GERETS: LIVERPOOL ARE FAVOURITES

Gerets - says Reds are favourites.

Marseille coach Eric Gerets believes Champions League Group D is wide open after seeing his team given one of hardest draws possible.

OM, who beat Norwegian champions Brann Bergen 3-1 on aggregate in the third qualifying round to reach the pool stages, were pitched with Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and PSV Eindhoven in Thursday's draw in Monaco.

It looks, on paper at least, one of the toughest of the eight groups and Gerets admits there will be some celebration if the Mediterranean side are able to advance to the knockout stages.

"From the outset, Liverpool are favourites in the pool," said the Belgian, whose side were in the same Champions League group as Rafael Benitez's men last season.

"But I think Atletico are just as strong as Liverpool. And Eindhoven are going to easily win their league so we mustn't underestimate this team either.

"If we qualify, we will certainly be euphoric and we are going to enjoy ourselves."

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry is relishing the prospect of facing Spanish club Atletico.

Parry is expecting a special atmosphere for the matches, which will see Reds frontman Fernando Torres and Atletico duo Luis Garcia and Florent Sinama Pongolle all face their former teams.

"With our Spanish contingent that will be a couple of very big games," Parry told Sky Sports News.

"They are all fairly close by so there are no challenging trips."

Manchester United chief executive David Gill revealed the Old Trafford outfit were looking forward to defending the crown after being drawn alongside Celtic, Villarreal and AaB.

"Overall we are pretty pleased with it (the draw)," said Gill.

"As defending champions we're going to look forward to it."

Gill is particularly excited about the two ties with Scottish champions Celtic.

"It's a great event, their passionate fans and our passionate fans at Old Trafford and up at Celtic Park," he said.

"I'm sure the players and fans are looking forward to those fixtures.

"You get a tingle in your spine when you see the flashbacks to Moscow. Everyone at the club is very motivated."

Real Madrid sporting director Predrag Mijatovic, who scored the winning goal when Madrid beat Juventus in the 1998 Champions League final, believes his side have an advantage after having been drawn in what looks likes the toughest group.

As well as Juventus, the Spanish champions face UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg and Belorussian side BATE Borisov, but Mijatovic believes his side will be the most feared in the group.

"To win the Champions League you've got to beat the best," he told the Madrid website, www.realmadrid.es.

"Having a tough group is better to get started strongly and gear up better for the competition.

"Other Spaniards, on paper, have it easier. But there's no need to worry, just to compete, as we're the side that has won this competition the most."

On his rivals he added: "Juventus are a great team and with a team like that there's not a lot you can say.

"They're always dangerous. They'll come into the competition highly motivated after not having been involved last year.

"Zenit are in fashion. They're dangerous and have top players. BATE Borisov are a modest side who we'll have to respect as they could surprise you."

Juve coach Claudio Ranieri believes the group will be "complicated for all involved".

While Madrid will seemingly be Juve's toughest test, Ranieri warned of the dangers posed by Zenit and the Belorussian champions.

"They (Zenit) have important players, some of whom were major protagonists during the recent European Championships, and they've recently spent 30million euros to buy a young Portuguese player (Danny) recently voted the best player in Russia," Ranieri told www.juventus.it.

"We'll get a chance to look at them in the Super Cup (against Manchester United on Friday), but for me they're a squad to treat with caution.

"The same goes for BATE Borisov who, after having won the Belorussian league, are looking like doing it again and are leading it after 18 games."