UEFA Cup Round of 32 Preview
British clubs negotiate group stage to compete in knockout stages
Everton lead the charge of English Premiership clubs in the UEFA Cup. Spurs and Bolton look to make progress also and Rangers and Aberdeen represent the SPL
Five British clubs will compete in the final 32 of the 2008 UEFA Cup, all hoping to record the first domestic success in the competition since Liverpool in 2001.
Everton go into the knockout stages with the most impressive record to date. Qualifying as group winners with a 100% record, David Moyes’ side have put their European nightmare from two years ago firmly behind them and will be confident of progressing past Norwegian champions Brann Bergen next month. A win at AZ Alkmaar in the Toffees’ final game was particularly impressive. Everton had already won the group and took a makeshift side to Holland, defeating an AZ side with a formidable home record and needing a win to qualify.
Tottenham will face Slavia Prague, hoping that new manager Juande Ramos can repeat the UEFA Cup success he enjoyed at Seville. Spurs began the competition shakily with a home defeat to Getafe but regrouped under Ramos to finish second in the table on seven points. A hard-fought draw at Anderlecht on match day four ensured qualification.
Aberdeen scraped through a tough group to qualify in third place with only four points. Defeats at Panathinaikos and Athletico Madrid made qualification a tall order, yet a draw at home to Lokomotiv Moscow and a 4-0 win over Kobenhavn were enough to see the Dons through. However, Aberdeen will face Bayern Munich in the first round of the knockout stages and further progress seems unlikely. Fellow Scots Glasgow Rangers will face Panathinaikos having dropped into the UEFA Cup courtesy of a third place finish in their Champions League Group.
Bolton Wanderers, like Spurs, have seen a change in manager since their UEFA campaign started and managed to come through the group stage undefeated. Draws with Bayern Munich, Aris and Braga left Bolton needing to go to Belgrade on the final day of the group stage and win at Red Star. A first half strike from Gavin McCann and a resolute defensive display was enough to ensure a fine victory and third place in the group. Under new manager Gary Megson, Bolton have a difficult tie against Athletico Madrid to negotiate in the next round.
Elsewhere, there are a number of other appealing matches as the competition reaches the business end. Zenit St Petersburg vs Villarreal and Marseilles vs Spartak Moscow stand out as potential highlights. The first legs of this round will be played on 13 February and 14 February, with the return legs taking place on 21 February.
