United aim increasingly high

No club has retained the Champions League and the Uefa that the format was introduced in 1992, but Manchester United will look to break the mold when they embark on this season campaign at home to Villarreal of Spain on Wednesday.

The high-octane penalties to win over Chelsea in Moscow last May gave manager Sir Alex Ferguson his second triumph, and now he sees a hat trick as staff at hand, although the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool, let alone Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Barcelona, disagree.

Both triumphs overseen by Sir Alex will be biting their nails of affairs, with a final twist-oh against Bayern Munich in 1999, and then the drama spotkick four months ago.

The Red Devils still have a way to go when it comes to putting their medals on the table, along with nine times winners Real, seven times champions AC Milan and Liverpool, five times kings of Europe. But Ferguson said his men are hell-bent on reducing the gap, since the bid to emulate AC Milan, the last team to win back-to-back European crowns in 1990.

"Winning in Moscow is so important because there was an imbalance in our club's history, given the importance we attach, and have always placed in European football," said Ferguson. "Sir Matt Busby took the club into Europe before other English clubs dared to his vision and he was right," Ferguson told uefa.com.

"When you consider that teams like Bayern Munich have won this trophy four times, Ajax four, five Liverpool, AC Milan and Real Madrid seven times nine you see how far behind we were in that group. This group our goal now is: has to be. "

A very strong

But before United can join the real elite of European football face the likes of Villarreal, whom Ferguson dubs "a very strong" after their runners-up finish in the league last season. Manuel Pellegrini, which includes former Arsenal man Robert Pires, reached the semi-finals three years ago.

Also in the group are part of United Celtic Scots, the first British side to win the European Cup, one year before the 1968 United success. The Hoops, coached by Gordon Strachan, who tested a Cup Winners Cup success with Ferguson at Aberdeen before going to Old Trafford, take in Aalborg, Denmark, coached by former Scotland international and former Arsenal boss Bruce Rioch.

Arsenal, boosted by the fine form of England hero Theo Walcott and Emmanuel Adebayor, travel to Dynamo Kiev in Group G, ahead of Portuguese champions Porto face and turkish club Fenerbahce. "We're in a tough group and Kiev have experience and be a strong side at home," manager Arsène Wenger warned.

A hat-trick of European Cup wins for Bayern Munich came in the wake of Ajax of achievement similar to the early 1970, before the Germans' last victory in 2001. Bayern travel to Group F rivals Steaua Bucharest, while French table-padded Lyon have an uncomfortable opener at home to Fiorentina in Italy.

Real Madrid, whose ninth crown came in 2002 at the age of Zinedine Zidane, should have too much fire for newcomers Bate Borisov of Belarus in Group H, Juventus, but Russian can find the Uefa Cup and the winners of Manchester United Super Cup conquerors Zenit St Petersburg quite a handful.