Liverpool FC and Juventus are among a few stellar names preparing to enter the UEFA Europa League fray on Friday when the draw for the third qualifying round is made in Nyon, streamed live.
Having swapped Fulham FC for Liverpool FC during the summer, Roy Hodgson's quest for a second successive UEFA Europa League final begins on Friday with the draw for the third qualifying round, streamed live on UEFA.com from 13.30CET.
Fulham's extra-time defeat by Club Atlético de Madrid in May's Hamburg showpiece proved to be Hodgson's last game in charge and, having moved north this summer, his first match at the Liverpool helm will come in the same competition. He will learn who stands between his new charges and the play-offs after the draw in Nyon, with ties to be played on 29 July and 5 August.
The five-time European Champion Clubs' Cup winners are not the only side with continental pedigree awaiting their fate. Two-time European champions Juventus and 1991 titleholders FK Crvena Zvezda are also in the running along with UEFA Champions League regulars Sporting Clube de Portugal, VfB Stuttgart and 2000 UEFA Cup victors Galatasaray A?.
IFK Göteborg have two UEFA Cups to their name, though for Russia's FC Sibir Novosibirsk and Polish Cup winners Jagiellonia Bia?ystok this represents a first step onto the European stage. Montpellier Hérault SC return to continental competition after an 11-year absence while Czech Cup holders FC Viktoria Plze? will hope for a better draw than their only previous European tie in 1971 – Gerd Müller scored twice in a 7-1 aggregate win for FC Bayern München.
These sides are among 30 new contenders who will join 40 second qualifying round victors in Friday's draw. That could include Olympiacos FC, Be?ikta? JK and an APOEL FC team that contested last season's UEFA Champions League group stage.
Draw format
The 70 sides will be allocated to seven groups of ten teams. Each group is split into equal numbers of seeded and unseeded teams according to club rankings, and balls containing seeded teams will be placed in one bowl and unseeded teams in another. A ball from each bowl will be placed in a large empty bowl, where they are shuffled. The first side drawn will play its first match at home, against the second team drawn. Clubs from the same association may not be drawn against each other.
Group 1 Seeds
1 Liverpool FC (ENG)
2 Odense BK (DEN)
3 FK S?duva (LTU) – SK Rapid Wien (AUT)
4 CS MarÃtimo (POR) – Sporting Fingal FC (IRL)
5 FC WIT Georgia (GEO) – FC BanÃk Ostrava (CZE)
Group 1 unseeded
1 Stabæk IF (NOR) – FC Dnepr Mogilev (BLR)
2 PFC Beroe Stara Zagora (BUL)
3 FK Rabotnicki (MKD) – FC Mika (ARM)
4 FC Honka Espoo (FIN) – Bangor City FC (WAL)
5 NK Zrinjski (BIH) – SP Tre Penne (SMR)
Having swapped Fulham FC for Liverpool FC during the summer, Roy Hodgson's quest for a second successive UEFA Europa League final begins on Friday with the draw for the third qualifying round, streamed live on UEFA.com from 13.30CET.
Fulham's extra-time defeat by Club Atlético de Madrid in May's Hamburg showpiece proved to be Hodgson's last game in charge and, having moved north this summer, his first match at the Liverpool helm will come in the same competition. He will learn who stands between his new charges and the play-offs after the draw in Nyon, with ties to be played on 29 July and 5 August.
The five-time European Champion Clubs' Cup winners are not the only side with continental pedigree awaiting their fate. Two-time European champions Juventus and 1991 titleholders FK Crvena Zvezda are also in the running along with UEFA Champions League regulars Sporting Clube de Portugal, VfB Stuttgart and 2000 UEFA Cup victors Galatasaray A?.
IFK Göteborg have two UEFA Cups to their name, though for Russia's FC Sibir Novosibirsk and Polish Cup winners Jagiellonia Bia?ystok this represents a first step onto the European stage. Montpellier Hérault SC return to continental competition after an 11-year absence while Czech Cup holders FC Viktoria Plze? will hope for a better draw than their only previous European tie in 1971 – Gerd Müller scored twice in a 7-1 aggregate win for FC Bayern München.
These sides are among 30 new contenders who will join 40 second qualifying round victors in Friday's draw. That could include Olympiacos FC, Be?ikta? JK and an APOEL FC team that contested last season's UEFA Champions League group stage.
Draw format
The 70 sides will be allocated to seven groups of ten teams. Each group is split into equal numbers of seeded and unseeded teams according to club rankings, and balls containing seeded teams will be placed in one bowl and unseeded teams in another. A ball from each bowl will be placed in a large empty bowl, where they are shuffled. The first side drawn will play its first match at home, against the second team drawn. Clubs from the same association may not be drawn against each other.
Group 1 Seeds
1 Liverpool FC (ENG)
2 Odense BK (DEN)
3 FK S?duva (LTU) – SK Rapid Wien (AUT)
4 CS MarÃtimo (POR) – Sporting Fingal FC (IRL)
5 FC WIT Georgia (GEO) – FC BanÃk Ostrava (CZE)
Group 1 unseeded
1 Stabæk IF (NOR) – FC Dnepr Mogilev (BLR)
2 PFC Beroe Stara Zagora (BUL)
3 FK Rabotnicki (MKD) – FC Mika (ARM)
4 FC Honka Espoo (FIN) – Bangor City FC (WAL)
5 NK Zrinjski (BIH) – SP Tre Penne (SMR)
