua Bucharest look unlikely to qualify from this group, but not I feel without putting a few noses out of joint along the way. It is worth bearing in mind that the Romanian domestic champions disposed of Turkish giants Galatasaray in the qualifying round, so any trip to their Stadionul Ghencea is fraught with a potential upset.

Group G hosts Arsenal, Porto, Fenerbahce & Dynamo Kiev. All of these teams are a shadow of their former selves. Kiev were Ukranian league runners-up last season & winners of this competition way back in 1999.
Porto are the current Portuguese Liga champions & were victorious in the Champions League back in 2004 whilst under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho, but have had to sell many of their best players of late.
Meanwhile Arsenal are without a trophy of any description since the 2003/04 season. Fererbahce, Turkish league runners-up last season & Champions league quarter-finalists last season (along with Arsenal) are probably on paper at least the best equipped team in the group along with Arsenal to reach the last sixteen. In addition they have a hugely partisan home crowd in Istanbul & the Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, will be a daunting & unforgiving place to go for any visiting team.
My money is on The Gunners & the Turks to qualify for the next stage. Incidently Arsenal can be backed to lift the trophy at 12/1. A big price & a big gamble!

Group C should see Catalans Barcelona canter into the next stage of the competition but who will join them?
Shakhatar Donetsk & Basle are both winners of their own domestic leagues in the Ukraine & Switzerland respectively, & along with Sporting Lisbon, will fight it out for the one remaining place.
I feel Shakhatar are the best of the three. They have a touch more in their locker than Sporting & Basle, including six Brazilians in their squad & a 5-1 demolition of Dinamo Zagreb in qualifying.
Barcelona are joint third favourites to lift the trophy along with Inter Milan & can be backed at odds of 7/1 to do so.

Inter like Barcelona are the stand out team in their group, Group B with the German Bundesliga runners-up Werder Bremen the best of a meadioca bunch. Group B is the weakest on paper & with Jose Mourinho installed as boss & an array of talent on the pitch including Toldo, Figo, Ibrahimovic, Adriano & Cruz the current Serie A Champions should stroll into the last sixteen.
Anorthosis Famagusta the first Cypriot side to play in the Champions League, along with the Greek side Panathinaikos will certainly do well to take points off anyone, other than each other!
Inter & Werder Bremen to go through then, & Inter to win it the tournament at an over generous 7/1. Get on now!

Liverpool shouldn’t have any trouble qualifying for the first knockout round in Group D, but their uninspiring start to the Premier League season both on & off the field may require them to be slightly on their guard. PSV, Marseille & Athletic Madrid are all to be respected but of the three only PSV qualified automatically as Dutch champions, with Marseille & Athletico Madrid making it through via the qualifying stages.
Athletico finished fourth in La Liga but should & could have finished higher before they ran out of gas in the second half of the season. They lost 12 in total out of their 38 league games, but 8 of those 12 were in the second half of the season.
Liverpool to win the group with Athletico Madrid to also qualify.
Liverpool to win the competition are 12/1, a bit skinny but once out of the group stages I expect any off field business to have be resolved & the players to be firing on all cylinders.

The big guns of Real Madrid & Juventus – 11 times winners between them dominate Group H. The only question here is who will win the group? Juve are 2/1 to win it, with Real at 4/5. Zenit St.Petersburg the UEFA Cup holders & Bate Borisov of Belarus make up the rest of Group H.
Put Zenit in Groups B, C, F or G & I would fancy them to go through. They are going to have to cause an almighty shock here to make any progress & I personally don’t fancy their chances.
Madrid & Juventus to qualify comfortably. The Spaniards are 15/2 & Juve 20/1 to be victorious in Rome.

Finally Group A features favourites Chelsea, the dangerous AS Roma, Serie A runners-up to Inter, Bordeaux surprise league runners-up behind Lyon & the Romanian champions CFR Cluj.
CFR were the first Romanian team to win the title outside of Bucharest for 17 years.
Cluj more famous for Dracula & The Cheeky Girls are making their first ever appearance in the Champions league. Whether it lasts more than 6 games remains to be seen, so I have to stick with Chelsea & AS Roma to qualify from Group A.
Chelsea & John Terry are a best priced 5/1 to lift the trophy in May, whilst AS Roma are attractively priced at 28/1 to go all the way.
A bit of each way value beckons the Italians.( Each-way ½ 1,2 )


Group A

AS Roma 3/1 Q
Chelsea 4/11 Q
CFR Cluj 50/1
Bordeaux 15/2

Group B

Werder Bremen 5/2 Q
Inter Milan 4/11 Q
Panathanaikos 10/1
Anorthosis Famagusta 50/1

Group C

Sporting Lisbon 6/1
Barcelona 1/4 Q
Basle 22/1
Shakhtar Donetsk 6/1 Q

Group D

PSV Eindhoven 13/2
Liverpool 4/5 Q
Athletico Madrid 3/1 Q
Marseille 9/2

Group E

Villarreal 100/30 Q
Man Utd 3/10 Q
Aalborg 66/1
Celtic 8/1

Group F

Lyon 7/4 Q
Fiorentina 11/4
Bayern Munich 11/8 Q
Steaua Bucharest 14/1

Group G

Porto 100/30
Arsenal 8/13 Q
Dynamo Kiev 8/1
Fernerbahce 5/1 Q

Group H

Real Madrid 4/5 Q
Zenit St Petersburg 7/2
Juventus 2/1 Q
Bate Borislov 66/1


# Group stages to be played: Sept 16-17, Sept 30-Oct 1, Oct 21-22, Nov 4-5,
Nov 25-26 & Dec 9-10.

Q = My prediction to qualify for the next stage.

* Odds supplied courtesy of Coral bookmakers & are for teams to qualify through to the first knockout round only.