Scholes and Keane set to miss out

Group E:
VfB Stuttgart travel to Rangers FC with their first-choice eleven in fine shape and coach Felix Magath in a confident mood. "At Ibrox there will be a similar atmosphere to [FC] Schalke [04]," he said. "We grabbed a point there on Saturday, so we can do at Ibrox as well." After that 0-0 draw, Stuttgart goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand has now not conceded a goal for an incredible 555 minutes.

Thompson wait
Meanwhile, Rangers are waiting to see if forward Steven Thompson is fit for Tuesday's game after limping out of the 4-0 victory against Dunfermline Athletic FC. "I don't know the extent of the damage to Steven yet," said manager Alex McLeish, before adding that defender Henning Berg should be fit to play. "Henning came off at the break because he felt a wee bit of tightness in the hamstring. It was the right decision with Tuesday's game in mind, he'll be OK."

Duo missing
Manchester United FC look likely to face Panathinaikos FC without key midfield men Paul Scholes and Roy Keane. Scholes will see a specialist on Monday to discuss the hernia problem that has dogged him for several months while Keane was forced off during the second half of the 2-0 win at Charlton Athletic FC on Saturday.

Group F:
Real Madrid CF midfield player Esteban Cambiasso went off with an ankle injury during Saturday’s 7-2 win against Real Valladolid. If the Argentinian is ruled out of Tuesday's game against Olympique de Marseille his place in the side will go to Guti. Marseille forward Didier Drogba is also "very doubtful" to play according to coach Alan Perrin after straining his ankle at the weekend. Perrin said after the 5-0 defeat of Le Man UC 72: "Three points are good for our confidence but it will be a totally different match against Real Madrid."

Kralj injury
FK Partizan have lost first-choice goalkeeper Ivica Kralj for their match against FC Porto after he picked up a knee injury in a domestic league match against OFK Beograd. However not even that blow can dampen the enthusiasm of coach Lothar Matthäus. "We are all excited," he said. "This match will define the competition for us."

Group G:
Besiktas JK are free of significant injury worries ahead of their match against S.S. Lazio, with Ahmet Dursun the only absentee. Their opponents will be without defender Sinisa Mihajlovic after the 34-year-old limped off during the victory against Sampdoria UC. Brazilian winger César has also been omitted from the Lazio party after failing to recover from a foot injury.

Chelsea rest trio
With Tuesday's trip to AC Sparta Praha in mind, Chelsea FC rested playmaker Juan Sebastián Verón and full-backs Wayne Bridge and Glen Johnson for Saturday's 4-2 win against Tottenham Hotspur FC. However, manager Claudio Ranieri is demanding more from his players. "Some people think we are a strong team but at this moment in time we are not," he said.

Group H:
Club Brugge KV will be missing Czech defender David Rozehnal against RC Celta de Vigo due to suspension and coach Trond Sollied is sitll debating who should replace him. "I could have Birger Maertens play there, but another option is to have Timmy Simons back from the midfield into the defence," said the Norwegian who will also be without the injured Marek Spilár. Opponents Celta must cope without forward Catanha, who has a groin strain, and Brazilian midfield player Edu, who faces three weeks out with a calf tear.

Litmanen still injured
AFC Ajax travelled to Italy on Monday to face holders AC Milan without Jari Litmanen, who is still recovering from an achilles injury. Zdenek Grygera also misses out with a hamstring injury, but coach Ronald Koeman is in good heart. "Milan are the champions, the pressure is on them," he said. "We hope we can pull off a shock." Rui Costa, Rivaldo and Kaka are in competition for one place in the Milan starting lineup while Kakha Kaladze is still recovering from injury and is likely to be repaced at left-back by Giuseppe Pancaro.