Liverpool defend perfect record against Atletico

The Champions League group match no.3 will be played next week. The next two rounds will feature encounters that are played by the same two teams at home and away. That of next week will be the first tie and the return leg will be played a fortnight later.

At this same stage last season, three British teams went into this match with maximum points but this year only Liverpool have gathered six points from two outings. Yet, the other teams, bar Celtic, are all handily placed and stand more than a good chance to progress.

Actually, the three English sides apart from Liverpool, cup holders Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea, are still undefeated.

Liverpool, winners of the competition for a British record five times, will be clashing against Primera Liga team Atletico Madrid, the former club of striker Fernando Torres. The match will not be played at the Vicente Calderon as the Spanish club were handed a two-match ban by UEFA after incidents in their last match against Marseille.

The situation of the five British contenders reads (Rangers were eliminated in the qualifying stage of the tournament):

Group A

Chelsea: P2, W1, D1, L0, Gls 4-0, Pts 4.

Results: Away vs CFR-Cluj 0-0; Home vs Bordeaux 4-0 (Lampard, J. Cole, Malouda, Anelka).

Chelsea, still to concede a goal, entertain Roma at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues are unbeaten at home in the last 13 games and their last defeat came in 2005-06 against Barcelona 1-2 in the second round.

In the past two editions, Chelsea were only beaten on penalties, by Liverpool in the 2007 semi-finals and Manchester United in last season's final in Moscow.

This will be the third visit for Roma to English shores. In their last two they gained one point (0-1, 1-1) in a group match against Manchester United. Then, they met the Mancunians in the quarter-finals with latter progressing 3-0 (2-0, 1-0) on aggregate. In the previous season Roma forfeited all points to United - 1-2, 1-7.

Chelsea's last meeting with an Italian team came in the group phase of 2003-04 against Roma's neighbours Lazio. The Londoners did the double with a 2-1 home win and a 4-0 away triumph.

Group D

Liverpool: P2, W2, D0, L0, Gls 5-2, Pts 6.

Results: Home vs PSV 3-1 (Kuyt, Keane, Gerrard); Away vs Marseille 2-1 (Gerrard 2, 1 pen).

Against PSV, it was a double celebration for the Reds as Robbie Keane scored his first goal for his new club and Steven Gerrard netted his career 100th goal. Kuyt's goal was the 100th European Cup netting under Rafael Benitez and the Dutchman's 10th since he joined from Feyenoord in 2006.

Liverpool, who reached two finals in the last four years, face Atletico Madrid away for the first time.

On their travels, Liverpool have a favourable record against Spanish sides (lost three out of 12 clashes):

1968-69 (Fairs Cup, first round): vs Atletico Bilbao 1-2.
1975-76 (UEFA Cup, second round): vs Real Sociedad 3-1.
1975-76 (UEFA Cup semi-final): vs Barcelona 1-0.
1983-84 (European Cup, second round): vs Atletico Bilbao 1-0.
1998-99 (UEFA Cup, second round): vs Valencia 2-2.
1998-99 (UEFA Cup, third round): vs Celta Vigo 1-3.
2000-01 (UEFA Cup, semi-final): vs Barcelona 0-0.
2001-02 (Champions League, group match): vs Barcelona 0-0.
2002-03 (Champions League, group match): vs Valencia 0-2.
2004-05 (Champions League, group match): vs Deportivo 1-0.
2005-06 (Champions League, group match): vs Real Betis 2-1.
2006-07 (Champions League, second round): vs Barcelona 2-1.

Group E

Manchester United: P2, W1, D1, L0, Gls 5-1, Pts 4.

Results: Away vs Aalborg 3-0 (Rooney, Berbatov 2); Home vs Villarreal 0-0.

Dimitar Berbatov opened his scoring account for United after his transfer from Tottenham with two goals against Aalborg.

Celtic: P2, W0, D1, L1, Gls 0-1, Pts 1.

Results: Away vs Villarreal 0-1; Home vs Aalborg 0-0 (Celtic missed penalty).

Manchester United will next duel with Celtic. This will be their second meeting in three seasons. In 2006-07, in another group match, the points were shared after United won 3-2 at Old Trafford and the Bhoys emerged triumphant 1-0 at Celtic Park.

In the past 29 English-Scottish clashes (Celtic featuring in eight ties home and away), clubs from England lead 21-8.

You have to go back to February 23, 2005, for a home defeat for Manchester United, going down 0-1 to Milan in the second round of the tournament. Since then, they have been undefeated in a run of 17 matches at Old Trafford, winning 15 and drawing two.

Celtic's penalty miss at home to Aalborg, of Denmark, could cost them dearly as they can also miss out on a UEFA Cup place if they finish bottom of the group.

Group G

Arsenal: P2, W1, D1, L0, Gls 5-1, Pts 4.

Results: Home v FC Porto 4-0 (Van Persie 2, Adebayor 2); Away vs Dynamo Kiev 1-1 (Gallas).

After the final against Barcelona (1-2) in 2006, Arsenal failed to impress in the two tournaments that followed as they lost to PSV Eindhoven in the second round in 2006/07 and last season they went down to Liverpool in the last eight.

Their next assignment is in Turkey as they face Fenerbahce who are bottom of the group with one point.

Clashes against the Turks have always been arduous tasks for English teams. The latter were involved in 24 matches in Turkey. They lost 10, drew nine and won five.

In Europe, Arsenal played away in Turkey twice: in 1979-80 vs Fenerbahce (first round of the Cup Winners' Cup). Arsenal progressed 2-0 on aggregate: 0-0 away, 2-0 at home.

But in the 1999-2000 UEFA Cup final, in Copenhagen, Arsenal lost to Galatasaray in a penalty shoot-out (4-1) after a 0-0 draw.