Bayern Munich and Manchester City, two teams that know a thing or two about facing each other in this stage of the Champions League, will look for winning starts when the English Premier League side pay a visit to the Allianz Arena on Wednesday.
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Both these teams will be a little sick at the sight of each other having faced off four times in the past couple of seasons, and neither of the heavyweights will want to begin this season's Champions League with a disappointing result.
Bayern Munich, the Bundesliga champions, and Manchester City, the English Premier League winners, have been drawn in a tough Group E alongside Italian giants Roma and Russian side CSKA Moscow, who were also in the same group as the first two teams last season.
Pep Guardiola, the Bayern manager, will know there is no room for slip ups in this tricky group, and picking up maximum points at home will be paramount to not just qualifying for the last 16, but, crucially, finishing top of the group.
"We are playing against one of the top teams, the English champions, but there are many top teams in the Champions League," said the Spaniard. "The first game is important for the tournament. It is a tough group, so starting with three points is always best. We have to focus on our style and our game and we will try to win.
"Last season City were a very strong team -- that's why they won the Premiership."
Bayern will still probably be feeling the effects of that semifinal mauling at the hands of Real Madrid in 2013-14, a result which left their Champions League title defence in tatters, and Guardiola's side will be keen to show that particular result is well behind them.
"You always have to move forward," Guardiola observed. "We played well in Madrid, but at home we played bad. Anyhow, in the last three to four years we have always been in the semifinals. In football, like in all other sports, you have big wins and big defeats. This is part of the game and you have to learn from it."
For Manchester City, there will be a sense of déjà vu, but having qualified to the last 16 from a difficult group last season, Manuel Pellegrini's men will hope for more of the same. The Premier League champions will also look to the impressive win at the Allianz Arena last campaign to spur them on come Wednesday.
"Each season we have great expectations," said Manchester City's assistant manager Ruben Cousillas. "We are in a difficult group, but we can play a good role. We believe we are going to have a great season and we have the players to achieve great things. So do Bayern, Roma and [CSKA] Moscow, but I can't promise we will have better chances."
Cousillas was speaking at the press conference owing to the fact that Pellegrini will be missing in action on the touchline due to suspension for comments made after the last 16 match against Barcelona last season.
"Of course we will miss Manuel," admitted Cousillas. "However, I know how he thinks and I have his 100 percent confidence."
Team news: Bayern Munich: Guardiola has a mountain of injuries to deal with as Franck Ribery, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Rafinha, Mitchell Weiser, Thiago Alcantara and Holger Badstuber are all ruled out of the clash, while influential forward Arjen Robben is also a major doubt.
Manchester City: The Premier League side do not have as many problems, with Pablo Zabaleta suspended, while Stevan Jovetic misses out with a hamstring problem.
Expected lineups: Bayern Munich: Neuer; Lahm, Boateng, Dante, Bernat; Xabi Alonso, Alaba; Muller, Gotze, Robben; Lewandowski.
Manchester City: Hart; Sagna, Kompany, Demichelis, Kolarov; Toure, Fernando; Nasri, Aguero, Silva; Dzeko.
