AS Roma are the only Italian side that seem to have been handed a fairly easy Group. The capital club was placed in Group E alongside Bayern Munich, Basel and Romanian outfit Cluj.

It is not hard to see both Bayern and Roma progressing from this group, however, Swiss side Basel cannot be ruled out. Much like Rubin Kazan (who again meet Barcelona), Basel is one of the few teams that many take notice of. That said, Basel did reach the quarter final stage of the Champions League in the 05/06 season and should be treated with some respect should they cause one of the biggest upsets this season.

Last season’s runners up Bayern Munich face a stiff challenge in Roma for a first place finish but the Bavarians should still be able to bag it. Bayern met with Fioretina in the knockout stages last season with the away goal rule favouring them after each team scored 4 goals in both legs of the match.

Roma can take heart from Fiorentina’s epic display last season and pip them to first place. Group E definitely needs no genius to predict the outcome, however, there is an element of uncertainty surrounding the minnows Basel and Cluj.

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