Yesterday saw millions of footie fans across the globe waiting excitedly for the draw for the group stages of the Champions League. And it didn't disappoint - the draw threw up some nice groups and some interesting games to look forward to. We have to wait until the middle of September (the 14th and 15th to be precise) for the Champions League to officially kick off, but now we know who's facing who the wait just got a little more intense...

So, the most interesting group? I guess that depends on who you support, but for the neutral, Champions League Group G, with AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax and Auxerre looks like the toughest, the group which could spring up some surprises and some very tough battles. Real Madrid will be looking to The Special One, Jose Mourinho, to weave his magic spell over a team that has spectacularly disappointed in Europe over the past few years. An extra little bit of spice to throw into the mix is the fact that Mourinho is the ex-boss of Inter, AC Milan's cross town rivals. We predict AC Milan and Real Madrid to go through, with Auxerre the surprise team of the group, pushing the big boys close. Who knows, maybe they can even repeat Bordeaux's Champions League efforts from last season.

The easiest group? Well, it looks like Barcelona and Manchester United have struck lucky. Barcelona have Rubin Kazan (who actually beat them last season at the Nou Camp!) but the Danish team Copenhagen and Greek side Panathinaikos shouldn't cause too many problems. Manchester United can feel a little relief with their group, what with Valencia the only real toughie for them. The so called Battle of Britain with Scottish team Rangers won't really live up to the hype will it, as we know the Scots are fairly hopeless in Europe. Of course, saying that, they will now go on to beat United 3-0 at Old Trafford .

And the new boys? The biggest name to join the list of debutants is probably Spurs, and they're going to find it very tough, with Werder Bremen, Inter Milan and FC Twente their opponents. In this their first ever Champions League season, it looks just a bit too much. Old Harry (Redknapp) might get a little twitchy on the sidelines, but I don't think he can expect too much. As for the other new boys in this season's Champions League, I think they're just here for the ride. For example, can Hapoel Tel Aviv outdo their Israeli league rivals from last season, Maccabi Haifa, who didn't score a goal or grab a single point? And can MSK Zilina do any better? It's going to be interesting to watch these new faces, but the experience gained by the Big Boys will be worth its weight in gold, as it usually is...

Don't forget to head on over to the Champions League section to start putting your prediction skills to the test!

Before I get too carried away, hats off to Jose Mourinho who proved he's the man of the moment by adding the Champions League to his impressive resume. It wasn't pretty, but I'm guessing there's many a footie fan out there who'd be more than happy to have The Special One at the helm of their club. It looks like Real Madrid is his summer destination, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him weave his magic there too in the coming season or two.

But that just about wraps up the season, doesn't it. Now we've got about three weeks of World Cup warmups...and a heck of a lot of transfer rumours! They're starting to fly in thick and fast and even if most are mere fiction or rumour, they'll keep us entertained. Here's a round up of some of the latest football rumours:

• Yossi Benayoun is heading to Chelsea. Or Roma. Or Dynamo Moscow. What do you think?
• Thierry Henry will be joining West Ham.
• Chelsea are after Torres.
• Steven Gerrard is off to Real Madrid or Arsenal.
• Schweinsteiger is heading for the Premier League.
• Fabregas will be joining Barcelona in the coming days

We'll be following most of these transfer rumours and working out which ones are just leading us down the garden path, and which ones are spot on. You can also help us out - if you hear of anything juicy and exciting we'd love to know. We'll put your thoughts on the blog or on a new section (we haven't decided yet) and then get everybody to vote on the latest transfer rumours, be they fiction or fact.

Go get rumour mongering! 

Saturday night sees the climax of the European Champions League season, as two of Europe's premier clubs - Bayern Munich and Inter Milan - battle it out in Real Madrid's Bernabéu stadium. It might not be the final that all football purists were dreaming of, but it's still a game that football lovers from around the world will be keen to catch, myself included (the beers are in the fridge, the crisps ready to be chomped, and my mate's place on the sofa ready to be sat in).

Along the road to the final, Bayern ousted Manchester United and Inter Barcelona, so the two teams that were presumed to be on their way to Madrid won't be there of course. But, whatever your opinion of either Bayern or Inter, you have to grudgingly respect that they deserve to be in the Champions League final. Bayern went to Old Trafford and caught United by surprise (or at least that wonder strike from Robben did!), while Inter did more than enough at home against Barcelona (we'll forgive them for the godawful ugly second leg) to earn a spot in the final.

One interesting fact from the game on Saturday: one of the teams will grab a treble, as both sides already have a domestic double in the bag. That really just underlines the strength of both teams.

And just one more thing: perhaps Saturday's Champions League final will finally prove that Jose Mourinho is indeed, The Special One. You might not be his biggest fan, I know I'm not, but the guy knows how to get his teams playing successfully. Might not always be pretty, but it works. The Consensus also appears to be behind confirming Jose's Special role, they're predicting a 2-1 victory for Inter.

I'll let you into a little secret - I went with the Consensus...

Last night's semi-final between Barcelona and Inter saw one of the ugliest, most defensive 60 minutes of football ever witnessed in a Champions League game. Yes, Inter were probably expected to come and hold out for a tight draw or small one goal loss, but until the sending off of Motta, Inter were just starting to find their feet and playing some decent football. That all went out of the window as soon as the ref waved his red card...

What followed was a simply mind-numbingly ugly strategy of putting all ten men behind the ball and camping them out around the penalty area in an effort to stifle Barcelona. With absolutely no desire to play decent football. The prize was, of course, well worth fighting for, but I really hope the Champions League final next month doesn't have to suffer a similar fate. But then again, this is Mourinho's side we're talking about: a great coach, but certainly renowned for boring, if efficient, football. In the end, ugly football ran out winners, beating undoubtedly the best team in the world right now.

And could we be in line for one of the most boring Champions League finals ever? To be honest, I'm starting to think it might be heading in that direction. I say 1-1 after 90 minutes, with a winner coming through in extra-time. But let's pray for a red card or three along the way, with some goalmouth action to keep the many neutrals watching this one happy.

What do you say? Bayern or Inter?

And just what we are going to do with ourselves every midweek now...

This week sees three nights of European action, with Tuesday's and Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second-legs the real attention-catchers (while Thursday sees the semi-finals for the Europa League). After some thrilling action last week, these second legs really shouldn't be missed. The Champions League may be missing the might of the English Premier League, but when you've got teams like Inter, Barcelona and Bayern still gunning for glory, the neutral soccer fan is going to be far from disappointed!

My Champions League money was on Barcelona up until a couple of weeks ago, but after their dismal showing against Inter last week, I'm beginning to have my doubts. Messi in the Nou Camp will hopefully be the Messi we all want to see shine and sparkle, but I have a sneaky feeling Jose "Special One" Mourinho will have him shackled and kept quiet. One thing that might count in Barca's favor is the apparent abscence of Sneijder, who had a great game last week. He'll be a real loss for Inter and their Champions League dreams.

The consensus says 2-1 to Barca but that is not going to be enough, of course. An away goal for Inter will surely seal their place in next month's Champions League final. I'm no Football predictions expert, but I'm with the consensus on this one. But whatever the result, it smells like a Champions League cracker!

Last night saw the first of two quarter-final clashes in the Champions League, with Lyon destroying Bordeaux and Bayern wreaking last-minute revenge over Manchester United. And if they were an indicator of what's to come over the coming weeks of quarter and semi-finals, we're in for some classic Champions League action!

Bayern will probably feel cock-a-hoop this morning, with a last-minute winner perhaps doing something to dispel the nightmare of the 1999 Champions League final (remember those two late, late goals?). I'm not sure it's going to be enough to clinch a place in the semi-finals, with a return leg at Old Trafford to come, but the feeling will be very sweet for a few days for Bayern fans (last-minute winners are absolutely one of the sweetest feelings for the victorious side's fans). Who knows, if Rooney is out of action for the Champions League second leg, United won't have quite the same bite, will they?

As for Lyon, they've been my hot tip for Champions League glory this season, ever since I watched them in the group stages. Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas might have declared the tie a "war", which is possibly just pushing the boundaries of incitement, but Lyon look like they've won the major battle to get into the Champions League semis. Of course, it's not over by any means, but Lyon are looking mighty fine.

How did the Hunchers Consensus perform? Well, good and bad…the Consensus was convinced that Manchester United would grab an away win, as did many sports books, but, honestly, you might have got a decent night's winnings if you picked the Germans for a moment of Champions League revenge. As for the Lyon – Bordeaux game, the Consensus was correct in predicting a home win. A fairly safe Champions League result, it has to be said.

So, after last night's games, who isn't getting just a little excited about tonight? Arsenal v Barcelona is one for the football purists, while Inter v CSKA could also prove to be a classic Champions League battle. And the Consensus? Football predictions are what they do best, and it's draw city over in London, as Arsenal hold Barca to a 1-1 draw, while in Milan, Inter should see off CSKA for the predicted home win. We shall check back and see just how good the Consensus is…

Last Friday saw the draw for the Quarter Finals of the Champions League, which, as always, threw up a couple of classic encounters. At this stage of course, all Champions League games are going to be enthralling, but the Manchester United vs Bayern Munich and Arsenal vs Barcelona ties are the ones that had football purists drooling.

Who remembers the Champions League final of 99, when United fought back at the death to drive Bayern's Matthaus to tears? Or the more recent final of 2006, when Barcelona overcame the ten man challenge (thanks to the early red card for crazy Jens Lehmann) of Arsenal? Truly classic nights of Champions League football that might just be repeated in the coming weeks…

The games that both Manchester United and Arsenal face could also mean the end of the Premier League's domination of the Champions League in recent seasons (you might have noticed, but there's no Liverpool or Chelsea in this season's Quarter Finals). No British teams in the semis of the Champions League? Unthinkable!

Looking at the Barcelona of today, you've got to say they're probably even better than the Champions League winning Rijkaard side of four years ago. When you have a rampant Messi scoring goals for fun, it might just be a worrying time for Arsenal fans. And Bayern might not have the force of Bayern sides past, but they will still have that inherit German spirit that will make them a tough proposition for United.

These two games are classic Champions League head-to-heads to look forward to and that will hopefully have us on the edge of our pub stool, or sitting back in our favorite armchair watching in admiration as our preferred team gets stuffed. Unfortunately, of course, somebody has to lose. And our football predictions skills, finely tuned in the Hunchers community, are leaning towards the same winners and losers of Champions League finals past…yep, that'll mean Manchester United and Barcelona making it through to the semis.

This week sees the last of the eight Champions League quarter-finalists decided and sets us on our way for some cracking nights of European football sometime in March/April. With Arsenal, Manchester United, Lyon and Bayern Munich through already, this week should see some very interesting, if not familiar, additions to the quarter-final lineup. The odds are stacked in favor of Barcelona, Bordeaux and Sevilla, who all had decent first leg results, but it's the Chelsea-Inter Milan clash that appears to be the Champions League match generating most interest because of its apparent lack of a clear winner.

Jose Mourinho returns to the scene of his "Special One" days, clutching on to a 2-1 first leg win. He'll know that Chelsea will be out for Champions League blood, even without the injured back line trio of Cech, Cole and Bosingwa. But, in my opinion, if Carvalho and Essien don't make it, as seems likely, that will be the bigger loss to Chelsea. And having your Champions League dreams rest on the shoulders of rookie keeper Ross Turnbull (yes, exactly, who?) might just be an injury too far for the boys from Stamford Bridge…

So, when we put our tipster hat on (because football predictions are what we're good at on Hunchers.com), our lineup for the Champions League Quarter-Finals looks like this:

• Manchester United
• Arsenal
• Lyon
• Bayern Munich
• Barcelona
• Bordeaux
• Sevilla
• Inter Milan

That is quite an awesome lineup, I think you'll agree. Who exactly will go on to the lift the Champions League trophy in May at the Bernabeu is another story…once they've got this far, any of the teams can do it, it's really down to how well you can perform over 180 minutes, home and away.

My money's on Arsenal to gun for glory this season. Who's your Champions League champion?