It’s showtime for Pep’s team

The big guns in Champions League roll onto the front line this week and for Pep Guardiola’s men from Manchester this is the war they have to win.

It is always a lengthy road to the Champions League final - this season to be played at the newly-built Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid on 1 June - and the expansive field of credible candidates get their campaigns underway tonight. Real Madrid go in search of a fourth successive title, but after a change of coach and the loss of Cristiano Ronaldo are not as fancied as they might have been.

That, it must be hastily added, was also the case last year yet they got past Paris St Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich before beating Liverpool 3-1 in the final.

Real have a relatively easy group and start tomorrow night at home against Roma, who were surprise semi-finalists last year.

Barcelona, Bayern, Juventus and the four English clubs are the other top candidates for the title with the major focus on Manchester City’s bid to turn their dominance in England into continental trophy success.

It is no secret that the grand Manchester City project, underwritten by hundreds of millions of Pounds from Abu Dhabi, is meant to culminate in a Champions League victory, sooner rather than later. The focus this season for coach Pep Guardiola and a star-studded squad is Europe’s top club competition, even if they try to underplay it.

City’s opening opponent is French outfit Olympique Lyonnais, who they meet for the first time in European competition tomorrow. City won all three home games in the group stages last season, but have won only two of five games against French sides.

Equally under scrutiny is temperamental Jose Mourinho, whose Manchester United also have clear ambitions of winning the Champions League, partly to temper the fact they are unlikely to dislodge their neighbours again in the EPL title race.

They are in Switzerland tomorrow night to face debutants Young Boys Berne. Last season United won their group, but went out of the competition to jeers from their supporters against Sevilla in the round of 16.

There is always an air of unpredictability through the group phase and TAB soccer punters can expect shocks along the way that will drive up payouts.

But when the final 16 are revealed for the knockout phase early next year, most of the familiar faces should still be in contention.