Bayern and Milan square up in clash of Euro giants

Two of Europe's greatest clubs, Bayern Munich and AC Milan, come face to face on Tuesday as the opening group phase of the Champions League reaches the halfway stage. Like Milan, Manchester United and Barcelona will be looking for third successive wins that would almost certainly ensure qualification for the second group phase.

But Bayern, four-times European champions, are desperate for three points at home against Milan after a poor start in group G in which they have lost on their own ground to Deportivo Coruna and drawn away at RC Lens.

A weekend defeat by Bayer Leverkusen did not help, and coach Ottmar Hitzfeld knows his side must deliver at the Olympic Stadium.

Milan top the group on six points and the manner of their 4-0 victory at Deportivo last week, when Filippo Inzaghi scored a hat-trick, suggests they are serious contenders to win Europe's premier club competition for the sixth time.

The other group G game pits shell-shocked Deportivo against Lens in Spain.

In group E, Newcastle United face a daunting trip to Italian side Juventus, probably the last place they would have wanted to go in search of their first points following two straight defeats.

Newcastle manager Bobby Robson will be returning to the scene of his England team's agonising 1990 World Cup semi-final defeat on penalties by West Germany. Deprived of Welsh striker Craig Bellamy due to suspension, he may play Kieron Dyer up front.

Juventus crushed Dynamo Kiev 5-0 last week and in-form strikers Marco Di Vaio and Alessandro Del Piero will be confident of adding to their tallies.

The Italian team have four points, the same as Dutch UEFA Cup holders Feyenoord, who will expect to take three more from their clash with injury-hit Kiev in Rotterdam. Striker Pierre van Hooijdonk should be fit for Feyenoord.

DOMINANT BARCELONA

Another Dutch forward, Manchester United's Ruud van Nistelrooy, is doubtful for the group F leaders' game against Olympiakos Piraeus at Old Trafford.

The Greeks are unpredictable, having crushed Bayer Leverkusen 6-2 but lost 3-0 to Israel's Maccabi Haifa in their first two games.

Haifa entertain Leverkusen in Cyprus on Tuesday, with the German side, finalists last season, boosted by their Bundesliga win at Bayern Munich. Another victory for Klaus Toppmoeller's side would put them right back in contention for the second qualifying spot.

Barcelona are the dominant force in group H after wins over Club Bruges and, impressively, Galatasaray in Turkey. They travel to Russia to face Lokomotiv Moscow, who grabbed a point at Bruges last week.

The Catalan side, anxious to end their 10-year wait to win Europe's top trophy again, were stung by a 3-0 reverse at Real Betis on Saturday, which should have removed any complacency.

Lokomotiv will sorely miss talented Russian international Marat Izmailov, who has a foot stress fracture, and suspended captain Dmitry Loskov.

Turkish league leaders Galatasaray should get back on track in Belgium at Club Bruges, who also top their domestic standings but dropped their first points of the season in a 2-2 draw at Royal Antwerp on Saturday.