In the first eight matches of this Champions League matchday, there was plenty of excitement to go around. Some sides like Chelsea have made sure that they’re going through top of the group, while others like Arsenal have complicated their Champions League campaign terribly.

In these eight games, there were 23 goals scored, making for an average of 2.8 goals per game. But what I find very interesting is that in these eight matches, there were four players sent off with red cards! All four sending offs were in the second half of the matches, and three were in the last five minutes. I guess it’s a sign that the tension is rising as teams need to qualify for the next round of the tournament.

The most exciting match which took place today was Roma – Bayern Munich, with the Italian side triumphing at home 3-2. Bayern started the scoring with Gomez taking advantage of shaky Roma defending in the 33rd and 39th minutes, leaving Ranieri’s side in a bit of disarray going into the second half. But Roma came out to win the match in front of their home fans, and Borriello pulled one back four minutes into the second half, then in the 81^st minute De Rossi scored to make it 2-2. And in the 84^th minute, Roma were awarded a penalty, and their legendary captain Francesco Totti stepped up and scored the winner.

A fantastic match which keeps Roma in second place, three points behind Bayern Munich, and three ahead of FC Basel. FC Basel defeated CFR Cluj at home 1-0, with Alerares scoring the only goal in the 15^th minute. Cluj had Piccolo sent off with a direct red card in the 88^th minute, and the player will miss their next Champions League match against Roma. So Group E is relatively tight with Roma needing a win if they want to qualify, while Bayern look pretty solid up in first place with a goal difference of +7.

Chelsea faced Zilina at Stamford Bridge, and while they went a goal down in the first half, Ancelotti’s side scored twice in the second half in order to win 2-1. Zilina scored from a quick give-and-go passing move which Bello poked past Turnbull. It was the youngster Sturridge who equalized, and Chelsea began to press on, with Drogba almost scoring from a free kick, and  youngster van Aanholt smacking an effort against the post. It was Florent Malouda who scored the winner in the 86th minute for Chelsea, helping his side get their fifth in a row in the Champions League, qualifying them mathematically for first place.

Behind Chelsea which has fifteen points, Olympique Marseille are second with nine, with Spartak Moscow following the french side with six points. Marseille defeated the Russian team comfortably 3-0 in Russia, with Valbuena, Remy, and Brandao scoring the goals while Welliton was sent off for Spartak. While it is mathematically possible for Spartak Moscow to steal Marseille’s second place and qualify for the next round, Marseille have a goal difference of +8, while Spartak’s is -4, so it’s very likely that Chelsea and Olympique Marseille will move on to the next round from Group F.

While Chelsea have qualified to the next round, Arsenal have made their qualification a little more difficult after their away loss to Sporting Braga. It was a 2-0 win for the Portuguese side with Matheus Nascimento scoring both very well taken goals. What will bother Arsenal fans the most is probably the fact that their side conceeded the goals in the 83^rd and 90^th minutes, and that they’ll probably have to win next Champions League matchday in order to qualify.

This is because Sporting Braga are tied with Arsenal with nine points, with the English side ahead by goal difference. Ahead of both of the sides is Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk which defeated Partizan 3-0, which puts them first with 12 points. Watching all the action from the very bottom of the table is the Serbian side Partizan, the team has only scored one goal, and has zero points, and their chances of picking up some points next matchday are slim, considering that they’ll be facing Arsenal which will be fighting for qualification.

Jose Mourinho will be glad that his team, Real Madrid, conquered first place in the group with a 4-0 away win over Ajax, but he won’t be too glad about the two players which received red cards in the final minutes of the match. Everything was going perfectly all the way until the last five minutes of the match, the Spanish side were 4-0 up with Benzema and Arbeloa on the scoresheet along with Ronaldo who scored twice, of which one of the goals was a penalty.

But in the 87^th minute Xabi Alonso gets a second yellow card for time wasting (his first was for throwing the ball away during a stoppage of play), and therefore a red card, and just minutes later Sergio Ramos replicates his teammate and gets sent off for wasting time as well! But Jose Mourinho won’t care too much, especially considering that this win mathematically qualifies his side in first place.

AC Milan have also mathematically qualified for the knockout round in second place after their 2-0 win away from home against Auxerre. And it was Ibrahimovic who scored a fantastic goal, a truly unstoppable rocket which shows that the Swede has been playing wonderfully and scoring plenty of goals to help his side, whether it be in the Champions League, or the Serie A. Ronaldinho got the other goal in the 90^th minute, a sly dribbling move finished by a curled left foot shot onto the far post.

What are your thoughts regarding these matches? Will Arsenal qualify? What about Roma? Can they catch Bayern? Share your comments below!

Matchday 4 should be a pivotal one as many groups may well be decided once the games are completed. Who needs a win and who can afford to slip? Let’s take a look at Tuesday’s games.

Group A
Roma need to win at home against Chelsea but that is looking to be a tall order considering the run of form that Chelsea are on right now. They absolutely walked all over Sunderland on the weekend and Roma will likely play a counter-attack game again and hope to frustrate the London club. Should there be a winner in the Cluj – Bordeaux match and Roma do not pick up at least a point, the pressure will be on the Italian side. Roma, who lost 2-0 to Juventus on the weekend, have slumped to one of their worst starts in recent seasons and remain just two points off the bottom of the Serie A table. Manager Luciano Spalletti is under pressure from the fans and media, and if results do not turn around quickly he could become the next Champions League manager to be fired.

Group B
Werder Bremen need a win. There is no other way to say it. They have been poor thus far and another draw will not help them turn things around. They looked impressive on the weekend as playmaker Diego starred in a 5-1 drubbing of Hertha Berlin but is it another false dawn? Bremen have a very talented side but have thus far been unable to get the most out of that talent. Here’s hoping we see the same Bremen side in midweek that we saw this  past weekend. Panathinaikos need a win if even UEFA Cup is to be a possibility this season but I don’t see things going there way in Bremen.Anorthosis will hope to hold Inter to a draw, anything more would be a wonder result.With a win, Inter will pretty much have this group wrapped up.

Group C
Top and bottom of the group may well be decided if Barcelona steamroll FC Basel again. The scoreline was an emphatic 5-0 last time and while I don’t expect the same number of goals, I do think the result will be the same. That leaves Sporting and Shakhtar to battle it out for 2nd place. The 1-0 win that Sporting claimed at RSC Olympiyskiy Stadium on Matchday 3 has them sitting three points clear of Shakhtar. A second win against the Ukrainian side will propel them into the last 16. Sporting currently have a perfect record against Ukrainian opposition and while they will be without defender Tonel, I think Sporting will have enough depth and enough incentive to get the result at home.

Group D
The feature matchup in this group is the return fixture between Liverpool and Atlético Madrid. A victory for either side will put them in the driver’s seat in the group. Momentum is on Atlético’s side as they won at the weekend, while Liverpool lost despite playing very well. However, it will be a tall order for Atlético to go to Anfield and take all three points. I think this one will likely end up a draw but should one of the two slip, PSV will be hoping to overcome Marseille and close the gap on second place. The Dutch side currently sit third on 3 points, 4 back of the joint leaders of the group. PSV and Marseille both won at the weekend and the last match was close despite the 2-0 scoreline. Marseille moved within a point of Ligue 1 pacesetters Olympique Lyonnais with a 3-1 victory at home against AS Saint-Etienne,while PSV defeated Willem II by a 2-0 scoreline to move within 1 point of top spot in the Eredivisie.

The group stage kicks off in about two weeks so until then I will be doing previews of the group stage in alphabetical order. I wanted to wait until after the transfer window had closed so that I would be able to judge the rosters fairly. There were some last minute moves that could have a huge impact on certain teams (e.g. Berbatov to Manchester United) and other moves that were rumoured to be happening that did not (e.g. Robinho to Chelsea FC) which could also affect club’s fortunes. Enough preamble, on to the analysis!

CFR 1907 Cluj

How They Got Here: 2007-08 Liga 1 Champions — automatic berth to group stage

Star Performer: MF Eugen Trica — though he is 32, he is ranked as one of the very best players in the Romanian League. He has vast experience which includes some UEFA Cup experience with CSKA Sofia.

Key To Success: Like most underdog teams, Cluj will need to make the most of their home matches and try not to be blown out in away games.

Transfer Ins: FW Yssouf Koné (Rosenborg)

Transfer Outs: FW Antonio Semedo (Steaua Bucharesti), LB Mikael Dorsin (Rosenborg)

Talking Points: There has been a change of manager already — never a good sign. Maurizio Trombetta, a former Romanian international defender, has replaced Ioan Andone as the club look to improve on a poor start to their Romanian Liga 1 campaign. The loss of Portuguese forward Antonio Semedo will not help matters as he contributed several timely goals to their winning campaign last season. Argentinians Sebastián Dubarbier, Sixto Peralta and Diego Ruiz, brought in during the January 2008 transfer window, will be expected to make up the loss of offence from Semedo’s transfer.

Cluj were the first team in the history of Liga 1 to field a starting XI without a single Romanian player. There are some Romanian players on the squad but the majory of the squad are from Portugal, Africa and South America. The club has developed a talent development partnership with Portuguese giants Benfica.

Predicted Finish: Last place — they might nick a couple of points but I don’t see them having enough to edge out the other clubs in this group.

Chelsea FC

How They Got Here: 2nd place in English Premier League — automatic berth to group stage

Star Performer: Michael Essien. The engine of the team. This guy can and does play everywhere and does well no matter role he’s asked to play. Often overlooked on this star-studded squad but I feel he’s their MVP.

Key To Success: Staying focused and not taking any of these squads lightly. The other key will be to keep their

Transfer Ins: MF Deco (Barcelona), Jose Bosingwa (FC Porto)

Transfer Outs: MF Shaun Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Claudio Pizarro (Werder Bremen), Steve Sidwell (Aston Villa), Claude Makelele (Paris St Germain), Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart), Tal Ben Haim (Manchester City), Andriy Shevchenko (AC Milan)

Talking Points: What does it mean for Chelsea to have been outbid in the transfer market by the newfound wealth of Manchester City? New manager Luiz Felipe Scolari had to have been looking forward to the club acquiring Robinho but City, backed by the deep pockets of the Abu Dhabi United Group, splashed a British record transfer fee of about £32m to acquire the Brazilian forward.

Chelsea only have Nicolas Anelka, the oft-injured Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou as experienced strikers. I say only somewhat hesitantly as that is a decent stash of talent for any squad. I can see where Chelsea would have wanted another player around to cover injuries/suspensions. There are a lot of fixtures and it will be interesting to see how Chelsea fare as the season wears on. I suspect they will lean heavily on their star-studded and over-packed midfield. They may even need to adopt a system similar to what Manchester United and AS Roma have played in the past, which resembles a 4-6-0 at times.

Predicted Finish: First in group, advancing to the knockout phase. A favourable draw considering their circumstances. It will allow Chelsea a chance to load up another striker come January.

FC Girondins de Bordeaux

How They Got Here: 2nd place in Ligue Une — automatic berth to group stage.

Star Performer: I may be indulging in some hyperbole here but Bordeaux’s new loan signing Yoann Gourcuff is going to be a fantastic player for the squad. He has already demonstrated his skill and leadership in a 2-1 French league win over Caen. The 22-year-old Gourcuff, scored once and generally controlled the midfield with his pace, vision and technical ability. The hope is that Gourcuff and Argentine striker Fernando Cavenaghi can form a lethal 1-2 punch.

Key To Success: Like Cluj, Bordeaux will need to make the most of their home matches and tighten up a bit defensively both at home and in away matches. The back four has been fairly sound in domestic action but will be tested to a higher degree by Chelsea and Roma’s attacking power. That said, they must remain positive in their approach and not simply sit back in a defensive shell that will let the ‘bigger’ clubs overrun them.

Transfer Ins: MF Yoann Gourcuff (on loan from A.C. Milan), LB Placente (San Lorenzo)

Transfer Outs: Johan Micoud (out of contract), Jemmali (Grenoble), Alonso (Monaco), Bregerie (Metz), Manga (Angers), FW Youssef Sekour (Sedan), Ecuele Manga (Angers), DF Paul Baysse (Sedan)

Talking Points: Will relative rookie boss Laurent Blanc be able to keep up with the master tacticians he’s going to encounter in this group? Both Scolari and Spalletti have deeper sides so Blanc will have to get his game plans spot on in order to try and finish higher than third.

Predicted Finish: 3rd Place, UEFA Cup berth

AS Roma

How They Got Here: 2nd place in Serie A — automatic berth to group stage

Star Performer: When it came to Champions League nights, Mirko Vucinic was a key figure as he was often asked to play in a variety of roles. He was used as a winger in Roma’s 4-2-3-1 system. Totti often plays as the lead forward but in a unique fashion. He is used as a playmaker and relies on the 3 to make intelligent runs in order to create channels for Totti to distribute to. Vucinic can also play as the lone forward if called upon. His versatility and goal-scoring (4 goals in 8 CL appearances) will be vital to Roma’s success this season.

Key To Success: Moving away from their over-reliance on talisman and captain Francesco Totti. When Totti is healthy, he is still capable of scoring plenty of goals for this squad. However, when he’s not in the lineup, no one seems prepared to step up and take the team by the collar and lead them forward. Totti should return soon from his ACL injury that required him to have surgery in the off-season.

Transfer Ins: DF John Arne Riise (Liverpool), MF/FW Julio Baptista (Real Madrid), MF Jeremy Menez (Monaco)

Transfer Outs: MF Mancini (Internazionale), MF Ludovic Giuly (Paris St Germain), DF Matteo Ferrari (out of contract),

Talking Points: With Mancini gone, can new signing Jeremy Menez step up and fill the playmaker role? Menez is the youngest ever scorer of a hat trick in Ligue 1, the youngest ever winner of Ligue 1′s Player of the Month award and like most other young talented French footballers has had the albatross hung around his neck — he has been compared to Zinedine Zidane.

Cicinho recently had a training ground row with Luciano Spalletti…will team chemistry be an issue?

Predicted Finish: 2nd in group, advancing to the knockout phase

This leg of our European tour starts in France where Bordeaux revived their Ligue 1 title hopes when Pierre Ducasse’s stunning 25-metre strike in stoppage time earned them a 2-1 win at Olympique Marseille on the weekend. Second-placed Bordeaux, on 71 points with two games left, are two points behind leaders and six-times champions Olympique Lyon, who drew 0-0 at Nice on Saturday. Marseille now sit fourth, two points behind Nancy, who hold the qualifying spot for the Champions League third preliminary round following their 3-0 thrashing of strugglers Racing Strasbourg on Saturday. St Etienne stay fifth, four points adrift of fourth-placed Marseille with Lille a further point behind.

On to Germany, where there were some mid-week games and of importance was Werder Bremen winning 1-0 at Hamburger SV despite finishing with nine men. The win clinches a top-three finish for Werder, and at least a place in the Champions League qualifiers, for themselves and Schalke 04. Hamburg and VfB Stuttgart are in fourth and fifth on 51 points, meaning the best they can now hope for is qualification for the UEFA Cup. Bayer Leverkusen, who were beaten 2-1 at home by Hertha Berlin on Wednesday, remain in sixth place on 48 points.

Next we stop off in Romania and say congratulations to CFR Cluj, from the city of Cluj-Napoca, who were crowned Romanian champions for the first time on Wednesday after a 1-0 win over Universitatea Cluj. CFR finished on 76 points, one point ahead of Steaua Bucharest who ended their campaign with a 5-0 rout of Gloria Buzau. CFR Cluj becomes the first team outside of Bucharest to win Liga I in 17 years. A penalty 15 minutes into the second half from Manuel Riccardo Cadu, after Brazilian Correia Edvan had fouled Argentine substitute striker Diego Ruiz, handed CFR victory. Unfortunately it was not all happy times as riot police had to fire tear gas to disperse Universitatea fans who attempted to attack CFR supporters. A special congrats to Canadian goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld after leaving Norwegian club Rosenborg BK.

In Bulgaria, CSKA Sofia claimed their 31st Bulgarian league title finishing well ahead of Levski and Lokomotiv Sofia, both of whom will take part in the Champions League 2nd Qualifying Round. CSKA Sofia are entered into the 3rd Qualifying Round. CSKA had a truly dominant season allowing only 9 goals in 28 matches while scoring 50 times.

In Serbia, Partizan Belgrade recently won their 10th national cup with a 3-0 rout of second division neighbours Zemun thanks to a hat-trick by Senegalese striker Lamine Diarra. Zemun could become the first third-division Serbian side to play in Europe as they are four points adrift of safety with as many matches remaining in the second tier but they will qualify for the UEFA Cup if league leaders Partizan complete the double. They are currently 3 points up on last year’s champions FK Crvena Zvezda. The winner of the league is entered into the Champions League Second Qualifying Round, while the runner-up is in the UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round.

The champions of Croatian football are once again Dinamo Zagreb, who won the league title last month with six games to spare. They will enter the competition at the very first qualifying round of the Champions League while runners-up Hajduk Split will be entered into UEFA Cup qualifying.

In the Czech Republic, Sparta Prague are closing in on their 35th league title but dropped valuable points at the weekend after a 2-0 loss to FC Brno. That allowed their bitter city foes Slavia Prague to come within a point after a win over Olomouc. With two games left Slavia’s title challenge is back on after leading the table through much of the early season then faltering in form. In recent weeks Sparta and Slavia have taken turns faltering which has made the run-in quite exciting and unpredictable. Whoever wins the league will get a place in the Third Qualifying Round while the runner-up starts in the Second Qualifying Round.

Next door we check in on the Slovakian Corgon Liga where FC Artmedia Petržalka (FC Artmedia Bratislava) can now claim their first ever league and cup double after taking home the Slovakian Cup (Slovenský Pohár) by defeating FC Spartak Trnava 1-0 in Zilina. Artmedia are sitting six points ahead of second-place side MSK Zilina in the league.

In Turkey, Galatasaray held off the challenge of rivals, and this year’s surprise package in the Champions League, Fenerbahçe. Shabani Nonda led the way for Galatasaray with 14 goals after his transfer from A.S. Roma. Nonda also had a loan spell at Blackburn Rovers before moving permanently away from Italy. The real strength of the team was at the back as they only allowed 23 goals in 33 games in a league that can be quite high-scoring. The backline was bolstered by the emergence of Emre Güngör who pushed former Liverpool defender Rigobert Song to the substitutes bench in the second half of the season. The 23-year-old was rumoured to be sought after by Fenerbahce but he ended up signing with Galatasaray and they will hope to keep hold of him for a few seasons.

Finally we stop in Greece, where the Super League was won by Olympiacos finishing ahead of AEK Athens by a mere two points. Caretaker manager José Segura has done an admirable job guiding the team to the title after Takis Lemonis was fired for sub-par league performances despite a strong run in the Champions League. A special attaboy to Canadian striker Tomasz Radzinski who finished fourth in the Greek league scoring with 14 goals from 21 appearances for AC Skoda Xanthi.