Kaka celebrates with the trophy following AC Milan's 2-1 victory over Liverpool in last season's Champions League final in Athens. Can the Brazilian star lead the Italian club to back-to-back titles? (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

After a lengthy summer layoff, the UEFA Champions League kicks off Tuesday, as 32 of Europe's top soccer clubs begin their journey towards the final next May in Moscow.

Which teams will cruise through the first round? Which of the favourites will crash and burn? And which upstart club will sneak into the round of 16?

Read on and find out.

Group A: Liverpool FC (England), Olympique Marseille (France), Besiktas (Turkey), FC Porto (Portugal)
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez went out and spent some big money on marquee players in the off-season, including Fernando Torres from Atletico Madrid, with the intent of setting up his team as a legitimate Champions League contender. The club has great depth at every position and should romp to first place in Group A. Porto managed to hold on to creative midfielder Ricardo Quaresma despite interest from several big European clubs. The departure of midfielder Anderson (now with Manchester United) and defender Pepe (Real Madrid) hurts them, and Porto always seems to struggle on the road. The key for them will be to win at home and get as many points as they can away from Portugal. Back in the tournament for the first time in four years, Marseille will be looking to brilliant young playmaker Samir Nasri, who has been dubbed the 'new Zidane,' now that Franck Ribery is with Bayern Munich. Can a pair of former Liverpool stars, Boudewijn Zenden and Djibril Cisse, lead them to the next round? It's doubtful. Besiktas are tough to beat at home in Istanbul, but they don't have enough quality players to compete.
Predicted finish: 1) Liverpool, 2) Porto, 3) Marseille, 4) Besiktas

Group B: Valencia (Spain), Chelsea (England), Rosenborg (Norway), Schalke 04 (Germany)
There's no question about Chelsea's quality and depth, but you have to wonder if the ongoing Jose Mourinho-Roman Abramovich soap opera will prove to be a distraction for the club. Didier Drogba is coming off a great season in the Premiership and should score even more goals this time around with newcomer Florent Malouda in the starting lineup. As one of the tournament favourites, this is Chelsea's group to win. Spanish international David Villa leads the charge up front for Los Che, who overhauled their team by bringing in a slew of new players, including the giant Serbian striker Nicola Zigic, formerly of Racing Santander. With so many new faces, chemistry could be a problem, though. Schalke has a solid back line, anchored by Serbia's Mladen Krstajic and the Brazilian Marcelo Bordon, while wingback Rafinha gives Schalke an attacking option down the wing. But the loss of Hamit Altintop (to Bayern Munich) and Brazilian Lincoln (to Galatasaray) leaves the Germans without a quality playmaker in midfield. Canadian goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld will be kept busy as Rosenborg will be out-muscled by all three teams in this group.
Predicted finish: 1) Chelsea, 2) Valencia, 3) Schalke, 4) Rosenborg

Group C: Lazio (Italy), Real Madrid (Spain), Werder Bremen (Germany), Olympiacos (Greece)
It's a new era at Real Madrid following the departure of coach Fabio Capello (replaced by Bernd Schuster) and David Beckham and Roberto Carlos, the last of the Galacticos. No team splashed out as much cash on new recruits as Los Blancos did in the off-season, which means the pressure is on Schuster to deliver Real its 10th title. They are the class of this group and will easily claim first place. Bremen could be one of the most under-rated teams in the competition. Making their third straight tournament appearance, the Germans will rely on Brazilian youngster Diego to orchestrate the attack, but goals could be hard to come by now that Miroslav Klose is with Bayern Munich. Success will depend on Diego staying healthy. Greek champions 10 out of the last 11 seasons, Olympiacos harbour dreams of making a sustained run in the Champions League. It's hard to see them making it out of the group, though, especially with a weak defence where Raul Bravo, formerly of Real Madrid, leads the back line. Tommaso Rocchi and Goran Pandev formed one of the most deadly scoring partnerships in Serie A last season, but Lazio didn't make any major moves in the off-season and have goalkeeping problems after they failed to find a proper replacement for the retired Angelo Peruzzi.
Predicted finish: 1) Real Madrid, 2) Werder Bremen, 3) Olympiacos, 4) Lazio

Group D: Celtic FC (Scotland), AC Milan (Italy) Benfica (Portugal), Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Any team that has Kaka, the best player in the world, in its starting lineup has to be considered a favourite to win its group. When that team is AC Milan, the defending champions, it's a virtual lock. The Rossoneri signed Brazilian Emerson in the off-season to give their midfield more grit, but the fact they didn't add any new defenders to bolster an aging back line (captain Paolo Maldini is 39) is worrisome. Still, the Italians will easily run away with this group. The fight for second place will be a tight one between Benfica and Celtic. The Portuguese powerhouse lost midfield sensation Simao Sabrosa to Atletico Madrid and striker Fabrizio Miccoli returned to Italy where he signed with Palermo, but the club did bring in Paraguayan forward Oscar Cardozo, who's been lighting it up in the Argentine league with Newell's Old Boys, and Freddy Adu, who starred for the U.S. at this summer's FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. Celtic will be looking to build on its Champions League run of a year ago when it advanced to the knockout stage. The addition of AC Milan midfielder Massimo Donati was a smart move by manager Gordon Strachan, as it gives the Scots more quality in midfield where Shunsuke Nakamura rules the roost. While Celtic is unbeatable at home, its record on the road leaves a lot to be desired and that could lead to their downfall. As for Shakhtar, the addition of Italian striker Cristiano Lucarelli gives them a dangerous scoring threat, but he won't be enough to guide the Ukrainians into the next round.
Predicted finish: 1) AC Milan, 2) Benfica, 3) Celtic, 4) Shakhtar Donetsk

Group E: Olympique Lyon (France), Rangers (Scotland), VfB Stuttgart (Germany), FC Barcelona (Spain)
After winning it all in 2006, Barcelona suffered a major setback when it bowed out in the second round last year. In the aftermath of their premature exit, coach Frank Rijkaard quickly went to work and brought in several new players, including promising French defender Eric Abidal and Thierry Henry from Arsenal. With an attack that boasts Ronaldinho, Deco, Henry, Lionel Messi and Samuel Eto'o, it's hard to see the Catalan club not winning this group. Stuttgart doesn't get much attention, probably because it plays in the Bundesliga, but coach Armin Veh has an exciting young team that is fearless and entertaining to watch. Striker Mario Gomez was named the German player of the year last season, and will be looking to make a name for himself on Europe's biggest stage. Lyon, the reigning six-time French league champion, will be hard-pressed to make it out of the group stage. Injuries to starting goalkeeper Gregory Coupet and defender Cris, who will miss four and six months respectively, hurt the club. Brazilian star Juninho is a midfield maestro, but Lyon should have given him more support by signing some big names in the off-season. Their lack of movement in the transfer market will be their undoing in the Champions League. UEFA did Rangers few favours when they drew the Scots into this tough group, which many are calling the Group of Death. Not even the hard-working Barry Ferguson, captain of the Scottish national team, will be able to guide Rangers into the second round.
Predicted finish: 1) Barcelona, 2) Stuttgart, 3) Lyon, 4) Rangers

Group F: Manchester United (England), AS Roma (Italy), Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine), Sporting Lisbon (Portugal)

Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United are the favourites in Group F. (Jon Super/Getty Images)

This is an intriguing group that pits Manchester United against AS Roma in a fight for fir place. The Red Devils were big spenders this past summer, signing Anderson, Nani, Carlos Tevez and, most notably, Calgary-born midfielder Owen Hargreaves, who gives them some added toughness in the centre of the park. Cristiano Ronaldo under-achieved in last year's tournament, so look for the Portuguese star to have a breakout campaign this year. Roma have looked sensational in Serie A thus far this season, and look fully capable of balancing their Italian league obligations with the rigours of the Champions League. Francesco Totti is playing his best soccer in years and will benefit from the service provided by French winger Ludovic Giuly. And you just know the Giallorossi are looking forward to exacting some revenge for the 7-1 pasting they suffered at Old Trafford in last year's quarter-finals. I can't see Sporting or Dynamo seriously challenging for one of the top-two spots – the difference in class between them and Man U and Roma is too much for them to overcome.
Predicted finish: 1) Manchester United, 2) AS Roma, 3) Sporting Lisbon, 4) Dynamo Kyiv

Group G: Inter Milan (Italy), PSV Eindhoven (the Netherlands), CSKA Moscow (Russia), Fenerbahce (Turkey)
Inter will be looking to make amends for their second-round exit in last year's competition by winning their first title since 1965. The Nerazzurri boast one of the deepest teams in the tournament – Hernan Crespo will struggle for playing time after David Suazo joined the club in the summer – and have world-class players at every position. After romping to the Serie A championship last season, Inter are eager to prove they belong among Europe's elite teams. They should have little trouble winning this group. PSV reached the quarter-finals last year but the Dutch champions could find the going much tougher this time around following the loss of defender Alex to Chelsea, midfield veteran Phillip Cocu to the UAE and striker Arouna Kone to Sevilla. Still, PSV's all-out, attacking brand of soccer should see them move on. Buoyed by the signing of veteran Roberto Carlos, Fenerbahce will be tough to beat – as always – at home in Istanbul, but will struggle to earn points in Italy and the Netherlands. A lack of first-rate goal-scorers doesn't help the Turkish champs' cause, either. CSKA has dreams of playing in the final in their hometown, but a rash of injuries to key players, including goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev, and a porous defence will spell an early exit for the Russian champions.
Predicted finish: 1) Inter Milan, 2) PSV, 3) Fenerbahce, 4) CSKA Moscow

Group H: Steaua Bucharest (Romania), Arsenal (England), Sevilla (Spain), Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
Sevilla are a strong dark horse favourite to win it all, even though they'll be making their Champions League debut. The Spaniards are coming off back-to-back UEFA Cup titles, Fredi Kanoute can't seem to stop scoring, Daniel Alves anchors a solid defence, and they have plenty of quality options in midfield. What's more, Sevilla will use the tragic death of midfielder Antonio Puerta, who passed away last month at the age of 22, as motivation in their inaugural Champions League campaign. It'll be interesting to see how Arsenal does without Thierry Henry. The Gunners tend to blow hot and cold in Europe, so someone will have to step up and lead the charge, with Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas being the prime candidate. A shell of the team that went undefeated to win the 2004 Premiership title, the Londoners have enough quality and depth to surge ahead to the second round ahead of Slavia Prague (what does it say about you when Vladimir Smicer is one of your best players?) and Steaua Bucharest
Predicted finish: 1) Sevilla, 2) Arsenal, 3) Salvia Prague, 4) Steaua Bucharest