Arsenal, Liverpool, Juventus and Barcelona face easy ties in Champions League qualifying
08/09 Uefa Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round – first legs to be played on 12/13 August, second legs on 26/27 August. Winners move to the Champions League group stages while the losers will play in the first round of the Uefa Cup:
Anorthosis/Rapid Vienna v Olympiakos
Vitoria Guimaraes v IFK Gothenburg/Basel
Shakhtar Donetsk v Domzale/Dinamo Zagreb
Schalke 04 v Atletico Madrid
Aalborg/Modrica v Rangers/Kaunas
Barcelona v Beitar Jerusalem/Wisla Krakow
Levski Sofia v Anderlecht/BATE
Standard Liege v Liverpool
Inter Baku/Partizan v Fenerbahce/MTK Budapest
FC Twente v Arsenal
Spartak Moscow v Drogheda/Dinamo Kiev
Juventus v Tampere/Artmedia
SK Brann/Ventspils v Marseille
Fiorentina v Slavia Prague
Galatasaray v Steaua Bucharest
Panathinaikos/Dinamo Tbilisi v Sheriff Tiraspol/Sparta Prague
The pick of the round is going to be the Schalke v Atletico Madrid game – it would be a shame to see one of these teams not play in the Champions League this year after the seasons they had last year. In comparison, Europe’s elite face much easier ties, with Standard and Twente unlikely to give the English duo too much trouble and Juve and Barca more or less expected to coast comfortably to Champions League proper.
Topics: Arsenal, Atletico Madrid, Fiorentina, Juventus, Liverpool, Rangers, UEFA Champions League
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Should be pretty interesting to see what kind of reception Steve McClaren gets when he brings Twente to the Emirates.
Talk about the ultimate revenge if they could actually pull off an upset and knock the Gunners out.
It will indeed be a shame to see either Schalke or Atletico not in the group stage, but if I have to pick a winner right now, I’ll go with Atletico, since they’re one of the sides that I think could be a ‘surprise’ team in the CL this term.
August 1st, 2008 @ 21:47aha!!!! this will be an early ending of arsenals expectations. fc twente becoming the surprising winner!!!
August 1st, 2008 @ 23:42There is not easy clubs to win look at standaard liege the are a good team but lfc gonna win that true
August 2nd, 2008 @ 07:43I hoped for better draw for Artmedia but it is better to get attractive opponent like Juve than get f. e. Spartak Moscow and fail anyway.
August 2nd, 2008 @ 13:51