Eight teams are fighting to lay their hands on this trophy

This year's Champions League promises to be the most keenly contested yet as six of the eight teams in the group stage are former continental kings.

Tunisian side Etoile Sahel is the only side in Group B yet to win the biggest prize in African club football.

The top two finishers in the two groups advance to the semi-finals in September and October.

The final of the tournament - known as the African Cup of Champion Clubs until 1997 - will be played over two legs in late October and mid-November.

With a whopping one million dollars in prize money for the winner, the top African Club will also represent the continent at the Fifa World Club Championship later this year.

BBC Sport profiles the four clubs chasing a pot of gold and continental football glory in Group B.

Zamalek have been African champions a record five times

The Egyptian giants are keen to bounce back after a dreadful domestic season.

Zamalek could only finish sixth in the league - they were 38 points behind champions Ahly.

They also failed to make the group stages last year, after a shock defeat by Rwanda's APR.

Zamalek were given a bye in the first round and then secured wins over Tusker of Kenya and then AS Aviacao of Angola to qualify for the group stages.

Champions League record:

Zamelek's record in the competition is unequalled - having won the title a record five times in 1984, 1986, 1993, 1996 and 2002.

Coach: Gamal Abdelhamid knows what it is like to be the Champions of Africa, having played for Zamalek during their domination of the competition.

Star Player: The club's captain Hazem Emam is likely to remain the most influential figure in the team.

But their are six new signings in the squad hoping to make their mark, including Ghanaian midfielder Awuleyi Quaye Junior from Tunisian club Sfaxien and Nigerian striker Sani from Portuguese outfit Beira Mar.

Despite the changes in the team, club president Mortada Mansour remains confident.

"We had to reform our side, but I am sure we will be up to the contest," he said.

Esperance are the 'nearly men' of the Champions League

The club are the most successful in Tunisian history and are a model of professionalism for the African continent with a strong infrastructure as well their own stadium.

Founded in 1919, Esperance have just had a trophyless season, losing out on the league title they have won for the last seven years to Etoile Sahel and the Tunisian Cup final to their namesake Esperance Sportive Zarzis.

Esperance were given a bye in the first round of this year's Champions League before convincing wins over Hilal from Sudan and then South Africa's Kaizer Chiefs got them into the group stages.

Champions League record: Esperance are the 'nearly club' of the Champions League.

Since the Tunisian side won the previous format of the competition they have come very close each time to claiming the new version.

They lost two successive finals in 1999 and 2000 and had painful semi-final exits in the last two conpetitions.

Coach: Mourad Mahjoub will be in charge of his second Champions League side after he helped take Etoile du Sahel to last year's final.

Mahjoub will be only too aware that failure in the Champions League normally leads to the sack at Esperance.

Player: Mourad Melki will be the natural team leader, being seen as a source of inspiration for the newcomers into the side and a pillar for the old guard, which include Brazil-born defender Jose Clayton.

The 30-year-old midfielder came to Esperance in 1999 from Olympic Beja and has played a prominent role in the side since.

Captain Zoubeir Beya is likely to be a key player for Etoile du Sahel

The second Tunisian side in Group B were founded in 1925, but it is only over the last decade that they have succeeded in claiming some of the African football limelight.

Another frustrating season has just ended without silverware and they will be hungry as ever to finish 2005 with the Champions League in their possession.

Etoile thought that they had won the Tunisian title, when the country's Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the club's 1-0 loss to Club Africain in the league to give them the points to overhaul Sfaxien for the title.

However the court overturned their own decision concerning Club Africain's use of an ineligible player.

This meant Etoile lost the three points for the win and handed the title to Sfaxien.

They have won the Caf Cup twice in 1995 and 1999 as well as the Cup Winners' Cup in 1997.

Champions League record: Etoile Sahel have never won the Champions League but reached the final last year losing out to Enyimba on penalties.

This will be their third campaign in the group stages of the competition.

Coach: A permanent coach is yet to be named after former national team coach Ammar Souayah resigned towards the end of the Tunisian season.

The legendary Abdelmajid Chetali, who is the club's technical director, will once again step in and take charge of the team along with Chedli Melik.

The duo were in charge for both legs of last year's final against Enyimba.

Chetali was coach of Tunisia at the 1978 World Cup finals and is a former international player.

The speculation in Tunisia is that a French coach will be named as the permanent coach.

Star Player: Veteran Zoubeir Beya is still the most dependable player on the squad.

With experience in Germany for Freiburg and in Turkey with Besiktas, the 34-year-old will no doubt be the thorn in the flesh for many of Etoile's opponents.

The midfielder is rarely overshadowed in his role and often finds himself often on the scoresheet.

Asec might struggle in this year's competition

ASEC Abidjan is a legendary club which, these days, earns its glory only in the Ivorian league.

ASEC are unbeaten for a year and a half in the domestic championship, and have won 14 of the last 16 Ivorian leagues.

Champions League record: In continental competition the 'Yellow and Blacks' have a different story to tell.

They won the title in 1998 and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2002, but they have been struggling to remain in the elite class of the African game.

When Argentian coach Oscar Fullone lead ASEC to their sole Champions League title in 1998, he had a group full of established internationals like Tchiressoua Guel, Donald Olivier Sie and Aliou Badra Sibi.

The following seasons were full of promise too, as they won the African Super Cup in 1999 with a group of teenage players, raised at Jean-Marc Guillou's Academy.

The club has not been able to replace talent like Kolo Toure

Guillou played his young charges, with an average age of 17, and achieved a stunning 3-1 victory over African giants Esperance.

The players including the likes of current internationals Kolo Toure, Aruna Dindane and Didier Zokora, flew off to Europe and have never been replaced.

Coach: Patrick Liewig, a Frenchman, says his team is young and inexperienced and regrets not being able to recruit a new defender, midfielder and attacker for the group stages.