GROUP D
AC Milan
AC Milan head one of the 2007/2008 Champions League's most competitive groups. Despite only qualifying as the fourth placed team in the Italian domestic league, AC Milan have an excellent record in the Champions League, having appeared in 11 finals, winning seven.
The AC Milan team features a host of top Brazilian international players including Ronaldo, Emerson, Cafu and Kaká. Italian international Fillipo Inzaghi plays at forward and together with Ronaldo forms a strike force potent enough to subdue AC Milan's tough Group D opponents.
Celtic
Scottish champions Celtic have a good record in the Champions League, being the first non-Latin club to lift the trophy. However, despite dominance of the Scottish Premier League in recent years the Scots have been struggling to make domestic form count on the European stage.
The Celtic squad has an international flavour, with players from Europe, Asia and Australia. The Celtic attack hinges on Dutchman Jan Vennegoor van Hesselink, whose excellent scoring rate may be the key to taking Celtic into the next round.
SL Benfica
Benfica are the most successful Portuguese side in European competition, having won the Champions League on two occasions. Although Benfica have been overshadowed by the exploits of FC Porto in recent years, the club still enjoys strong crowd support and easily defeated Danish opponents FC Copenhagen in the qualifying rounds.
The Benfica side is packed full of Latin talent, including several Brazilian players. Benfica's stand-out player is Portuguese international Nuno Gomes, who has earned his place in the powerful Benfica attack with an excellent goal scoring record for both Portugal and his club.
FC Shakhtar Donetsk
Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk is the minnow of pool D and the only club in the pool never to have won the Champions League. The Ukrainians qualified for the group stages following two good wins in the qualifying rounds which indicated that the team has the ability to hold its own against top teams.
Shakhtar Donetsk fields a mix of Ukrainian and Brazilian players. The attack has a touch of genuine class in the form of Italian striker Cristiano Lucarelli – a top-class player with an excellent scoring record in Serie A. Lucarelli is partnered in attack by rising Ukrainian star Oleksiy Byelik. Despite a strong attack, Shakhtar Donetsk has been criticised for a weak defence that struggles against top-notch strikers.
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