LATEST EURO UPDATE
Monday, May 12, 2008
With just 46 days until the UEFA Cup First Qualifying Round draw, Reds fans might be interested to note the latest update on those taking part.
The good news for those of you who feared a trip south of the border (which doesn't count as Europe because we wouldn't have left dry land, right?) is that both Cork City and St Patrick's Athletic will be unseeded in the draw, meaning we can no longer be paired with either of them.
The chances of a trip to England now stand at one in 14 when it was confirmed that a Premiership side will definitely be in the mix by virtue of their standing in the Fair Play League and all that remains to be clarified is whether it is Manchester City or Fulham who make the cut.
Other potential opponents are Icelandic outfit FH Hafnarfjardar, Finnish sides FC Haka and the brilliantly-named FC Honka.
We could also find ourselves in Denmark, up against either FC Copenhagen (I've heard of them) or Midtjylland. Sweden cannot be ruled out either, with FF Kalmar and Djurgardens sitting in wait.
Viking Stavanger of Norway can also be added to the list as indeed can Latvian duo Metalurgs and JFK Olimps Riga. Yes that's
right - Riga. We could even stay in the same hotels! It's also worth noting that JFK Olimps finished bottom of the league last season, 12 points behind second-last Dinaburg. Their season didn't really get any better after we left.
Three teams will qualify for the UEFA Cup through the Fair Play League. As outlined above, an English club is guaranteed their place and the other two spots will be determined by a draw which will take place tomorrow - ironically at the City of Manchester Stadium.
Depending on the UEFA ranking of these as-yet-unknown Fair Play qualifiers (which could potentially include Norwegian giants Rosenborg), the competition's Lithuanian representatives - FK Suduva and Vetra Vilnius - will be either seeded or unseeded, the former of which will render them eligible to be drawn against Cliftonville.