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UEFA Cup 1st Round 1st Leg Preview [Fri Sep 16th, 2005]
There’s an exciting night’s action in store as the UEFA Cup gets underway with 40 fixtures taking place.
Holders CSKA Moscow take on FC Midtjylland in Russia, while last years beaten finalists Sporting Lisbon travel to Halmstads BK. 2002 winners Feyenoord meet Rapid Bucuresti in Rotterdam.
Roma, Palermo and Sampdoria represent the Italian league. Roma travel to Aris Salonika without the injured Antonio Cassano, Palermo entertain Anorthosis Famagusta and Sampdoria travel to Portugal to face Vitoria Setubal.
La Liga sides Espanyol, Sevilla and Osasuna will be hopeful of progressing with fixtures against FK Teplice, Mainz and Rennes respectively. Sevilla were dealt a blow ahead of their game with German side Mainz with the news that Argentine forward Javier Saviola will be sidelined for up to a month after suffering a knee injury during the 1-1 weekend draw with El Madrigal.
English Premiership hopes rest with Bolton Wanderers (making their first appearance in Europe), Middlesborough and Everton. Bolton are at home to Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Boro face FC Xanthi at the Riverside and Everton travel to Dinamo Bucuresti.
The Toffeemen were unlucky not to qualify for the UEFA Champions League proper after they had a seemingly fine goal ruled out against Villarreal, but will be in confident mood ahead of the trip to Russia despite losing striker James Beattie to injury.
Other big games include Auxerre playing host to Levski Sofia, Bayer Leverkusen taking on CSKA Sofia, FC Copenhagen travelling to Hamburg, Tromso facing Galatasaray and VfB Stuttgart entertaining Domzale.
The 40 first round winners will be split into eight groups of five for the next round, with the top three in each group progressing to Round Three, where they will be joined by the eight teams who finish third in their Champions League groups. The 2006 final will be held in Eindhoven, Holland.
Thursday night’s action in full:
Aris Salonika V Roma 19.45
Auxerre v Levski Sofia 19.45
Banik Ostrava v Heerenveen 19.45
Basle v Siroki Brijeg 19.45
Bayer Leverkusen v CSKA Sofia 19.45
Besiktas v Malmo FF 19.45
Bolton v Lokomotiv Plovdiv 19.45
Brondby v FC Zurich 19.45
CSKA Moscow v FC Midtjylland 19.45
Crvena Zvezda v Braga 19.45
Dinamo Bucuresti v Everton 19.45
FK Teplice v Espanyol 19.45
Feyenoord v Rapid Bucuresti 19.45
Germinal Beerschot v Marseille 19.45
Guimaraes v Wisla Krakow 19.45
Halmstads BK v Sporting 19.45
Hamburg v FC Copenhagen 19.45
Hertha Berlin v Apoel Nicosia 19.45
Hibernian V Dnipro 19.45
Krylia Sovetov V AZ 19.45
Lens V Groclin Dyskobolia 19.45
Liebherr GAK V Strasbourg 19.45
Liteks Lovetch V Genk 19.45
Lokomotiv Moscow V SK Brann 19.45
Maccabi Petach Tikva V Partizan Belgrade 19.45
Metallurg Donetsk V PAOK Salonika 19.45
Middlesbrough V FC Xanthi 19.45
Monaco V Willem II 19.45
MyPa V Grasshoppers 19.45
Palermo V Anorthosis Famagusta 19.45
Rennes V Osasuna 19.45
Sevilla V Mainz 19.45
Shakhtar Donetsk V Debrecen 19.45
Slavia Prague V Cork 19.45
Tromso V Galatasaray 19.45
Valerenga V Steaua Bucuresti 19.45
VfB Stuttgart V Domzale 19.45
Viking FK V Austria Magna 19.45
Vitoria Setubal V Sampdoria 19.45
Zenit St Petersburg V AEK Athens 19.45
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