Giggs might fly

By Ryan Giggs

Throughout this season's UEFA Champions League campaign, Manchester United FC and Wales winger Ryan Giggs will be writing a regular diary piece for uefa.com. In his first instalment, he looks forward to making a bright start against Panathinaikos FC at Old Trafford.

The first game of a Champions League campaign is always a unique and exciting experience and I am sure Tuesday night's game with Panathinaikos will be no different. It's a long road to travel to reach the Champions League final and every step on the way, however far you eventually get, is hugely significant.

Flying start
It is difficult to overstress the importance of making a positive start in the group phases. One of the big factors in our consistency in the competition in recent seasons has been the way we have started and created a momentum for ourselves. That gives the whole team confidence and a platform to build on.

Greek ambition
Of course, Panathinaikos will be thinking exactly the same thoughts and the fact they're unbeaten in the Greek top-flight so far this season tells us all we need to know about their form and confidence. Greek teams have been improving season after season and I've no doubt a trip to Old Trafford no longer intimidates them as it may have done five or ten years ago.

Home comfort
But we are never anything but confident of our chances when we play at home and that will not change this season. Our record at Old Trafford is superb and we know the importance of converting home advantage into points in this competition. If you can win consistently at home, you are always in with a good chance of going further.

Unhappy memories
It's no secret that we have been disappointed with our Champions League exits in recent seasons. To reach the quarter-finals or better seven seasons in succession is a nice statistic but we have failed to reach the final again since 1999 and that hurts. We begin every campaign with our sights set on the trophy and not to achieve that is ultimately a failure for a team of our ability and a club of United's ambitions.

United front
So how far can United go this season? Unsurprisingly I think we have the talent to win the competition but it would be foolish not to acknowledge there are some other great teams out there who will feel just as strongly as us that they belong in the final. The truth is the Champions League becomes harder to win every year. There are up to ten clubs with realistic designs on the trophy.

New additions
But hopefully we are better equipped than ever for the challenge. Although we had to say goodbye to Becks [David Beckham] and Seba [Juan Sebastián Verón] over the summer, we've made five quality signings and that for me has left us with the greatest strength in depth I can remember at the club. Each of the new boys offers us something different and I think that variety is exactly what the squad needs to cope with every twist and turn a long season produces.

Winning form
But back to Tuesday night. As ever, it's good to prepare for a game like this on the back of a win and our although our 2-0 victory over Charlton Athletic FC at the Valley on Saturday wasn't our most fluid performance, it was definitely timely. With the Premiership season now five games old, I wouldn't say we're fully into our stride just yet, but we're certainly heading in the right direction.