UEFA Cup 2006/2007

[willemvanoranje]

Since (and I still can't believe it) Ajax did not qualify for the CL, they are doomed to play the UEFA Cup..so all over sudden this thread becomes a lot more important to me.

We know who are going to play the first round this year:

Ajax (Net)
Dinamo Zagreb (Cro)
Artmedia (Slo)
Iraklis (Gre)
IK Start (Nor)
SV Pasching (Aus)

AZ (Net)
Rode Ster (Ser)
Eintracht Frankfurt (Ger)
Rubin Kazan (Rus)
Kayserispor (Tur)
Ethnikos Achnas (Cyp)

Feyenoord (Net)
West Ham United (Eng)
Nacional (Por)
Trabzonspor (Tur)
Lokomotiv Sofia (Bul)
Rabotnicki (Mac)

FC Groningen (Net)
Bayer Leverkusen (Ger)
Club Brugge (Bel)
Slavia Praag (Cze)
Partizan (Ser)
Dinamo Boekarest (Rum)

SC Heerenveen (Net)
CSKA Sofia (Bul)
Vítoria (Por)
Atromitos (Gre)
Mlada Boleslav (Cze)
Åtvidabergs (Swe)

((rest follows))

These teams will play a knock-out phase after which the winners head on to the group phase that was newly introduced two years ago.. after that round, the numbers 3 of the CL will take part as well.

 

[willemvanoranje]

Oh well.. the draw has already been done So no need to complete the above post. Here are the games of the first round:

Chernomets Odessa - Hapoel Tel Aviv
Sporting Braga - Chievo Verona
Levadia Talinn - Newcastle United
Molde FK - Glasgow Rangers
Standard Luik - Celta de Vigo

Maccabi Haifa - Litex Lovetsj
Derry City - Paris Saint-Germain
Hertha BSC - Odense BK
Legia Warschau - Austria Wien
Panathinaikos - FC Metalurg Zaporizhiya

Lokomotiv Moskou - Zulte-Waregem
Sparta Praag - Hearts
Fenerbache SK - Randers FC
FC Salzburg - Blackburn Rovers
Schalke 04 - AS Nancy

Ethnikos Anchas - RC Lens
Slovan Liberec - Rode Ster Belgrado
AZ - Kayserispor
FC Rubin Kazan - Parma FC
Brondby IF - Eintracht Frankfurt

Atromitos FC - Sevilla FC
Besiktas JK - CSKA Sofia
Vitoria Setubal - SC Heerenveen
Olympique Marseille - Mlada Boleslav
Altvidabergs FF - Grasshoppers

Rapid Boekarest - CD Nacional
Trabzonspor- CA Osasuna
FC Basel 1893 - FK Rabotnicki Skopje
West Ham United - Palermo
Feyenoord - Lokomotiv Sofia

Ruzomberok - Club Brugge
FC Sion - Bayer Leverkusen
FK Partizan Belgrado - FC Groningen
Skoda Xanthi FC - FC Dinamo Boekarest
Slavia Praag - Tottenham Hotspur

IK Start Kristiansand - Ajax
FC Artmedia Bratislava - Espanyol
Wisla Krakow - Iraklis Saloniki
Livorno - SV Pasching
Dinamo Zagreb - AJ Auxerre

 

[willemvanoranje]

West Ham United - Palermo

This might be the most interesting game, although there are a few more candidates. A list like this proves though, how uninteresting the UEFA Cup can be in the first round(s).

As for Ajax, it might seem I do not have a lot to complain with Start from Norway, but since they went out against FC Kobenhavn in the CL qualification, I am not feeling that save.

 

[MCdread]

More scandinavian opponets for Ajax?

On the portuguese sides, Braga were unlucky again facing Chievo. They have been putting pressure on the Big 3 for the past 2 or 3 seasons, but have always gone out in the first round, last season after an ajaxesque display against Red Star, where they missed loads of chances to win by 4 or 5. And if they qualify, if those groupings mean the follow up groups, the group won't be easy either.

Vitória sucks this season, so they should be eliminated by Heerenveen.

Nacional can do it against Rapid Bucharest.

 

[willemvanoranje]

You never know with Heerenveen. They lost Huntelaar and Samaras, their two best attackers, last season. In return they bought Alves, a Brazilian striker who played in Sweden for a few years (Wow! What a surprise! Heerenveen is shopping in Scandinavia!). We'll see...

I think all of the Dutch teams have a reasonable chance of advancing. Ajax will probably get themselves in trouble again but pull it off by some 86th minute goal in the return game. Feyenoord, if they can get their act together in time, should advance as well. AZ seems to be facing a minor team and I have more convidence in them than in any other team in the UC at this point of time. Heerenveen we had before, and well..Groningen probably got the most difficult opponent...but even they should be able to get a nice result in the Euroborg.

The goal of this season is obvious: advance as far as possible, preferably knocking out Russian and Rumanian teams.. if possible even Portuguese and German ones. But from the dream of advancing one spot on the UEFA ranking, this season has become the panic of not dropping two places because of Twente's inability to qualify for the UC (knocked out by some team from Talinn) and Ajax failure in the CL qualification.

 

[classical_hero]

It is good to see Australian teams in this competition. A hint is that the abreviation for Austria is Aut.

Generally you do not expect to many big games at this stage, but there are a few here and there. The bigest include:
Fenerbache SK - Randers FC, Trabzonspor- CA Osasuna and Schalke 04 - AS Nancy

 

[Hitro]

All four German teams have opponents that should be beatable. By the performance of the last years that probably means that only two them will make it.

Interesting thread though, as since the Champions League draw yesterday many people here believe that we will eventually wins this cup...

 

[classical_hero]

That is assuming to even make it third.

 

[Hitro]

People have no respect for Levski Sofia.

 

[jeriko one]

Besiktas-CSKA Sofia match will be very interesting. Two teams with equal strength. It will be a very hard match.

Kayserispor have drawn AZ. I should say "Goodbye Kayseri" Kayserispor have 3 turkish internationals but AZ is too strong.

 

[Lambert Simnel]

Hmm. Hearts get Sparta Prague. Pretty tough draw, and we're still rather sore about the Athens games (AEK didn't manage to score against Hearts when they had 11 men, but the referees combined to send three Hearts players off, in each case at least a debatable decision, and added in a very soft penalty for good measure. Add in the fact that Hearts had to play their first leg three days after playing Celtic, and you can perhaps understand the feeling of injustice that has been going around).

 

[kronic]

All four German teams have opponents that should be beatable. By the performance of the last years that probably means that only two them will make it.

I hope (and believe) that Frankfurt get their asses kicked.

 

[willemvanoranje]

I'm surprised no one has posted here.

I only saw one of the four possible games today.. had to prepare a class on Max Weber.. I have to teach my fellow students about him and competitive elitism tomorrow hehe.

Anyway, Ajax played abysmal in Lillestrom against IK Start (from Kristiansand).. but still won 5-2. It was worse than a test match and Ajax was obviously dragged down by the low level of IK Start and a lack of motivation. Anyway, we can count Ajax in the group phase.

Feyenoord drew 2-2 away against Levski Sofia, which is a good result for the shape Feyenoord is in at the moment. A small win in Rotterdam, and also Feyenoord is on.

AZ won only 3-2 at home against some Turkish team I forgot the name of. I guess it's gonna be tough in Turkey, but I trust in my fellow North-Hollanders!

Heerenveen did some great business by beating Setúbal 3-0 in Portugal. Could it go wrong? YES! Decades ago Ajax was beaten 3-0 in Amsterdam by Benfica, and only got through thanks to a 3-0 in Lisboa and a 3-1 win in the decissionmatch in Paris. Will history repeat itself (3-1 penalties maybe?).

Groningen lost 4-2 against Partizan. Halfway I checked and they were down 3-0, so I counted them out already.. but 4-2 is a way better score. The difference between Groningen at home and Groningen away is already legendary here, so a 2-0 is a possibility...


All with all we should count our blessings now.. Ajax and Heerenveen are as good as through, AZ and Feyenoord have a good position to do the same. Groningen faces a great challenge, but just might pull a stunt.

 

[Darkness]

Feyenoord drew 2-2 away against Levski Sofia, which is a good result for the shape Feyenoord is in at the moment. A small win in Rotterdam, and also Feyenoord is on.

Theoretically correct, but did you see the game?
Feyenoord played extremely bad, and were quite lucky not to lose.
The only players playing decent were De Guzman and Greene. The rest was horrible.

 

[willemvanoranje]

I did not actually.. I only saw the goals. I had to work on my Max Weber assignment..

 

[jeriko one]

AZ won only 3-2 at home against some Turkish team I forgot the name of. I guess it's gonna be tough in Turkey, but I trust in my fellow North-Hollanders!

The advantage of Kayserispor was that they were underestimated by the rest of Europe. Even I was hopeless about Kayserispors chances after AZ beat NAC 8-1. However, van Gaal and AZ players will be serious in the return leg.


Besiktas beat CSKA Sofia 2-0 by two late goals. Its a nice score I think. Enough to see us through.

Trabzonspor drew Osasuna 2-2 after an abysmal performance.

Fenerbahce came from from behind to beat Randers 2-1 to beat Randers od Denmark.

Overall, every Turkish team has a chance to qualify for the group stages.

 

[dutchfire]

Theoretically correct, but did you see the game?
Feyenoord played extremely bad, and were quite lucky not to lose.
The only players playing decent were De Guzman and Greene. The rest was horrible.

IMO Feyenoord is getting better, last sunday against PSV they still played bad, but they could have won and deserved a draw (that ref was terrible)

 

[willemvanoranje]

Yeah, it was a legitimate goal.. and I guess it was a penalty too for Boussaboun.. but then PSV could've gotten one too. I'd have prefered the 4-4.

Anyway, Feyenoord will grow I guess, but it might be too late already...

 

[willemvanoranje]

So.. Groningen didn't make it.. they won 1-0, missed a penalty and thereby killed their chances to get into the grou phase. Heerenveen drew 0-0 after winning 3-0 in the away game, Feyenoord drew 0-0 and advanced on away goals, Ajax won 4-0 and advances with 9-2 on agg., and AZ drew 1-1 in Turkey and advances as well.

 

[Berrie]

Zulte-Waregem made it to the group phase. A major surprise. They beat Lokomotiv Moskou at home: 2-0 after losing with 2-1 in Moskou.

Club Bruges advanced after a disappointing match against Rozembrok of Slovakia: 1-1 at home.

Standard Liège is out after a 3-0 loss against Celta de Vigo