The names of the clubs who have claimed multiple UEFA Champions League Football titles are the stuff of footballing legend. Clubs like Manchester United, AC Milan, Liverpool and Real Madrid are recognised as the greatest on the planet partially because of their exploits in the Champions League, and their ability to come out on top in the ultimate battle of the world’s richest, strongest clubs.

The hype over the top clubs in the Champions League naturally overshadows the less than stellar exploits of some of the clubs who have made up the numbers at the tournament over the years.

10. Brøndby IF

Brøndby IF have been the outstanding team in Danish football for the last two decades, winning the Danish championship 10 times since 1985 and finishing as runners-up on another 9 occasions. However, the Champions League has been a different matter entirely. During their only Champions League campaign Brøndby played 6 games, losing 5 games, drawing 1 and conceding 18 goals in the process.

9. Rapid Wien

Looking to outdo Brøndby IF in the totally hopeless stakes are multiple Austrian league title winners, Rapid Wien. The club reached the group stages of the Champions League on two occasions, and clinically disproved the old dictum that ‘practice makes perfect’ by putting in equally inept performances in both campaigns. Rapid Wien failed to win one of its 12 Champions League matches as its porous defence let in 27 goals.

8. Anderlecht

Belgian club Anderlecht has the distinction of bearing the title of the worst of the seasoned campaigners in the Champions League. In eight tournament appearances Anderlecht has progressed beyond the group stages only once, and has managed to amass a goal difference of -50, letting in an average of almost 2 goals a game in all Champions League matches.

7. Steaua Bucuresti

Steaua Bucuresti also doesn’t have much to show for its five Champions League appearances. The Romanian club have won only 4 of their 30 matches in the tournament, and have never managed to progress beyond the group stage of the Champions League.

6. Besiktas

Besiktas are one short of Steaua Bucuresti’s record of 5 Champions League appearances without securing progression to the second round. However, it is not this fact that earns them a place of honour amongst the worst clubs in Champions League history. Instead, Besiktas must be acknowledged for being on the receiving end of the biggest hiding in Champions League history, taking an 8-0 pasting from Liverpool in the group stages of the 2007/2008 Champions League.

5. Lierse SK

Lierse SK is another Belgian Club without much to celebrate in the Champions League. During their single Champions League campaign, Lierse were on the receiving end of 12 goals, scored three of their own, and departed the tournament with just a single victory to show for their time on Europe’s biggest football stage.

4. Willem II Tilburg

One must assume that the ‘II’ in the name of Dutch club Willem II Tilburg was not inserted to commemorate their 2 point haul in the 1999 Champions League. Tilburg qualified for the tournament by virtue of finishing second in the Dutch League and were rewarded for this feat by having 17 goals hammered past their defence as they tumbled out of the tournament without a single win.

3. AIK Stockholm

AIK Stockholm are the only club to have represented Sweden in the Champions League, and were hailed by an expectant Swedish public when they qualified for the tournament in 1999. AIK Stockholm’s Champions League debut proved to be a baptism of fire, as the hapless Swedes lost 5 games and drew 1. AIK Stockholm eventually departed the Champions League with only a single point and a -12 goal difference to show for their efforts.

2. FC Kosice

Just when you thought that clubs had scraped the bottom of the barrel in the Champions League, along comes FC Kosice. The Slovakian Club represented their country in the Champions League in 1998, and in the space of just a few months achieved the significant feat of becoming the first ever club to be knocked out of the Champions League without picking up a single point.

1. Levski Sofia

Not to be outdone by the exploits of FC Kosice, Levski Sofia arrived on the scene in 2006 with the apparent intention of making Kosice’s Champions League record look respectable. The Bulgarian side played 6 fixtures during the course of its Champions League campaign, conceding an average of 3 goals a match and scoring just one goal of its own. The club departed the tournament with no points.

I don’t want to turn this into an all-Liverpool blog but the red-half of Merseyside was the story of last night’s action. The Reds romped to a record 8-0 win over Besiktas and did so with considerable style. Yossi Benayoun was clearly the man of the match and had a career game with a hat trick and a couple of setups but for my money the goal of the night was scored by Ryan Babel. His first of two, this clever flick left the Besiktas goalkeeper high and dry.

The 8-0 represents Liverpool’s second largest winning margin in Europe next to a 10-1 win over Finnish side Oulun Palloseura way back in 1980. Midfielders Graeme Souness and Terry McDermott both netted hat-tricks in that match.

Besiktas were without their key centre-back Gokhan Zan, who was injured in the defeat at Fenerbahce at the weekend, but club president Yildirim Demiroren was quoted as saying that the club “may have to part ways with some of our players.” He indicated that the board of directors would be meeting on Monday to discuss what action to take, if any. I think it is a bit harsh but clearly the team performed poorly and some change or shakeup is needed. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail and the club will not fire players over one poor showing.

The pressure is on today for Liverpool as they currently sit bottom of Group A and face a tough fixture against Besiktas, who beat them on Matchday 3. Today’s match is at Anfield which should give the the Reds an edge. If they were to lose at home or even draw, the 2005 European champions will almost certainly be out of the competition. This will inevitably lead to speculation about the future of Rafa Benitez as the club’s manager.

It’s uncertain whether Liverpool will have striker Fernando Torres available but it is clear that both Xabi Alonso and defender Daniel Agger are out for this match. Liverpool did have some good news, as Harry Kewell has come through two consecutive substitute appearance with no problems and could be named as a starter. Besiktas will be looking to bounce back after suffering a 2-1 defeat against Fenerbahce that leaves them fourth in the Turkish league.

There could be a few other clubs to have their fate sealed on Matchday 4, including Stuttgart, Dynamo Kiev, CSKA Moscow, Steaua Bucharest and Lazio. Another loss for these clubs will push them to the brink of elimination.

I had a pretty decent day with the predictions yesterday, so let’s see if I can keep it going. Today’s matches feature some teams that desperately need to put points on the board, including Liverpool and Werder Bremen. Let’s take a quick look at the matchups.

Besiktas – Liverpool
On the back of their derby win over Everton, Liverpool will look to get their Champions League campaign rolling. The Reds have had a sputtering start this season, drawing against Porto and suffering a shock loss at home to Marseille. Fernando Torres is ruled out due to a thigh injury suffered on international duty with Spain but I think the team will come out with purpose in this match.

Marseille – Porto
I think Marseille will be boosted by their massive win on Matchday 2 against Liverpool. They will be missing young playmaker Samir Nasri but Matchday 2 hero Mathieu Valbuena should be in the starting lineup. This will be a close game as there is little to choose between the sides. Marseille are sitting on top of the Group A after wins against Besiktas and Liverpool. Porto have a win against Besiktas and a draw against Liverpool. I give the nod to Marseille partially because they are at home but also because of the growing confidence instilled in the team by new manager Eric Gerets.

Rosenborg – Valencia
The draw Rosenborg claimed against Chelsea said more about the state of the Chelsea team at that time rather than the quality of the Rosenborg side. They have been struggling in their domestic league though they did win in their most recent outing against Odd Grenland. However, I would expect Valencia to win, though perhaps not easily. Rosenborg will try to shut up shop so the Spanish side will have to remain patient and make the most of the chances they do generate. Despite David Villa being deemed healthy enough to be part of the squad for this match, I expect Nikola Zigic will partner Fernando Morientes in attack.

Chelsea – Schalke
I think the storm of the Mourinho departure has passed for Chelsea and they have played much better in their last two matches. Add to that, their stellar home record and it looks to be all three points for the London club.

Bremen – Lazio (draw)
Bremen have been hot and cold this season and their Champions League form has been lacking. They’ve lost both their games so far, including a disappointing performance against Olympiacos at home. A loss against Lazio would make it a monumental task to reach the knockout stages. Meanwhile, Lazio only has two points from two games and will be desperate to gain ground on the other teams in the group. They are also struggling in Serie A and keeping the ball out of their own net has been a problem on all fronts. They did manage to keep a clean sheet in the last league outing against Livorno, a 1-0 win that took them to 13th place, but they will be missing holding midfielder Cristián Ledesma for the Bremen match.

Real Madrid – Olympiacos
Real will be looking to shake off a disappointing 2-1 loss to Espanyol in La Liga on the weekend. Prior to that Madrid had reeled off seven wins and two draws in their first nine games in all competitions. With their 3-1 victory at Werder Bremen, Olympiacos ended a 31-match drought of away wins. I’m not optimistic that they will go 2-for-2 though and Madrid, despite a number of players absent through injury, should have more than enough to take all three points.

Benfica – Celtic (draw)
Celtic are another club with a long-running drought away from home in the Champions League. They have lost 13 and drawn one of their last 14 away matches in CL play. Benfica have not been consistently sharp this season either and I can’t see either side taking a hold of the match and dominating play.

Milan – Shakhtar
I was very tempted to pick an upset result here but with the game being in Milan, I have to go with the home side. Shakhtar has built a strong side and will give Milan a good fight but the San Siro is always a tough place to go and get a result. A major point will be whether Kaká, who is struggling with a knee problem, is able to recover in time for this match. He was expected to be a gametime decision. If Kaká is unavailable, a draw could be in the cards.

Players to Watch:
Alex Rodrigo Dias da Costa (Chelsea): After his 30-yard rocket of a goal on the weekend, Alex (nicknamed “The Tank”) will again line-up in central defence alongside Ricardo Carvalho. Chelsea captain John Terry is still out through injury so this pairing will be scrutinized and Schalke will be looking to exploit their unfamiliarity. One of the keys for Chelsea will be the central pairing and how they cope with Schalke’s experienced strikers Kevin Kuranyi and Gerald Asamoah.

Goran Pandev (Lazio): The 24-year-old Macedonian scored a brace against Real Madrid and helped his club earn a point against the Spanish giants on Matchday 2. Of course, he had barely reached the locker room after that performance when rumours of a possible lucrative transfer began to circulate in the press. He seems to flourish as an attacking midfielder with the license to roam anywhere across the midfield and in support of the striker(s). Lazio, who have some financial difficulties, will not sell a player of this quality unless it is for a big (possibly 25m euros or more) transfer fee.

Freddy Adu (Benfica): Once looked upon as the great hope of US Soccer, he now has the opportunity to prove himself on the European stage. He scored in a league cup tie on the weekend and could be called into action against Celtic with veteran striker Nuno Gomes unavailable. Reports coming out of Portugal suggest that Benfica’s coaching staff are impressed with Adu’s technical skills and his attitude in training. This has prompted them to to increase the young American’s playing time.

After following the game of soccer for more than 30 years, it’s rare that I get ultra excited about a team that I don’t support. However, there is one exception and that’s watching a Besiktas home match on television especially one that’s so important as today’s match against Liverpool in the Champions League.

I “fell in love” with Besiktas fans last season after being amazed at how loud they were and their incessant singing during the UEFA Cup match against Tottenham. And no, I’m not Turkish.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing and watching Besiktas fans, be sure to tune in to the match today on Setanta Sports in the United States at 2:45pm featuring Besiktas against Liverpool. If the Reds think this match will be a walk in the park, they’re in for a big surprise.

To see and hear an idea of how Besiktas fans act, watch this video:

My summer vacation cut into the time I had to discuss results from last week’s opening legs. We reviewed the first day of matches but not the second. So here’s a quick recap of what happened. One of the ties that I was most interested in saw a meeting of the 2006/07 Slovakian champions MSK Zilina and Czech runners-up SK Slavia Praha. The first leg was played in Zilina and the home side provided excitement with an attacking display that had put seven goals past Luxembourg’s F91 Dudelange in the opening round. Despite finishing with ten men, Slavia’s first competitive match of the season saw them hold on to a goalless draw.

Vladimír Šmicer made his comeback appearance for Slavia on the hour mark. Šmicer, who left the club for RC Lens in 1996 and went on to win the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup with Liverpool FC, made his entrance from the bench having overcome a knee injury he picked up last season while playing in Ligue Une with FC Girondins de Bordeaux. Slavia are in good shape to move forward with the return leg being held in Prague.

Turkish club Besiktas defeated FC Sheriff by a score of 1-0. Besiktas defender Ibrahim Toraman’s late header secured a win. Moldovan side FC Sheriff fought hard in a tough away fixture but were caught napping on a corner kick with eighteen minutes to go. Toraman was able to sneak in at the near post and slot home a precision header.

Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb pulled out a 2-1 victory over Slovenian title-holders NK Domzale. Tomislav Sokota and Luka Modric’s penalty put Dinamo in command before letting up and conceding a goal that gives Domzale a flicker of hope. The return leg is in Croatia so they have a steep hill to climb. Highlights from the match can be found here.

FK Crvena Zvezda (also called Red Star Belgrade) defeated Estonian champions Levadia Tallinn 1-0. Ognjen Koroman scored the only goal on a long shot that one could argue the keeper should have stopped. The scoreline flattered Tallinn a bit as Red Star had many chances to score and their lack of finishing kept the match in doubt.

Rosenborg BK took control of their tie with FC Astana by winning the first leg 3-1 in Kazakhstan. Rosenborg, back in this competition after missing out for the first time in 12 seasons last year, had two goals from Yssouf Koné and a converted penalty from former Tottenham forward Steffen Iversen.

Finally, Belarus-based FC BATE Borisov recovered from conceding an early goal to Icelandic side FH Hafnarfjördur to win 3-1. FC BATE return hom with a two-goal edge (including three away goals) and should be able to advance comfortably.