Back of the Net!

The Domestic calendar will be in full swing when the UEFA Cup kicks off on September 18^th, as Europe’s not-quite-so-elite meet in the two-legged cup knockout competition.

Aiming for a place in the final at the Sukru Saracoglu stadium - home ground of Turkish club Fenerbahce - on 20 May are such illustrious European club football names as Italian side Sampdoria, Portuguese Benfica, Dutch club Ajax, and England’s Everton as well as a raft of newcomers including Harry Redknapp’s FA Cup winning Portsmouth FC.

National and club pride is at stake in the UEFA Cup, with the 40 winners of this stage entering one of 8 group tables in the next stage of the competition from which 3 top teams of each group enter a final dramatic knockout phase.

Given the success of British clubs over the last few years, there’s no reason not to bet against the wily Harry Redknapp and his Pompey Boys - however Juande Ramos of Tottenham Hotspur has proved himself handy in the competition in the past managing Sevilla to consecutive UEFA Cup titles in 2006 and 2007.

UEFA Cup first-round draw in full:

AC Milan v FC Zurich

Politehnica Timisoara v Partizan Belgrade

Hertha Berlin v St Patricks

Banik Ostrava v Spartak Moscow

Metalist Kharkiv v Besiktas

Portsmouth v Guimaraes

Kayserispor v PSG

Sevilla v SV Red Bull Salzburg

Wolfsburg v Rapid Bucuresti

Sampdoria v FBK Kaunas

Maritimo v Valencia

Dinamo Zagreb v Sparta Prague

Man City v Omonia Nicosia

Young Boys v Club Brugge

AS Nancy v Motherwell

Everton v Standard Liege

Napoli v Benfica

AC Bellinzona v Galatasaray

NEC v Dinamo Bucuresti

Racing Santander v FC Honka

APOEL Nicosia v Schalke 04

Litex Lovech v Aston Villa

FK Austria Magna v Lech Poznan

Vitoria Setubal v Heerenveen

SK Brann v Deportivo La Coruna

Slavia Prague v Vaslui

Slaven Koprivnica v CSKA Moscow

Brondby v Rosenborg

Cherno More v VfB Stuttgart

Rennes v FC Twente

Ajax v Borac

Tottenham v Wisla Krakow

FC Copenhagen v FC Moscow

MSK Zilina v Levski Sofia

Borussia Dortmund v Udinese

Braga v Artmedia Petrzalka

Feyenoord v Kalmar FF

Hamburg v Unirea Urziceni

Hapoel Tel-Aviv v Saint Etienne

FC Nordsjaelland v Olympiacos

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