England's Liverpool defied the odds last season by beating favoured Italian side AC Milan to take home their first Champions League title in 20 years. Liverpool became the first team to overcome a three-goal deficit in the Final, fighting back to 3-3 before defeating their Italian rivals 3-2 on penalties.

Boasting the strongest clubs from the top European leagues, the UEFA Champions League remains a showcase for much of the world's best football talent. Among the direct qualifiers this year are Spain's Barcelona and Real Madrid, England's Chelsea and Arsenal, Italy's Juventus and AC Milan, Germany's Bayern Munich, France's Olympique Lyonnais, the Netherlands' PSV Eindhoven and Greece's Olympiacos.

The real jostle of this season's campaign begins in September with the first matches of the dreaded Group Stage as the League is whittled down to the last 32 and the real business end of the event kicks in.

There are eight groups and some intense battles wait at the beginning of a potentially torturous route to the final at the Stade de France in Paris next May where the next European Champions will be crowned.

Many eyes this season will be on the progress of Chelsea as they go after the one trophy that has eluded them. Jose Mourinho's credentials as a 'Super coach' can be verified only by success in the Champions League.

All of the games from the UEFA Champions League would be live on ESPN, SuperSport 3 and other SuperSport channels.. ESPN's coverage of the UEFA Champions League airs LIVE, on short-turnaround and taped throughout the season.

Top South American football airs all month on ESPN with continuing coverage of the competitive Brazilian Championship.

Atlético-Paranaense, last year's runners-up, lost key players in the off season and are showing the strain, while big spending Corinthians - who paid a record fee to get one of Argentina's best young players, Carlos Tevez, from Boca Juniors - have struggled to live up to the early season hype.

But the season is far from over, and in this unpredictable championship most anything can happen before the final whistle blows in December. Coverage of Brazilian football, featuring Sunday matches airing on short-turnaround, airs all season on ESPN.

Football action continues all month with live coverage of the Dutch First Division, the Netherlands' top level of play every Thursday in September. Defending champion PSV Eindhoven, winner of four of the past six league titles, is back in top form and ready to defend their title. By winning the league title and crushing Willem II Tilburg in the Dutch Cup Final, PSV claimed their first double since 1989 last season.

Traditional foes Ajax and Feyenoord are primed to challenge PSV in the new season. Ajax, winner of a record 29 league titles, always mounts a serious challenge for the title, while Feyenoord hopes to improve on last season's disappointing fourth-place finish.

Live weekend coverage of Dutch First Division football airs all season on ESPN.