Cocu ban leaves PSV a man down

PSV Eindhoven captain Phillip Cocu and Manchester United FC winger Cristiano Ronaldo are among the 12 players suspended for this week's UEFA Champions League ties.

Match suspensions
Both the Dutch international and his Portuguese counterpart will miss their side's opening games, at home against Liverpool FC and Celtic FC respectively, as they serve one-match suspensions. In Group A, debutants PFC Levski Sofia will be without Brazilian-born left-sided defender Lucio Wagner for their trip to FC Barcelona after receiving a red card in qualifying, while FC Spartak Moskva cannot call on Maxym Kalinichenko for their Group B game at FC Bayern München.

Mexes missing
In Group C, FC Girondins de Bordeaux travel without French international Rio Antonio Mavuba to Galatasaray SK for their return to this stage of the competition. FC Shakhtar Donetsk could rue the absence of midfielder Fernandinho as they take on AS Roma, who in turn will be without the suspended Philippe Mexes. In the other Group D match, Valencia CF are unable to select Joaquín Sánchez until Matchday 3 as he serves a two-match suspension.

København understaffed
Goran Sablic will sit out FC Dynamo Kyiv's home Group E game against FC Steaua Bucuresti after a yellow card in qualifying triggered a one-match suspension, while a similar fate has befallen Steaua defender Petre Marin. In Manchester United and Celtic's pool, FC København's Swedish international forward Marcus Allbäck is suspended for the visit of SL Benfica.

AEK absentee
There are no players suspended for the Group G ties, and only one, Nikolaos Georgeas, misses out in Group H - the AEK Athens FC defender having picked up yellow cards in qualifying to earn a suspension which prevents him from featuring at AC Milan.