This article is on the teams in Groups E-H of the UEFA Champions League, who all begin play on Wednesday. Click here for my article on Groups A-D.

Group E

Bayern Munich won their fifth European Cup in 2013, but were embarrassed in last year’s semifinals by Real Madrid; the German club opens this season hosting a Manchester City side that’s won two of the last three Premier Leagues, but hasn’t fared as well in European competition. CSKA Moscow make their second straight group stage appearance; their best finish in the UCL was the 2010 quarterfinals. Roma could also spring a surprise, as they also bring players with experience from seasons past.

Group F

Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are the favorites to advance from this group; the Catalan club has won three titles since 2006, while PSG boasts plenty of world-class talent. Ajax will surely be honoring the 20th anniversary of their most recent Champions League success; what greater way to do so than go on a Cinderella run to win the title again? Speaking of Cinderella teams, APOEL made a miraculous run to the quarterfinals in 2012, and the Cypriot champions are back for another season in Europe’s top club competition.

Group G

Chelsea are off to a flying start in the Premier League thanks to Diego Costa’s seven goals in four games, and fans will find out soon whether that form carries over to Europe. They will face Schalke for the second straight season in the group stage; the German club will be eager to continue the trend that I’ll mention at the bottom of this article. Sporting and Maribor round out this group; keep an eye on the Portuguese squad, as many former players have went on to become household names at other clubs. Maribor is another team that has advanced all the way from the second qualifying round.

Group H

The Dragões of Porto remain Champions League regulars, although they haven’t won since 2004. They will face formidable opposition in Shakhtar Donetsk, who made the quarterfinals in 2011 and generally provide stern tests, regardless of the opponent. Athletic Bilbao has enjoyed recent success in the Europa League, but now comes a greater opportunity for the Basque club. BATE has been in a UCL group before, but can the only Belarusian club to get this far go one step further into the last 16?

After Italy won the 2006 World Cup, AC Milan won the Champions League the following May. When Spain won in 2010, Barcelona lifted the European Cup the next season. Can a German club continue that trend to win the Final in Berlin in 2015? One thing is for certain: the Champions League is back and ready to produce more drama!