WHO WILL BE THE STAR?

Last year's sporting calendar was notable in many respects not least for the changing of the guard in the world of tennis and motor racing to the absence of the most famous golfer, if not sportsman, on the planet.

This year, though, he will be back at some point and only Tiger himself knows what form he will bring into the four majors, his only real target at the beginning of each season.

If his previous drive and dedication is anything to go by then there is no reason to doubt him as his ability will surely remain as will his hunger to surpass Jack Nicklaus and his majors tally. Woods has managed to reinvent the way golf is played by everyone and has single handedly made all professionals rich with the sponsorship money he has attracted - they all have a lot to be thankful for.

However, this is the problem the rest of the field face in that if he returns in good shape then their chances of winning tournaments decreases but on the other hand their financial situation improves dramatically.

Of the top names Mickleson and Els have both failed to topple the No. 1 but Harrington has come into the spectrum since Woods's absence and his confidence will be sky high approaching the season.

However, it is Sergio Garcia who is the man most likely to challenge on a consistent basis and if he can win a major for the first time which will settle his putting then there is no doubt in my mind that he can go onto great things. This may well be his big breakthrough year and I am tipping him to be the most prominent golfer of the season.

In tennis, Nadal at last showed he was more than just a clay court specialist by winning at Wimbledon but Federer started off the season with a virus and it is not clear whether he ever recovered properly. With his crown dislodged then he should come back hungry for revenge but Nadal is the improver and if he has more to offer then we will be entering a new phase in the game.

If the Swiss gets off to a good start in Australia do not be surprised if he wins three Grand Slams with the French Open being the exception as the Spaniard most definitely rules here.

The cricket season will be dominated by the Ashes in England now the tour of Pakistan by India has been cancelled and after the incredible 2005 series then it will be eagerly anticipated on both sides of the world.

The world champions without Warne and McGrath though are a much weakened team and the bowling department is still finding its way but England are still weak in this area too. So it may be a very tight affair effected as much by the toss and the weather as anything else. I still expect the Australians to win but by a narrow margin and the first two Tests will be crucial to the final outcome.

As always, though, it will be football that dominates all the headlines and in particular the Champions League given there is no international championship this year. The first knockout games have thrown up some fantastic ties including Real Madrid against Liverpool and Manchester United against Inter Milan.

Unbelievably given both their histories in this competition it is the first time that Madrid and Liverpool have ever played each other. The Manchester and Milan game sees Jose Mourinho returning with a team to play at Old Trafford. Anyone who thinks that United are favourites should best pay attention to the fact that he has only lost once in 12 encounters with Alex Ferguson including his shock Champions League win with Porto.

Of all the teams left there is only one standout side and that is Barcelona and contrary to all Ronaldo supporters' views, in Messi they have the best player in the world by a country mile. It will take either an outstanding tactical performance or a large slice of luck to dislodge them from the top of the front runners but even then they will have too much for most teams.

A lively outsider for this competition is Athletico Madrid who play a style of football perfect for this type of competition and they could do well given the right run of the ball.

Ultimately the usual suspects will play a part in all sports but newcomers will enthral us and as ever there will be drugs where there should not be drugs, cheats who should have been caught but were not and there will be winner and losers ... this of course is the main fundamental point of sport and this is what keeps us watching.