Entertainment awaits in Tuesday's Champions League encounters
As the group stage of the 2010-11 edition of the Champions League gets underway on Tuesday evening, plenty of exciting games will be played across Europe.
The Champions League fixtures between Rangers FC and Manchester United have been referred to as the "Battle of Britain" in recent years, and United have come out with the better record. Sir Alex Ferguson's team won both the games in the 2003 group stage.
Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are likely to resume their strong partnership at the heart of United's defence, while Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that Wayne Rooney will be starting against the Scottish champions. Luis Antonio Valencia will also return to the United squad after being left out of the team that travelled to Everton on Saturday.
Rangers manager Walter Smith could opt to play Kenny Miller as a lone striker against United in what would be a defensive formation.
Tottenham new to the tournament
Tottenham make their first appearance in Europe's finest competition when they travel to face German side Werder Bremen at the Weserstadion.
Manager Harry Redknapp may fancy his chances against the German team, as its defenders Per Mertesacker and Ronaldo Aparecido Rodrigues are out with injuries. Bremen are boosted, however, by the return of Torsten Frings, Claudio Pizarro, Aaron Hunt and Tim Borowski.
With Jermain Defoe and Luka Modric out injured, Spurs will look to new signing Rafael van der Vaart and striker Peter Crouch for offensive options. William Gallas will step in for the injured Michael Dawson in defence.
Dutch side FC Twente will also make their Champions League debut, and Michel Preud'homme's team face a stern test as defending champions Inter Milan visit De Grolsch Veste.
While Dejan Stankovic and Thiago Motta are missing for the Italians, the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder should give new manager Rafael Benitez an away victory in his first European match with the club.
Bursaspor to cause upset?
The third and final debutants on Tuesday are Turkish champions Bursaspor, who stunned many by winning the Super Lig last season. Spanish side Valencia face a tough test at the Bursa Ataturk Stadium, where the home fans are known to be lively.
With midfield pair Ever Banega and Papa Kouli Diop ruled out with injuries for Valencia, Bursaspor may just fancy their chances against the Spanish team, who lost striker David Villa to Barcelona ahead of the season.
As 2009 champions Barcelona host Panathinaikos at the Camp Nou, the Spanish champions will be intent on reverting to old form after losing to La Liga-newbies Hercules over the weekend.
Xavi Hernandez, Daniel Alves and Sergio Busquets should be back in the starting lineup against the Greek team. Luis Garcia, a former Barcelona player, could start for Panathanaikos, who will likely play Djibril Cisse as a lone striker.
Lyon and Schalke to improve on domestic form
German side Schalke 04, boosted by the arrivals of strikers Raul Gonzalez and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, will hope to collect at least one point as they travel to face Ligue-1 club Olympique Lyonnais.
Both Lyon and Schalke have begun their domestic league campaigns disappointingly. Perhaps strong performances in Europe will prove a suitable remedy.
Elsewhere, Portuguese champions Benfica face their Israeli counterparts Hapoel Tel Aviv at Lisbon's magnificent Estadio da Luz, while underdogs FC Copenhagen travel to Russia to play Rubin Kazan.
Let the games begin.
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