Confident United resume action

Deportivo’s 3-0 win at Santander was as high as Hamburg’s 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund was low.

Turkish outfit Besiktas and English club Leeds should be working on defensive strength in training in the run-up to their home Group H matches with Euro giants Barcelona and AC Milan respectively.

Barcelona travel to Turks Besiktas and AC Milan play Leeds at Elland Road after both the Spanish and Italian clubs notched up four goals apiece in their competition curtain raisers.

Leeds had hoped Mark Viduka might return from Down Under after Australia were knocked out of the Olympics but Australia coach Raul Blanco refused the request.

In Group F, Bayern Munich host Norway’s Rosenborg and Paris St Germain are at home to Sweden’s Helsingborgs, who knocked out Inter Milan in the third qualifying round.

PSG striker Nicolas Anelka, who injured his right ankle against Norway’s Rosenborg last week, should be fit for the Helsingborgs fixture.

Anelka missed Saturday’s 1-1 French league draw against Lens but had light training on Sunday.

Bayern Leverkusen will be without German international striker Ulf Kirsten for their Group A match at home to Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.

UEFA Cup champions Galatasaray will be without Romanian international Gheorghe Hagi at Austrian side Sturm Graz on Wednesday as he begins a five-match ban.

The 35-year-old veteran playmaker received two yellow cards during Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Monaco and was also sent off in Galatasaray’s UEFA Cup final victory against Arsenal as well as when Romania met Italy at Euro 2000.

French champions Monaco host Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers who got off to a flyer in their opening match thrashing Sturm Graz of Austria 5-0 as the two teams meet at the Louis II stadium in the other Group D Match.

Other top clubs in action on Wednesday include Lazio, who meet Sparta Prague, Arsenal, who play Ukrainians Shakhtor Donetsk and last season’s runners-up Valencia, who travel to Holland’s Heerenveen.