Scolari's team are looking on form after their 3-1 victory over Man City [GALLO/GETTY]

Inter Milan and Liverpool are also in action while clubs from Romania and Cyprus make their debuts in Europe's premier club tournament.

Last season's runners-up Chelsea take on Bordeaux in Group A with manager Luiz Felipe Scolari hoping to mark his debut in the competition with a victory after an impressive start to his tenure at Stamford Bridge.

Barcelona, who had to qualify for the group phase, host Sporting Lisbon in the Nou Camp in Group C.

Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan travel to Greece to play Panathinaikos while Liverpool are in action in Marseille where they won 4-0 last season to reach the last 16.

Real journey

Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster is already looking beyond the Champions League group stage in his mission to raise the nine-time champions back to the summit of European football.

Six coaches have failed before him and in the past four seasons the Spaniards haven't even progressed beyond the last 16.

Madrid's journey to May's final in Rome begins against BATE Borisov, the Belarusians making their Champions League debut, in one of eight matches taking place on Wednesday night.

"If we have just a little more luck we can get past the first knockout round without any problems," Schuster said.

Defender Fabio Cannavaro could make his first appearance of the season after missing Italy's European Championship campaign with an ankle injury.

The defence must tighten up after leaking four goals in the first two Spanish La Liga games for just one victory.

"As a defender I am not happy to concede so many goals, especially when playing at home," Christoph Metzelder said.

"We know we have problems defending set pieces, but we are working on improving.

"We are only two weeks into the season and some of us had very little time to get back into rhythm after the Euro (2008), but we will soon be at 100 per cent and we will iron out the kinks."

Juventus return

Juventus striker Alessandro Del Piero is expected to return to the starting lineup for Wednesday's game at home to Zenit St. Petersburg having been left on the bench at the weekend.

Juve, who beat Artmedia Bratislava in qualifying, are back in the group stages of the Champions League having missed out in the past two seasons after their 2006 demotion for match-fixing.

Del Piero played in the 1996 final when the Turin club won the second of their two European Cups and the 33-year-old's Champions League experience should come in handy for their opening Group H game against the Russian champions.

Coach Claudio Ranieri played close-season signing Amauri and Vincenzo Iaquinta up front in Sunday's 1-0 win over Udinese with Del Piero and David Trezeguet coming on as substitutes.

Ranieri though has reassured Del Piero that his omission was nothing to worry about as he tries out different striking pairs.

"I have not changed my mind about him, I know that he is a great champion," Ranieri said.

"We signed Amauri because he can play with all three of our forwards."

Advocaat is confident about Zenit's debut in the Champions League [GALLO/GETTY]

Zenit warmed up for their Champions League debut by crushing Terek Grozny 4-1 in the Russian premier league at the weekend.

The win lifted the Russian champions to seventh place, 14 points behind leaders Rubin Kazan but with a game in hand.

Russia midfielder Roman Shirokov will sit out Wednesday's match with a calf injury.

Belgium defender Nicolas Lombaerts, still recovering after tearing knee ligaments in March, will also miss the trip along with Turkey striker Fatih Tekke, Ukraine international Olexander Gorshkov, South Korea's Li Ho and Alexei Ionov.

Zenit coach Dick Advocaat rested Russian internationals Andrei Arshavin and Konstantin Zyryanov as well as Croatia defender Ivica Krizanac in the second half against Terek and they are likely to return against Juve.

Advocaat, whose side beat European Cup holders Manchester United 2-1 in last month's Super Cup, said he was looking forward to his team's debut in the Champions League.

"After winning the UEFA Cup and the European Super Cup we want to test ourselves against the best teams in Europe," the Dutchman said.
 
"Playing in the Champions League is a new experience for us and we can't wait to get going."

Sir Alex Ferguson will have lots of talent to draw from in tonight's game [GALLO/GETTY]

Manchester United begin their Champions League defence at home to Villarreal on Wednesday and manager Alex Ferguson has set his side the target of becoming the first team to retain the title.

AC Milan were the last side to do so, in 1990, but since the group stage format was introduced in 1992/93 nobody has matched them.

"The fact that no club has won it in successive seasons shows just how hard it is to win the thing in the first place.

"But I really do think we've got a great chance," Ferguson said this week.

The Scot's optimism is based on the depth of his squad and the different options open to him as he plots a third Champions League success following on from 1999 and last season's final win over Chelsea.

The arrival of striker Dimitar Berbatov, a former Champions League finalist with Bayer Leverkusen, adds greatly to United's attacking threat.

However, they start their challenge from Group E short of the kind of form that helped them dominate last season.

Poor form

The English and European champions have won just once this season and suffered a rare league defeat at Liverpool on Saturday, going down 2-1.

"We didn't have one performer on the pitch apart from possibly Rio Ferdinand.

"It was disappointing," Ferguson said.

"(But) you have to recover, that's the name of the game.

"It's the Champions League and we are in a good group and I think we have a good chance of qualifying."

United also lost midfielder Michael Carrick at Anfield with an ankle injury and will be without Paul Scholes, who is suspended after his red card in the Super Cup final.

They could though be boosted by the return from injury of Cristiano Ronaldo, who may figure among the substitutes.

Ferguson knows not to take anything for granted against the Spaniards, who were the last team to take anything from Old Trafford in the Champions League when they drew 0-0 in the 2005/06 competition.

United have won 12 straight home games in the competition since.

Villarreal ready

Villarreal secured their place in the group stage by finishing as runners-up to Real Madrid last season, their highest finish in the Primera Liga.

They laboured to a 1-1 draw away to Osasuna in their opening league fixture two weeks ago but were comfortable 1-0 winners at home to Deportivo Coruna on Sunday.

Coach Manuel Pellegrini is without both his leading scorers from last season,  Turkey striker Nihat Kahveci and former United forward Giuseppe Rossi, who both have thigh problems.

"Without doubt the victory and the performance against Depor will give us more confidence for the trip to Manchester," Pellegrini said.

"We have a tough start, against the champions in their stadium, but we are also an important side and should go out looking for the win."

Main stage

Bayern Munich return to the Champions League against Steaua Bucharest in Group F without Franck Ribery.

The France midfielder is back in training after ankle surgery following the European Championships, but is not ready for a full match.

Despite Ribery's absence, Bayern are eager to get back on the main stage after playing last season in the UEFA Cup, "which none of us liked," according to chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.

"Thank God, the UEFA Cup is over," midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger added.

Lyon cautious

Lyon coach Claude Puel has struggled to gather intelligence on Fiorentina ahead their match due to the Serie A season's late start.

"We've only had one official game to really observe them, which makes it difficult to really know what our opponents are about," Puel said.

"But we have to start somewhere and it's always better to start at home."

Tricky tie

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger isn't relishing the trip to Dynamo Kiev as the prelude to further tricky ties with FC Porto and Fenerbahce in Group G.

"It is a difficult group because all the teams are used to playing in the Champions League, and they are all strong at home," Wenger said.

Fixtures

Tuesday, 16 September

Barcelona v Sporting
Basel v Shakhtar Donetsk
Chelsea v Bordeaux
Marseille v Liverpool
Panathinaikos v Inter Milan
PSV v Atletico Madrid
Roma v CFR Cluj-Napoca
Werder Bremen v Anorthosis Famagusta

Wednesday, 17 September

Celtic v AaB
Dynamo Kiev v Arsenal
FC Porto v Fenerbahce
Juventus v Zenit St Petersburg
Lyon v Fiorentina
Man Utd v Villarreal
Real Madrid v BATE
Steaua Bucuresti v Bayern Munich