The last three winners of the FIFA World Player of the Year award are forced to sit out Europe's most prestigious club competition because their clubs -- Inter, AC Milan and Juventus -- have been eliminated.

That means a big chance for David Beckham, Rivaldo and Gabriel Batistuta to hog the spotlight this week and push their claims to be this year's FIFA Award winner.

Zidane, scorer of two goals in France's 3-0 World Cup final triumph over Brazil this year, believes Beckham could be his successor.

``I don't deserve it again,'' the Frenchman said. ``I am thinking of Christian Vieri at Inter Milan, Barcelona's Luis Figo and Rivaldo but, above all, Beckham. He has won everything. His team has won everything.''

Beckham's Manchester United, Rivaldo's Barcelona and Batistuta's Fiorentina go into action in this week's second round of Champions League games, with defending titlist United going to Florence today for a Group 3game.

In terms of league form, the two are far apart with Alex Ferguson's team top of the Premier League and Fiorentina languishing 11th in Serie A.

Fiorentina's Yugoslav striker Pedrag Mijatovic will be out for up to three months because of a heel injury, and that heaps more pressure on Batistuta, a situation he thrives on. It was his winner at Wembley that gave Fiorentina a 1-0 win t oust Arsenal in the previous round.

Although the second round is another series of group games ending on March 22, a victory for the Florence club would be a major boost for Giovanni Trapattoni's team and a bad start for Ferguson's.

Olympique Marseille and Lazio go into tomorrow's Group 4 game with both clubs in turmoil after embarrassing domestic losses at the weekend. Lazio is clinging on to the top spot in Serie A after losing 4-1 to neighbor AS Roma on Sunday, all four Roma goals coming in the first 31 minutes.

``Not even our junior team would have given up four goals like that,'' Lazio owner Sergio Cragnotti saidafter seeing his team's 23-game unbeaten run come to a humiliating end. ``No one escapes blame, not the coach, not a single player. This was not the real Lazio.'' Marseille is down in ninth place in the French League with thousands of fans calling for the sacking of coach Rolland Courbis after Saturday's 1-0 loss at home to Auxerre.

The other Group 3 match today is Valencia against Bordeaux with the Spanish team jubilant after Saturday's 3-1 victory over Barcelona in the domestic league. After that loss -- the third in a row in the Primera Liga -- Barcelona's stars must pick themselves up for a Group 1 visit to struggling Hertha Berlin today.

Hertha, which gained a place in the competition by finishing third in the Bundesliga, is 13th this season and is in fear of relegation.

``Not even our junior team would have given up four goals like that,'' Lazio owner Sergio Cragnotti said after seeing his team's 23-game unbeaten run come to a humiliating end. ``No one escapes blame, not the coach, not a singleplayer. This was not the real Lazio.''

Marseille is down in ninth place in the French league with thousands of fans calling for the sacking of coach Rolland Courbis after Saturday's 1-0 loss at home to Auxerre.

Chelsea and Feyenoord, who meet at Stamford Bridge in the other Group 4 game, are also struggling to find form in domestic games.

Gianluca Vialli's Chelsea has slipped to ninth in the Premiership and needed a last minute strike by Tore Andre Flo for a 1-1 tie at Everton on Saturday. The team has an abundance of talent, with World Cup winners Marcel Desailly, Frank Leboeuf and Didier Deschamps on the line-up along with Flo and veteran Italian forward Gianfranco Zola but hasn't produced its best form in the league.

Feyenoord is 10th in the 18-team Dutch League after only five wins in 12 games and is 12 points behind pacesetters Ajax and 11 behind PSV Eindhoven.

Seven-time titlist Real Madrid, which fired coach John Toshack last week and is yet to appoint a replacement, goes to Ukraine tomorrowto meet Dynamo Kiev, while Norway's Rosenborg host Bayern Munich in Group 2.

Bayern, last season's runner up to Manchester United, has five key players missing, including 38-year-old sweeper Lothar Matthaeus, Brazilian forward Giovane Elber and French World Cup star Bixente Lizarazu, all injured, and Jens Jeremies, suspended.

Champions League

Tuesday match-ups

Group 1: Barcelona vs Hertha Berlin; Sparta Prague vs FC Porto

Group 3: Manchester United vs Fiorentina; Valencia vs Bordeaux

Wednesday's match-ups

Group 2: Real Madrid vs Dynamo Kiev; Rosenborg vs Bayern Munich

Group 4: Olympique Marseille vs Lazio; Chelsea vs Feyenoord;