UEFA Football

Liverpool present high hurdle for Lyon

2009-11-04T06:12:00.002-08:00

Olympique Lyonnais need just a draw against Liverpool FC to book their UEFA Champions League knockout place from Group E but coach Claude Puel knows the Reds can make life very tough for the hosts. Rafael Benítez's team could fall six points behind second-placed ACF Fiorentina if results go against them on Wednesday although the manager, who hopes to have Fernando Torres fit, has overseen group-stage recoveries before.

Claude Puel, Lyon coach
Liverpool are always able to produce a big performance. They have a great manager and great players. There were brilliant against Manchester United ten days ago and, even though they lost at Fulham at the weekend, they played well with a lot of spirit. As far as we are concerned, we always focus on the next game, we always put out our best team. It doesn't matter if we take one point or three. We are playing at home and will do our best to win. We won't play for a draw – we don't know how. Even with nine points in the bag, nothing is certain because it's a tough group. Three teams can still go through, it's that open. Liverpool play the way they always used to play. It means they are always efficient when they play well. Even if they slow down the pace, they are able to score a quick goal.

Rafael Benítez, Liverpool manager
Fernando Torres is improving every day. He feels less and less pain. So we can't talk about a possible operation. He's not 100 per cent, but against Manchester United he was 80 per cent and scored the winning goal. I would have put him on the pitch even if the game had been less important. We have experience and have to believe in ourselves, that we can win against Lyon, even though they are a good team. In the past, we had the same difficulties and managed to go through. We have to be confident, show character. If you are nervous, you make mistakes. We are in a difficult period, but football changes every week. Every game is important. Despite the lack of four or five important players, we still have a very good team. We'll see an open game. Lyon won't play for the draw.

Weekend results
31/10/09 AS Saint-Etienne 0-1 Lyon
(Gomis 83)

• Bafétimbi Gomis struck on his return to the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard where he spent six seasons with St-Etienne before a summer switch to Lyon.

• Jérémy Toulalan made his 200th Ligue 1 appearance in the St-Etienne game – 106 with Lyon, 94 for FC Nantes.

31/10/09 Fulham FC 3-1 Liverpool
(Zamora 24, Nevland 73, Dempsey 87; Torres 42)

• Liverpool have lost six of their last seven matches in all competitions after slipping to a fifth Premier League defeat of the campaign at Craven Cottage. They finished with nine men after Philipp Degen (79) and Jamie Carragher (82) were shown straight red cards.

• The Merseysiders have been defeated in their last five away fixtures in all competitions.

• Torres has scored seven goals in his last five Premier League outings.

Team news
Lyon
Out: Anderson (knee, calf, shoulder), Jean-Alain Boumsong (groin), Mathieu Bodmer (groin), François Clerc (knee)
Doubtful: Anthony Réveillère (groin)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

• Kim Källström returned from a groin injury as a substitute against St-Etienne.

• Réveillère did not play on Saturday after being afflicted by a similar problem.

Liverpool
Out: Steven Gerrard (groin), Albert Riera (hamstring), Martin Kelly (ankle), Martin Škrtel (muscle), Glen Johnson (calf), Fábio Aurélio (calf)
Doubtful: Fernando Torres (groin), Alberto Aquilani (virus), Daniel Agger (back), David Ngog (ankle)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Background
• Late goals from substitutes Maxime Gonalons and César Delgado gave Lyon a 2-1 triumph at Anfield on Matchday 3, only their second victory in England in seven attempts. It sent the French side three points clear in the section, six above their Premier League rivals.

• Lyon won their first-ever home fixture against English opposition – 1-0 against Tottenham Hotspur FC in the 1967/68 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup second round – but failed to overcome visitors from across the Channel in five subsequent matches, drawing four and losing one.

• Although Liverpool have never played at the Gerland before, they boast an impressive recent record in France having prevailed on their last four trips. Skipper Steven Gerrard hit three goals in successive wins at Olympique de Marseille in the 2007/08 and 2008/09 seasons.

Did you know?
Liverpool won the 1981 European Champion Clubs' Cup on French soil, beating Real Madrid CF 1-0 in the Parc des Princes final.

Rubin believe in mission improbable

2009-11-04T06:12:00.001-08:00

The sense of anticipation is acute as FC Rubin Kazan welcome FC Barcelona to the Tatar capital looking to pull off a repeat of their sensational victory at Camp Nou a fortnight ago. Rubin fans are thrilled at the prospect of seeing the European champions in a city that just six years ago had never even witnessed top-flight football, and the excitement is mixed with real belief that the Russian league leaders can pull off another upset. Rubin coach Kurban Berdyev summed up the mood: "We're ready for a battle."

Kurban Berdyev, Rubin coach
I don't think that the team has changed psychologically since the win at Barcelona. The players are mentally strong; they know their quality and the strength of our opponents very well. Our aim is to show what we can do and a little bit more besides. We are ready for a battle. The pace will be faster than in Barcelona. Why? It's simple: Josep's Guardiola side is improving with every match. Draws in the Spanish league will not disturb Barcelona on Wednesday. The cold weather also shouldn't be a problem for the visitors, players in top teams don't need time to adapt for playing in such conditions.

Josep Guardiola, Barcelona coach
The weather should not be a problem for us. A great team should be able to win whether it's cold, hot or if you play against 12 opponents. I respect Rubin. They won in Barcelona and I don't think that was down to luck. They scored twice and deserved it. That said, we controlled about 70 per cent of possession and I'm happy with that. I'm sure my players will run fast, otherwise they will freeze. There are no easy groups and we have to fight to the end. Rubin are strong. They defend well and are really dangerous on the break. We will have to be very sharp. We drew our last fixture in the Spanish league and that may help us to focus more for this match in Kazan. All 19 players who have travelled to Russia are fully fit and ready to play.

Weekend results
30/10/09 Rubin 4-1 PFC Krylya Sovetov Samara
(Noboa 48, Bukharov 56 75, Gökdeniz 63; Koller 61)

• Rubin have won four in a row – against FC Khimki, Barcelona, FC Rostov and Krylya Sovetov – since ending a sequence of five games without a victory.

• Rubin have not kept a clean sheet since a 0-0 draw with FC Tom Tomsk on 22 September, a run of seven games.

31/10/09 CA Osasuna 1-1 Barcelona
(Piqué 90+3og; Keita 72)

• Carles Puyol made his 453rd appearance for Barça against Osasuna, taking him past Carles Rexach and into third on the club's all-time appearance list. Xavi Hernández is second on 489, with Migueli leading the way on 548.

• Seydou Keita has now scored four in three games having registered the first hat-trick of his career against Real Zaragoza on 25 October.

Team news
Rubin
Out: Rafał Murawski (shoulder)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Cristian Ansaldi

Barcelona
Out: Gabriel Milito (knee), Thierry Henry (thigh)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

• Daniel Alves will be available for Barcelona after recovering from a right thigh tear in 13 days – a week sooner than predicted.

Background
• Goals in each half from Aleksandr Ryazantsev and Gökdeniz Karadeniz stunned the UEFA Champions League holders a fortnight ago. While Barça remain top of the section, all four teams are now separated by a single point at the halfway stage.

• Barcelona are unbeaten in four visits to Russia, recording one victory and three draws. The holders' last trip was a first group-stage meeting with FC Lokomotiv Moskva on 1 October 2002. Xavi, Puyol and Víctor Valdés featured for a Barcelona side who won 3-1 through goals from Patrick Kluivert and Javier Saviola (2).

• Rubin did not compete in Europe before 2004. Outside of qualifying rounds and UEFA Intertoto Cup ties, this is only their third home game in a UEFA club competition proper and they are still seeking a first win.

Did you know?
Barcelona are unbeaten in seven away matches in the UEFA Champions League, including the goalless draw at Inter on Matchday 1.

Prandelli unsettled by Debrecen danger

2009-11-04T06:11:00.000-08:00

ACF Fiorentina may be favourites to secure a third straight UEFA Champions League Group E win when Debreceni VSC visit on Wednesday, but home coach Cesare Prandelli admits to concerns about the counterattacking threat of their Hungarian opponents. While Fiorentina could go six points clear of third-placed Liverpool FC with victory, Debrecen are yet to get off the mark, having lost 4-3 at home to Fiorentina a fortnight ago. With the visitors seeking the win they need to keep their hopes alive, coach András Herczeg promised to put on a show for their fans.

Cesare Prandelli, Fiorentina coach
I'm not very relaxed about the match, because most people will think it's going to be easy, but nothing is easy in football. We'll have to play well and get three points which are crucial for our Champions League campaign. I'm expecting Debrecen to play attacking football, so we'll have to be good in defence, and also keep the right balance. Debrecen are good with the ball and they're particularly dangerous on the break down the middle. They're a side who can cause you problems, but we're not afraid. We've overcome many problems over the past few years and this is the most important moment of them all, because we have a chance to keep the dream alive for our fans. I hope that at least one of our two injured players will be fit; most probably it won't be [Stevan] Jovetić, but [Adrian] Mutu might make it.

András Herczeg, Debrecen coach
We know that we will play a big team and it's important to go hard at this match. We examined the last game and have found our mistakes. Fiorentina are favourites to win, but it's important for us to play a good match and make a good impression in Italy. We had a good week training and we will face Fiorentina with heads up, trying to get a good result. We will play mainly for our supporters. In our group there are big teams that think they are playing easy matches against Debrecen, but we will try to make them hard. We are relaxed because we are a little team facing three great teams in Fiorentina, Liverpool and Lyon, but we would like to leave a positive impression with our supporters.

Weekend results
01/11/09 Fiorentina 3-1 Calcio Catania
(Marchionni 4 69, Gilardino 86; Mascara 48)

• The win – Fiorentina's first in five league matches – came despite Dario Dainelli's dismissal just before half-time. Having equalised, Catania were also reduced to ten men themselves on 59 minutes.

• Prandelli became Fiorentina's longest-serving coach against Catania, his 204th game surpassing a mark set by Fulvio Bernardini – the man who led the Viola to their first Scudetto in 1956.

30/10/09 Debrecen 1-2 Újpest FC
(Rudolf 17pen; Kabát 40pen 90+1pen)

• An added-time penalty, the fourth spot-kick of the match, condemned Debrecen to their second successive 1. Liga defeat. Having put András Herczeg's side ahead early on, Gergely Rudolf squandered the chance to double the lead when he missed his second penalty on 27 minutes.

• Debrecen had not lost back-to-back league matches since May 2004.

Team news
Fiorentina
Out: Cesare Natali (thigh), Stevan Jovetić (toe)
Doubtful: Adrian Mutu (knee)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Marco Donadel

• Jovetić missed the Catania match after injuring his toe in training.

Debrecen
Out: Róbert Feczesin (knee), Norbert Mészáros (rested)
Doubtful: none
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Background
• Fiorentina's first experience of Hungarian opposition since 1966/67 was a positive one on Matchday 3, Adrian Mutu scoring twice as the Viola found the net four times in the first half in Budapest to run out 4-3 victors. The result leaves the Italian side with six points, three behind section leaders Olympique Lyonnais but three above Liverpool FC.

• Péter Czvitkovics scored Debrecen's first group-stage goal in the first game between the sides, yet the Hungarian champions have now lost all three Group E games.

• Hungarian sides have traditionally enjoyed little success in Italy down the years – recording two victories, four draws and 13 defeats on 19 previous visits.

Did you know?
Czvitkovics became the first Hungarian to score in the UEFA Champions League group stage in three years on Matchday 3. Roland Juhász, who hit RSC Anderlecht's goal in a 4-1 loss to AC Milan on 1 November 2006, was Czvitkovics's predecessor.

No doubts for Arsenal's Diaby

2009-11-04T06:10:00.002-08:00

Buoyed by a run of eleven games without defeat in all competitions, Arsenal FC's French international midfielder Abou Diaby says confidence is high going into their Group H contest with AZ Alkmaar on Matchday 4.

Unbeaten run
Saturday's 3-0 home win over arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur FC was the latest positive result for Arsène Wenger's side, who stand to book their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League with a victory on Wednesday. "The quality is there, the spirit is there. We have a great squad," said Diaby, an ever-present in the Gunners' midfield in Europe this season. "It is up to us now to show in every game that we are a great team. If we do, I am sure we will win something at the end of the season."

Qualification beckons
For the immediate future, Diaby and his team-mates are looking no further than the return contest with Ronald Koeman's Dutch champions, who grabbed a 1-1 home draw two weeks ago with an added-time equaliser from David Mendes da Silva. "We want to win the game because if we do, we qualify," Diaby said. "We also want to finish top of the group, so it is a very important game against a good team. We are all really focused on it, and our confidence is high."

Mental strength
Signed from AJ Auxerre in January 2006, Diaby has had to bide his time before establishing himself in the heart of Arsenal's midfield, but with Denilson injured he is making the most of his opportunity. "I have had difficult times with injuries. But that's in the past. I'm trying to be focused on the future. I think mentally I am stronger because I had a lot of problems in the past."

Manager's support
Wenger is delighted with Diaby's form though he indicated that the 23-year-old remains a work in progress. "He has done extremely well. He gives us a good mixture. Before, we were often criticised that we were easily intimidated. But he is strong, quick, versatile and good in the air. Sometimes, however, he needs to be a bit more controlled. He is attracted like a magnet to the opposition goal. I know he would like to play further forward, but I think in the future he will play a deeper role, just in front of the defence."

Attacking instinct
Diaby, scorer of three Premier League goals this term, makes no secret of his striking instincts. "I used to play behind the strikers at academy level when I was young. Everyone likes to score goals, I like to go forward – sometimes after training I work on my finishing. If I find myself in front of the keeper, I want to make sure I score."

Mum's the word for Unirea's Varga

2009-11-04T06:10:00.001-08:00

The eyes of Europe may be on FC Unirea Urziceni as they enjoy their first foray into the UEFA Champions League, but for striker Serban Dacian Varga his harshest critic remains the same – his mother.

'Good mood'
The 25-year-old played a key role in helping Unirea win their first title last season, scored his club's first UEFA Champions League goal against VfB Stuttgart on Matchday 2, and has broken into Romania's national team this year. Yet one person still expects more. "I always speak with my mother before matches," Varga said. "She means everything to me, but she is never really satisfied with how I play. She never gives tactical advice, but what she does give, and this means everything to me, is morale and a good mood."

Rapid rise
Varga has had plenty of reasons for cheer recently. He was playing second-division football when coach Dan Petrescu took him on loan from FC Sportul Studenţesc last term, turning him into a Romanian champion. After the No9's loan expired in the summer, following a yield of four goals in eight league starts, Petrescu returned to Sportul at the eleventh hour to bring him back to Unirea. Varga now locks horns with some of European football's biggest names.

Wounded pride
The confident forward even predicted that Unirea – second in Group G behind Sevilla FC – would beat Rangers FC in Glasgow on Matchday 3. While the resulting 4-1 triumph could provoke a Rangers reaction in Wednesday's rematch on Romanian soil, he is again backing his side to meet the challenge. "It will be a much more difficult match than in Glasgow," he said. "I would say it will be a do-or-die game because their pride was deeply hurt when we beat them. They will give everything to succeed in Bucharest."

Passion
Unirea, though, have similar reserves of passion and desire according to Varga. "I want everybody to know we will give our lives on the pitch. To win, we will have to give everything because in the domestic championship we have not played as our coach wants and expects." Seventh in Liga 1, Unirea ended a three-match winless run on Saturday, overcoming FC Universitatea Craiova 3-2, and Varga promises another improved showing against Rangers at the Steaua Stadium. "It is important for us to have a full stadium," he said. "This would be a huge help and we will not disappoint anybody."

Red-hot Suárez proving his worth

2009-11-04T06:09:00.000-08:00

When Luis Suárez scored AFC Ajax's fifth goal in the 5-1 victory against Feyenoord on Sunday, the penalty was the forward's 16th league goal of what is shaping up to be a potentially record-breaking season for the Uruguayan international.

Ajax move
What is all the more impressive is the time it has taken Suárez to reach the total – 12 matches. If he were to continue scoring at such a rate he would end up with 45 goals for the UEFA Europa League contenders and eclipse the long-standing Eredivisie record of Coen Dillen, who struck 43 times for PSV Eindhoven in 1956/57. After a season with FC Groningen in 2006/07, he joined Ajax for an estimated €8m that summer − filling the void created by the departure of Ryan Babel to Liverpool FC − and in his first two campaigns struck 39 times in 64 appearances.

Different roles
Goals, however, are not the only thing Suárez contributes as the South American's Eredivisie-leading seven assists also show. At the heart of much of Ajax's attacking play, El Pistolero started the season in a central role until the arrival of Marko Pantelić resulted in him playing wide in a 4-3-3 or as a second striker in a traditional 4-4-2.

Capitano
His coach, Martin Jol, recognised the importance of Suárez earlier this season by making him captain and has been delighted with how the No16 has handled the responsibility such a role entails. "He's been fantastic this year," said Jol, whose side visit NK Dinamo Zagreb in Group A on Thursday. "Last year he was already fantastic, but now he has taken on additional responsibility before matches, making speeches to the squad. He is a real capitano."

Modesty
His performances have reportedly attracted interest from some of Europe's top clubs but, for now, Suárez is more than happy in the Dutch capital. "Ajax are more than Luis Suárez alone," said the forward, whose goals have brought Ajax to within three points of the Eredivisie summit. "I think my team-mates are often sold short. In a team everyone makes their contribution and my job is to score goals and make assists. When people say that a transfer may happen during the winter or an injury will mean an end to our championship aspirations, I think that is disrespectful.

'Happy'
"I have said many times already that I will certainly finish this season at Ajax and that I am open to talks about a contract extension," continued Suárez, who is under contract until 2012. "I am happy in Amsterdam, feel at home with Ajax and want to be important for the club."

Can Lyon complete French sweep?

2009-11-04T06:06:00.000-08:00

Following terrific wins for FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Olympique de Marseille on Tuesday, Olympique Lyonnais will look to make it a clean sweep for French clubs in the UEFA Champions League when they host Liverpool FC tonight.

French first
Claude Puel's side pulled off one of the results of the season so far with their victory at Anfield on Matchday 3 and will join Bordeaux in the knockout phase should they draw tonight at the Stade de Gerland. Bordeaux, who beat FC Bayern München 2-0, and Lyon lead Group A and Group E respectivley and Marseille, 6-1 winners over FC Zürich, have dragged themselves back into contention as well. Granted OM have difficult games against AC Milan and Real Madrid CF to come in Group C, but as things stand all three French sides are well placed to reach the knockout phase for the first time.

Lyon test
French sides have the best winning percentage – nearly 73 per cent – of any nation in the UEFA Champions League this season, and should all three go through this could be France's best year in the competition since AS Monaco FC reached the final in 2004. Do you expect Lyon to make it three wins in three games for French clubs on Matchday 3 against Liverpool tonight? Will all three qualify for the knockout phase and if so, just how far can they go? Click below to have your say.

Wenger keen to get the job done

2009-11-04T06:05:00.000-08:00

Arsène Wenger's "first objective" may be for Arsenal FC to qualify for the knockout rounds, but the Frenchman's long-term target is to finally get his hands on the European Champion Clubs' Cup. "We have been in the final, the semi-final, and I think we will eventually win it," said Wenger ahead of Wednesday's Group H visit of an AZ Alkmaar side whose coach has fond memories of north London.

Arsène Wenger, Arsenal manager
We want to finish first in the group, but to be qualified in early November would be good, and that is our first objective. Although we have not won the Champions League, I consider us as an élite club because we are in the eight top-seeded teams in Europe. We have been in the final, the semi-final, and I think we will eventually win it. It does not concern me that I have never beaten Ronald Koeman. I see it as Arsenal against Alkmaar. He organises his teams well, they fight well, but I've never been obsessed with these things. I'm confident we can do it, but we have to show that we can focus and play for each other every three days and prepare for all the games with the same attitude.

Ronald Koeman, AZ coach
It is a nice feeling to be back at this fantastic stadium. I remember one moment very fondly, my success with PSV when we got a 1-1 draw that was enough to knock Arsenal out. Now we face the most difficult of the six matches in the group. We got a good result at home, so we are confident. We know our qualities but we respect Arsenal. They will put us under a lot of pressure, but the important thing is how we deal with that pressure. Individually the players will have to be at their best and we have to take the opportunity to rest when we can because Arsenal cannot keep up the pressure for the whole game.

Weekend results
31/10/09 Arsenal 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur FC
(Van Persie 42 60, Fàbregas 43)

• Arsenal are yet to score in the first 15 minutes of any game this season.

• The win means Wenger has collected 1,000 league points as Arsenal manager.

31/10/09 FC Groningen 0-1 AZ
(Lens 85)

• Jeremain Lens marked his 50th appearance for AZ in style, coming off the bench to head the only goal of the game within five minutes of his introduction.

• It was only AZ's second win in eleven matches in all competitions over 90 minutes; they have lost six in that sequence.

Team news
Arsenal
Out: Gaël Clichy (back) Johan Djourou (knee), Denilson (back), Tomáš Rosický (knee), Theo Walcott (knee), Jack Wilshere (ankle), Carlos Vela (knee), Łukasz Fabiański (thigh), Nicklas Bendtner (groin)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Gaël Clichy, Robin van Persie

• Clichy was unexpectedly ruled out on Tuesday morning. "We fear a stress fracture of the back," said Wenger.

• Bendtner limped off shortly before half-time against Tottenham with a groin injury.

AZ
Out: Mounir El Hamdaoui (muscle)
Doubtful:
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Background
• The north London club looked set to take a firm grip on Group H in the reverse fixture on Matchday 3 when Cesc Fàbregas gave them a 36th-minute lead, only for David Mendes da Silva to volley an equaliser in the third minute of added time. The draw leaves Arsenal on seven points, one clear of Olympiacos FC and five above third-placed AZ.

• In seven competitive home games against Dutch opposition, Arsenal have only posted two victories. Four of the fixtures finished all-square with their only defeat coming in the first meeting – a European Champion Clubs' Cup quarter-final in 1971/72 when AFC Ajax won 1-0 at Highbury to complete a 3-1 aggregate triumph.

• AZ have lost all four previous games in England, conceding 12 goals. The most recent reverse was a 4-2 loss at Newcastle United FC in the 2006/07 UEFA Cup round of 16.

• AZ's Koeman is unbeaten as a coach against Arsenal, guiding Ajax to 1-1 home and 0-0 away draws against them in the second group stage in February 2003. Then, as PSV Eindhoven coach, Koeman's side eliminated the Gunners in the 2006/07 first knockout round with a 1-0 home win followed by a 1-1 draw in London.

Did you know?
The 1-1 draw at the DS-Stadium on Matchday 3 was the teams' first-ever meeting.

Petrescu warning of Rangers response

2009-11-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

Dan Petrescu expects Rangers FC to be on a revenge mission when his FC Unirea Urziceni team host the Scottish outfit two weeks after inflicting a 4-1 defeat on them on UEFA Champions League Matchday 3. With his side second in Group G, Petrescu wants another victory against Walter Smith's men in what he called "the most important match of my coaching career". His opposite number – who can call on fit-again Lee McCulloch – may be satisfied with a point to remain in contention.

Dan Petrescu, Unirea coach
It will be a totally different match from Glasgow, because Rangers will not underestimate us again. They are coming to Bucharest to beat us and to avenge that defeat. They will give everything in attack and any result is possible. I have challenged my players to become the first Romanian team to win successive Champions League games. I can't remember another Romanian team doing this. But I worry about the mentality of Romanian players and it would be a miracle to qualify for the knockout stage. I try to motivate my players, but the secret is with them – they will decide their fate, not me. Anyhow, it is the most important match of my coaching career.

Walter Smith, Rangers manager
The 4-1 home defeat was the poorest display in our European history. That's why I hope we recover and return to our normal level because Rangers are used to performing well in Europe. From what is a very difficult match, we need at least a point to maintain our hopes of qualification. It's a necessity that we improve and I will try to adopt a more attacking and aggressive style of play. I will change the system and play with more attacking players because I also want to change the result and win, even though that it's going to be very difficult. I am happy McCulloch will be able to play because the injury problems we faced last time had a negative effect. I don't know how many spectators will be in the stands, but I remember the last time I was here there was a full stadium and a fantastic atmosphere.

Weekend results
31/10/09 Unirea 3-2 FC Universitatea Craiova
(Frunză 27 62, Bilasco 90+2; Costea 54, Wobay 71)

• Petrescu's team ended a three-match winless run in Liga 1 – their most barren spell since the middle of last term when they drew three and lost one either side of the winter break.

• It was only the third time in 12 top-flight outings this season the Romanian champions have scored more than once.

1/11/09 Dundee United FC v Rangers (match abandoned at half-time due to heavy rain)

• Rangers were leading through Steven Davis's 29th-minute goal at Tannadice when the game was abandoned at half-time because of a waterlogged pitch, cutting short Danny Wilson's league debut at centre-back.

• The 4-1 home defeats by Sevilla FC and Unirea are Rangers' only reverses since Celtic FC's extra-time victory in last season's Scottish League Cup final on 15 March.

Team news
Unirea
Out: Raul Rusescu (knee), Bruno Fernandes (thigh)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Vasile Maftei

• Bruno Fernandes limped off early in the second half against Craiova having damaged his right thigh.

Rangers
Out: Andrew Little (hamstring), Madjid Bougherra (knee), Pedro Mendes (thigh)
Doubtful: Maurice Edu (knee), Kirk Broadfoot (foot)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Steven Naismith

• Broadfoot and Edu have resumed training with the rest of the squad.

Background
• Those back-to-back home defeats have left the Scottish champions bottom of the group, while the Romanian titleholders have climbed to second spot thanks to their first win in UEFA competition on Matchday 3.

• Unirea had made the worst possible start in Glasgow, Ricardo Vilana's own goal giving Rangers a second-minute lead. Marius Bilasco equalised, however, and after Daniel Tudor saved Steven Davis's penalty the second period began with Rangers substitute Kyle Lafferty and team-mate McCulloch both netting own goals. Pablo Brandán added a fourth, keeping Rangers on one point only.

• Before that Ibrox encounter, Rangers had had six competitive meetings with Romanian opponents, all against FC Steaua Bucureşti. They failed to score in any of their three away games. Unirea had never faced a Scottish team in a UEFA fixture before Matchday 3.

Did you know?
Unirea are fighting their second campaign in UEFA competition and are still to win at home. They lost 2-0 to Hamburger SV in last season's UEFA Cup first round before contesting a 1-1 draw with VfB Stuttgart on Matchday 2. Overall, they had drawn two and lost two of four European games prior to visiting Glasgow.

Inter visit raises stakes for Dynamo

2009-11-04T06:02:00.000-08:00

After a week in which FC Dynamo Kyiv were beaten 2-0 by FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukrainian Cup and held at home by FC Karpaty Lviv in the league, coach Valeri Gazzaev says they have "tremendous motivation" for the visit of FC Internazionale Milano. Dynamo are just a point ahead of Inter in a tight UEFA Champions League Group F, but José Mourinho does not see the game as decisive.

Valeri Gazzaev, Dynamo coach
Last week wasn't too successful for us but we have quickly forgotten recent failures. The team had a day off after the last league fixture. Now we are fully concentrated on the upcoming match and have tremendous motivation for it. The situation in our group impels us to play only for a win, since all four clubs still have almost equal chances to go through. I realise that our group is the toughest in the tournament but our aim remains the same: a berth in the knockout stage. Inter have much more experience than our young team does, however we proved our ability in the previous three matchdays. We don't have any mental barriers before games against big clubs like Inter. All teams have their weaknesses, and I hope we will find them in Inter's performance.

José Mourinho, Inter coach
This is not a decisive match because we still have to play against Barcelona and Kazan. However, it is very important for us. My plan for the game? Just to score one goal more than Dynamo. I don't analyse the possible permutations in our group. Now I am just thinking about how to beat Dynamo because [until after the game] they are our main rivals in the Champions League.

Weekend results
31/10/09 Dynamo 1-1 FC Karpaty Lviv
(Ninković 60; Zenjov 6)

• The draw ended Dynamo's six-match winning run in the Premier League though they are unbeaten in 21 games at home since losing 2-1 to FC Porto in the UEFA Champions League on 5 November 2008.

• Dynamo have scored in each of their last 27 league fixtures, since a 1-0 loss at FC Shakhtar Donetsk on 16 November 2008.

01/11/09 AS Livorno Calcio 0-2 Inter
(Milito 49, Maicon 80)

• With Juventus and UC Sampdoria both failing to win, Inter extended their lead at the Serie A summit to seven points – a record after eleven games since the division switched to three points for a win in 1994/95.

• Diego Milito's strike was his seventh in nine league appearances for Inter, and his 31st in 40 Serie A matches for the Nerazzurri and Genoa CFC.

Team news
Dynamo
Out: Badr El Kaddouri (ankle), Olexandr Shovkovskiy (stomach), Pape Diakhate (knee)
Doubtful: Andriy Nesmachniy (knee)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Leandro Almeida, Gérson Magrão, Artem Milevskiy

• Ayila Yussuf has recovered from a thigh injury and trained normally on Tuesday.

Inter
Out: none
Doubtful: Thiago Motta (thigh), Wesley Sneijder (thigh), Sulley Muntari (heel), Cristian Chivu (thigh), Mario Balotelli (illness)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Cristian Chivu, Maicon

• Milito and Motta returned as second-half substitutes against Palermo yet while Milito subsequently started at Livorno, Motta is still struggling for fitness.

Background
• Dynamo will hope to produce another impressive home performance to match the 3-1 victory against Rubin Kazan in September. The Ukrainian side drew 2-2 at Inter on Matchday 3 and now lie second in the section, one point and two places above the Italian champions.

• Dynamo's most recent visit from Italian opposition brought a 4-1 home defeat by AS Roma in the 2007/08 group stage. Their solitary win in eight previous attempts was a 2-0 success against Roma in the 2004/05 group stage.

• Besides drawing 1-1 draw with Dynamo during the 2003/04 group stage, Inter have visited Ukraine on only one other occasion – for a 2-0 victory at FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the 2005/06 third qualifying round. Obafemi Martins and Adriano hit the second-half goals that set Inter on their way to a 3-1 aggregate triumph.

• Inter have won just one of their last six UEFA Champions League away matches and have not won in the competition since beating Anorthosis Famagusta FC 1-0 on 22 October 2008, a run of eight matches.

Did you know?
Andriy Shevchenko scored 14 times against Inter while at AC Milan including the goal in the abandoned 2004/05 UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg.

Bold Bölöni urging Standard on

2009-11-04T06:01:00.000-08:00

László Bölöni has vowed R. Standard de Liège will take the game to Olympiacos FC from the outset with his side bottom of UEFA Champions League Group H and trailing their second-placed opponents by five points. With victory essential if his team are to stand any chance of reaching the last 16, Bölöni will ask his players to create a "spectacle" for the passionate home support but is wary of being caught on the break by rivals who can "wait patiently to see how the game unfolds".

László Bölöni, Standard coach
There are two or three players doubtful [because of illness] and they will undergo late tests. I have watched our match in Greece where we played very well, made good chances and caused a lot of difficulties for the Greek champions. Unfortunately, [the 2-1 defeat on 20 October] did not bring us any points so Arsenal and Olympiacos lead the group and we have to do something to change that. We are going to create a spectacle and I hope I can be satisfied when it's over. Because Olympiacos won the home match, they can approach this one like they are sitting in a comfortable chair. They can wait patiently to see how the game unfolds and then adjust their tactics accordingly.

Zico, Olympiacos coach
This is a huge match for us because we can qualify for the knockout rounds with a good result. It is also a vital game for Standard. For them the result is probably even more important because they almost certainly need a win to stay in contention. Obviously I would prefer to win, but a draw would also do for me as we would then have seven points. I expect Standard to attack from the start, yet we are prepared for that. As a player, I never played against Belgium or a Belgian team, but I do know Jean-Marie Pfaff, who was a fantastic keeper, and as a coach I also knocked out Anderlecht in the Champions League qualifying round with Fenerbahçe.

Weekend results
30/10/09 R. Excelsior Mouscron 0-0 Standard

• Axel Witsel's return after an eight-match ban, following his red card against RSC Anderlecht on 30 August, failed to inspire Standard who have not won over 90 minutes in five outings.

• It was Standard's seventh draw in 13 Belgian top-flight games, and only the second time they have been shut out in any competition this term.

31/10/09 Atromitos FC 0-1 Olympiacos
(Óscar 80)

• Olympiacos's seventh successive league victory was also their eighth in as many away matches in Greece's Super League.

• Antonis Nikopolidis and Olof Mellberg have not missed a minute of Olympiacos's league campaign.

Team news
Standard
Out: Steven Defour (foot), Cédric Collet (broken toe), Wilfried Dalmat (shin), Gohi Bi Cyriac (thigh), Moussa Traore (thigh)
Doubtful: Victor Ramos (hamstring), Sinan Bolat (finger), Benjamin Nicaise (illness), Landry Mulemo (illness)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

• Igor De Camago is fit after a broken toe

Olympiacos
Out: Matt Derbyshire (groin), Leonardo (knee), Diogo (ankle), Jaouad Zairi (groin), Vassilis Torosidis (knee), Leonidas Panagopoulos (back), Andreas Vasilogiannis (cruciate ligaments)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

Background
• Standard lost 2-1 in Piraeus on Matchday 3 when Kostas Mitroglou (43) and Ieroklis Stoltidis (90+3) responded to De Camargo's 37th-minute opener to give Olympiacos victory. It was the teams' first official meeting and just the second time either had been involved in a competitive tie against a club from their rivals' country.

• In Standard's first game in the group, they raced into a 2-0 lead inside five minutes at home to Arsenal FC before subsiding to a 3-2 defeat. Olympiacos, meanwhile, went down 2-0 at Arsenal in their only away fixture so far, although home successes against AZ Alkmaar and Standard have taken Zico's team second in the standings, one point behind the English side.

Did you know?
Olympiacos have to go back 35 years for their only previous competitive visit to Belgium and it is not an occasion they will recall with satisfaction. They crashed 5-1 at Anderlecht in the European Champion Clubs' Cup second round and, despite winning the home leg 3-0, were duly eliminated.

Babbel keen to banish scoring blues

2009-11-04T06:00:00.000-08:00

Markus Babbel is seeking an immediate improvement on VfB Stuttgart's form in front of goal when they visit UEFA Champions League Group G leaders Sevilla FC. The Bundesliga outfit − third in the section − have registered just twice in their previous six matches in all competitions, the last of which came in the Matchday 3 defeat by the Liga highfliers, prompting Babbel to urge the rest of his squad to make a contribution while the forwards are struggling.

Manuel Jiménez, Sevilla coach
The faster we achieve our goal of finishing first in the group the better it is. Everybody thinks finishing first is better but it depends on the teams that finish in second position. Really it is a question of luck. We are not sure yet if Kanouté is 100 per cent so we don't know if he will play. Palop can but I have to check if he is 100 per cent. Javi Varas is doing very well [in his place] and is an excellent goalkeeper. I'm not thinking about the match against Villarreal next Saturday, just about Stuttgart. I will put out my best team. I have my starting XI in mind, but I don't know if those eleven players can play because of injuries.

Markus Babbel, Stuttgart coach
We deserved to win our last Bundesliga match against Bayern but we didn't due to lapses in concentration. We know that Sevilla are a good team and dangerous from free-kicks and corners, so we have to concentrate. There is less pressure on Sevilla than on us but there are times that when you play without pressure you play better. They will want to be at their best and we can't wait for a present from them. Sevilla and Barcelona play the best football in Spain so if Sevilla can maintain this level then they have a realistic chance of achieving great things in the competition. We defended pretty well against Bayern but we didn't create scoring chances so we have to improve upon this. Goals shouldn't always be scored by forwards – midfielders and defenders have to score too.

Weekend results
31/10/09 Xerez CD 0-2 Sevilla
(Negredo 42, Luis Fabiano 89)

• The Andalusian club have won ten of their last 12 matches in all competitions, losing once, and are unbeaten at home since losing 4-2 to Real Madrid CF on 26 April.

• Luis Fabiano has scored ten goals in 13 games this term for club and country, but only three have come in the Liga.

31/10/09 Stuttgart 0-0 FC Bayern München

• Stuttgart are seven games without a win in all competitions, losing five in a row prior to the Bayern draw.

• Babbel's side have not scored in their last three matches and are without a goal in the 286 minutes since Élson's consolation against Sevilla.

Team news
Sevilla
Out: Tom De Mul (adductor), Federico Fazio (ankle), Lautaro Acosta (ankle), Adriano (thigh tear)
Doubtful: Frédéric Kanouté (calf/hypoglycemia), Andrés Palop (calf)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: Fernando Navarro

• Acosta returned to full training on 14 October but has suffered a relapse and will undergo further tests this week.

Stuttgart
Out: Martin Lanig (cruciate ligament), Cacau (hip), Sami Khedira (foot), Ricardo Osorio (torn thigh muscle), Christian Träsch (groin strain), Ciprian Marica (groin)
Doubtful: Georg Niedermeier (foot)
Suspended: none
Misses next match if booked: none

• Osorio will be out for around three weeks, while the man who filled in for him at right-back against Bayern, Träsch, will miss the trip to Sevilla after he too failed to finish the game.

Background
• Sevilla were 3-1 winners at Stuttgart on Matchday 3 and are already five points clear in the Group G having also beaten FC Unirea Urziceni (2-0) and Rangers FC (4-1). Despite that setback, Stuttgart are still third after 1-1 draws against Rangers and Unirea in their first two games.

• Sevilla have won all their six previous home games in the UEFA Champions League. During their successive UEFA Cup triumphs in 2006 and 2007, the Spanish side lost just one of their 14 home games, winning eleven.

• The teams played 12 months ago in Spain during the UEFA Cup group stage, Sevilla winning 2-0. It was their first competitive meeting.

• In five home games against German visitors, Sevilla have won four and are still to concede a goal. Their only blip came in the 2005/06 UEFA Cup when they drew 0-0 with 1. FSV Mainz 05.

Did you know?
Stuttgart have made five visits to Spain and are yet to win, losing on four occasions.

Lehmann's lessons of a lifetime

2009-11-04T05:58:00.000-08:00

Turning 40 is a time for taking stock, and with Jens Lehmann beginning his fifth decade on 10 November, he is no exception, though he is not regarding the date with dread. "Perhaps my wife has prepared a big surprise for me," he told uefa.com. "I enjoy celebrating my birthday. I usually have a nice cake and get presents."

Reflection
The VfB Stuttgart goalkeeper won the 1997 UEFA Cup with FC Schalke 04, and since then has claimed league titles at AC Milan, BV Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal FC. He has continued to perform at the highest level, becoming Germany's No1 before the 2006 FIFA World Cup and helping them to third place there, and to the final of UEFA EURO 2008™. "Obviously on a personal level I am on a different stage in my career as a footballer than what I was five or ten years ago," said Lehmann. "Leaving Milan early [after not being first-choice keeper] is one decision I regret making but it probably gave me a wider range of experience. Also, I probably wouldn't have made the move to Arsenal then and that is another period in my life where I learnt a lot about myself.

Foreign experience
"For me, to play in a foreign country was a great experience. I think to play in a foreign league makes you more admired in your own home country. I don't think I would have become the No1 national-team keeper if I had stayed in Germany. I don't think I would have learned as much by staying here. In Milan, we did a lot of tactical work and I also had to learn the Italian pace of the game. And obviously with Arsène Wenger in England I had to learn the overall pace of that game. That was very important for me, the fact that I learnt these different systems of play, even if at first these new systems seemed a little foreign to me."

Criticism
Lehmann is famously outspoken, and with regard to Stuttgart's current struggles – they are 14th in the Bundesliga and go to Sevilla FC on Wednesday two points behind second-placed FC Unirea Urziceni in UEFA Champions League Group G – he takes fans' criticism seriously. "I would not accept this," he said. "You cannot always be blamed for every mistake you make ... but sometimes big mistakes happen. Sometimes there is no interaction between players or players try to win the match all by themselves. These factors can affect the unity of the team."

Future
Thinking to the future, Lehmann is to appear as a talent scout in a film prior to the World Cup finals but when he retires from playing in the summer, acting will not be his chosen profession. "I will try out a lot of things," he said. "I am planning to start my education to become a coach, then I want to finish my academic business studies which I had had to adjourn in recent years. In the long term I am considering a number of possibilities to continue my career in football in some way."

Milito underlines Inter ambitions

2009-11-04T05:57:00.000-08:00

Even if his remarkable tally of 24 league goals in 31 matches for Genoa CFC last season bred high expectations, the impact Diego Milito has made since moving to FC Internazionale Milano has been impressive.

Talismanic scorer
The 30-year-old has already struck seven times in nine Serie A outings this term for the Nerazzurri, who have won every game in which Milito has scored – notably the league leaders' 4-0 crushing of AC Milan. However, a thigh injury cost the Argentinian nearly the entire month of October and, prior to Wednesday's Matchday 4 trip to FC Dynamo Kyiv, the striker had accumulated only 85 minutes of UEFA Champions League football and no goals.

'Special hunger'
Perhaps there is a direct correlation between Milito's absence and the surprising fact that Inter sit bottom of Group F – an uncomfortable position for a club seeking a first triumph at this level since 1965. "You could say that there is a special hunger for this tournament at Inter," Milito told uefa.com. "This is one of the great clubs and it needs to be champion of Europe after not having been for many years. The demand from people around the club to win the Champions League has been rising in recent years. Obviously it's not an easy task but we are going to try to achieve it."

Dynamic duo
The premium which Inter placed on reaching the Santíago Bernabéu final next May is evidenced by them having spent a reported €40m on Milito and his Genoa team-mate Thiago Motta, plus being prepared to exchange Zlatan Ibrahimović for Samuel Eto'o, a proven scorer in the UEFA Champions League, and a significant fee. The Milito-Eto'o partnership exploded into life before spluttering a little with the Cameroonian missing matches through injury, and while neither has scored in Europe this season, Milito knows the duo can forge a special bond.

'Born winner'
"What you see is what you get with Samuel – Samuel is a born winner and very ambitious. He never gives up and he's always looking to improve himself. What's special about him is that he transmits all of this to those around him. I knew of him in Spain when I played against him [for Real Zaragoza] but now that he's my team-mate I must say that everything you see from the outside is what you get when you play with him."

Bad omen
If the glamour tie for Milito, and the emotional return 'home' for former Barça players Eto'o and Motta, comes when Inter play the European champions at the Camp Nou on Matchday 5 the bread and butter of fighting their way up Group F starts rather sooner. The last time the Nerazzurri travelled to Kyiv, in December 2003, a draw saw both them and Dynamo eliminated from the competition.

Stern challenge
Milito knows his team face another a stern challenge if they are to avoid a similar fate six years on under José Mourinho. "We are going to have to give our all to win our remaining matches in Kyiv, Barcelona and [at home to FC Rubin Kazan] but that's not simple," he continued. "The group is tough and has become more difficult but that's what this competition is like; there are no easy teams. Winning in both Kiev and against Rubin is not going to be easy but we might need to do that to get to the next round."

Semak wills second lightning strike

2009-11-04T05:56:00.000-08:00

Having proved that "miracles happen" with a 2-1 win at FC Barcelona on Matchday 3, FC Rubin Kazan captain Sergei Semak hopes an open game at home can secure the Russian champions another famous result.

Russian celebration
Goals from Aleksandr Ryazantsev and Gökdeniz Karadeniz on Matchday 3 saw Rubin secure their first UEFA Champions League group stage victory in dazzling style, with the 33-year-old Semak recalling with pride: "It was a victory for Russia because it made fans happy all over the country, even the ones who didn't watch the game because there was so much talk about in the media the next day. It was also a big achievement for us. We are new to the tournament and you don't often see teams win at Barcelona. It is an honour, though luck was on our side with the way the game went on the night. It proves again that miracles happen."

World's best
Further demonstration of that fact in Kazan on Wednesday would be more than welcome, but while Barça have drawn two of their last three Liga games, Semak does not think the European and Spanish champions are going through a difficult period. "They are still the best team in the world and favourites to win our group; no doubt about that," said the 62-times capped midfielder, who has been struggling with injury since the win in Spain. "At home, we should be able to play a different game to the one in Barcelona and open things up. They will be under some pressure because a second loss in a row would make their lives more difficult, but it is in their hands and I do not doubt they will qualify."

'A big test'
Whether Rubin are the Group F side that will join Josep Guardiola's side in the first knockout round is a more contentious issue. Level on four points with Barcelona and FC Dynamo Kyiv, and one ahead of FC Internazionale Milano, Kurban Berdyev's side are in with more of a chance than expected. "Most thought the top two places were already booked, but the group turned out to be very interesting and every team has a chance of going through," said the former PFC CSKA Moskva idol. "If we have luck on our side, we can make it. This is a big test for us, but the way to develop is to be able to play at this level every year."

Frenzied month
Rubin are a point clear at the top of the Russian table with three games to go, and while they enjoyed their moment of victory at Camp Nou, Semak is well aware they have no time to rest on their laurels in the coming month or so. "There was no time to celebrate with the Russian league reaching its climax, the next Champions League fixtures and Russia matches," he explained, with a nod to Russia's upcoming FIFA World Cup play-off against Slovenia. "We will celebrate everything we have done and achieved when we have a break after 9 December."

Källström keeps sentiment in check

2009-11-04T05:55:00.001-08:00

Liverpool FC stir some evocative memories for Kim Källström, yet the Olympique Lyonnais midfielder is fully focused on helping his side into the UEFA Champions League first knockout round, even if that means eliminating his boyhood heroes in the process.

'Liverpool made me dream'
Victory at Anfield a fortnight ago has left Lyon on nine points in Group E, three clear of ACF Fiorentina and six above their visitors to the Stade de Gerland, who have lost their last two matches in the competition, part of a run of six defeats in seven games. A point is all that is required to assure the French side of progress, but Källström does not believe in a cautious approach, saying: "We'll go on to the pitch to win – that's the only thing we'll consider. When I was a child, Liverpool made me dream. The red shirt, Anfield, it's magnificent, but you can't think about that when you play at the top level."

Pressure on
Liverpool may have struggled of late but can perhaps take heart from Lyon's record against English visitors, with just one win in five home matches and none in the last four. "[Liverpool] can handle the pressure – they're a great team with great players and are used to these kind of games," added Källström, who returned to action in Saturday's 1-0 derby win at AS Saint-Etienne after ten days out with a groin strain. As for the prospect of finishing first in the section, the Swedish international said simply: "We'll see. It's too early to talk about that."

Injuries mounting
Defeat would leave Liverpool on the brink of elimination and to make matters worse inspirational captain Steven Gerrard is still missing with a groin injury while Fábio Aurélio (calf), Martin Škrtel (muscle), Glen Johnson (calf) and Martin Kelly (ankle) have also not travelled. Fernando Torres should start despite a hernia problem, however, and though Alberto Aquilani (virus), Daniel Agger (back) and David Ngog (ankle) are also doubtful, Källström prefers to concentrate on Lyon. "It's not our problem," he said. "It changes nothing for us. We want to win at home."

Promising omens
Liverpool have been here before. In 2007/08 Rafael Benítez's team took just one point from their first three group games, but won the next three to progress. "Two years ago, we were in the same situation and had a good reaction," said Dirk Kuyt, whose team have travelled back to Merseyside with a win from their last four trips across the Channel to France. "This period strengthened us. We can do it again. We were disappointed with the last defeat against Lyon at home but we still have a very good team. We are strong enough to beat Lyon. I'm confident."

De Camargo sets Standard sights high

2009-11-04T05:54:00.001-08:00

Igor De Camargo says R. Standard de Liège have a mountain to climb when they take on Olympiacos FC in Group H of the UEFA Champions League, but the Brazilian-born striker believes that his side's motivation is just as big.

Staying upbeat
De Camargo and his team-mates are having a tough time at the moment, occupying last place in the section with one point from three games, coming off a disappointing 0-0 draw with R. Excelsior Mouscron at the weekend and having a number of injury worries to boot. However, the 26-year-old forward, who has taken Belgian nationality, is not bowed by the prospect of facing a visiting side who are second in the group and just a point behind leaders Arsenal FC.

Matching motivation
"Olympiacos will start the match with an advantage because they already have six points," De Camargo said. "But we'll just have to try and climb what is a high mountain and take the points if we want to have a chance of reaching the next stage. There is no doubt about our motivation. This is a Champions League game and for these kinds of matches the motivation is always huge." Standard will go into the game a point behind AZ Alkmaar, who face the Gunners in north London, and can take at least a degree of confidence from their performance in Greece two weeks ago.

Lessons learned
De Camargo gave his side a first-half lead and, although Olympiacos levelled soon afterwards through Kostas Mitroglou, the Belgian champions looked good for a draw until Ieroklis Stoltidis struck a winner in the third minute of added time. "We know that we can play very well, we've already proved that in Greece. This time we have to play to win, believe we can do it and go for victory," De Camargo said. Along with the belief, he knows his side will also have to keep their concentration for the full duration. "We'll have to put an end to these little mistakes we've been making," he added. "We have been taught so many lessons already this season; tomorrow I hope we can prove that we have learned something."

Slowly but surely for Jovetić

2009-11-04T05:53:00.000-08:00

ACF Fiorentina's Stevan Jovetić has the hair of Brian May, celebrates a goal by pointing to the sky like Kaká and has been compared to Montenegrin legend Dejan Savićević, but when he joined the Viola in the summer of 2008 he knew whose steps he wanted to follow in. "When I got here, I downloaded a five minute sequence of Gabriel Batistuta's goals on my phone," he said. "They were all beautiful."

Comparisons
As team captain during the 1990s, Batistuta was a crowd favourite in Florence and his legacy remains unsurpassed. "I didn't know him, but I think he was a really great player," said Jovetić, who has also been compared to Johan Cruyff, Lionel Messi and Roberto Baggio. "Of course I like to hear that, because they're all such great players, but I don't know. I'm Stevan Jovetić. I still need to improve, I still need to do a lot to be as good as them."

'Greatest night'
Jovetić's finest hour came on Matchday 2 when he scored a double during the Viola's 2-0 home victory against five-time European champions Liverpool FC. On that September night Jovetić asserted himself as one of the most promising talents in Europe. "That was the greatest night of my life. I will always remember it," said the striker, who turned 20 on Monday. "First because it was the Champions League and secondly because the opponents were Liverpool. Thirdly because we won, and then also because I scored two goals."

'Big club'
His first steps in Serie A were not easy, though, scoring just twice in 29 league appearances in 2008/09. "Last year I played, but it didn't go too well because the first year is always the toughest," he explained. "I had to settle in and study the language, but that year has passed and it's going really well at the moment. I'm satisfied, I'm playing." Despite the initial difficulties, he does not regret moving to the peninsula. "I always used to watch Italian football," he continued. "When I was little I dreamt of playing in a league like the Italian one. That's why I decided to come here. I knew Fiorentina were a big club, one of the biggest in Italy."

'Favourites'
Fiorentina are second in Group E, three points behind Olympique Lyonnais, and host Debreceni VSC on Wednesday hoping to take another step towards qualification. "To be honest we did think Lyon and Liverpool were the favourites, but everything's opened up now after our win against Liverpool," Jovetić continued. With Adrian Mutu and Alberto Gilardino also competing for a starting berth, coach Cesare Prandelli is blessed with attacking options. "I love playing with them, they're very strong," said the Montenegrin international. "We've only played one game with all three of us together, because it makes it difficult for the midfielders and defenders. There's room for everyone."

Liverpool present high hurdle for Lyon

2009-11-04T05:52:00.000-08:00

Evans knows United rode their luck

2009-11-04T05:51:00.000-08:00

Manchester United FC may have qualified for the last 16 with two games to spare but there were mixed feelings in the home camp after a 3-3 draw with PFC CSKA Moskva that exposed defensive weaknesses as much as that characteristic refusal to accept defeat.

Vulnerable
"We didn't defend particularly well as a team," admitted centre-half Jonny Evans after United conceded three goals at home in the UEFA Champions League for the first time since 2001. The English titleholders looked vulnerable as they went 3-1 behind inside 47 minutes – not least when Alan Dzagoev ran away from Evans before scoring CSKA's opening goal.

'A bit exposed'
Evans, who partnered Wes Brown in central defence, with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidić both absent, added that Sir Alex Ferguson had issued half-time instructions to his players to keep their shape. "We were trying to push on a bit too much and left ourselves a bit exposed," said Evans. At that stage they trailed 2-1, Miloš Krasić having restored CSKA's lead after Michael Owen's equaliser, yet United then conceded a third soon after the restart when the unmarked Vasili Berezutski headed in a far-post free-kick.

Neville warning
Gary Neville admitted they were poor goals to concede. "They got the goals and made it difficult for us and we did well at the end to get away with the draw. It shocked us but we recovered and showed the fighting spirit and kept going until the end but obviously we wouldn't want to be conceding goals like that every week." Midfielder Darren Fletcher echoed those words, saying: "Going forward we created enough chances; defensively the goals were disappointing. They threw men forward, defended doggedly and their forward players are a real threat and they showed that tonight. We are disappointed with the way we lost the goals but the fact we came back is important."

Rooney praised
Fletcher paid credit to Wayne Rooney who galvanised United after taking the field as a 58th-minute substitute. While Dimitar Berbatov was injured, Rooney started on the bench, having become a father for the first time the previous day. He almost celebrated with a goal but was twice denied by Igor Akinfeev, CSKA's outstanding goalkeeper, who performed heroics as United peppered the visitors' goal in the closing stages – they had 13 shots on target in the second half compared with four before the break.

Comeback kings
"It lifted the fans, it lifted the place, he is a top-class player and an introduction like that is going to help any team in the world," Fletcher said of the England striker. "He had a big impact". After coming from behind to beat VfL Wolfsburg in their previous Group B home match, the comeback kings did it again, Paul Scholes and Antonio Valencia scoring in the last six minutes to preserve their four-year unbeaten home record in Europe. Fletcher added: "We don't know when we're beaten and it's something that is great to have. Even with six minutes to go we get that one goal and come back and equalise and then push on to find a winner."

Belletti applauds dashing Drogba

2009-11-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

Chelsea FC's Juliano Belletti heaped praise upon team-mate Didier Drogba after the Ivorian made a successful return from suspension to earn his side a 2-2 draw at Club Atlético de Madrid and with it a place in the UEFA Champions League first knockout round.

Tireless worker
Sergio Agüero's stunning 66th-minute volley set the home side on course for an overdue opening victory in this season's group stage. However, in his first UEFA Champions League appearance this term Drogba struck twice in the final ten minutes to put Chelsea in front before Agüero levelled in added time. "Drogba is the number one player in his position as he's always likely to create danger and he is an incredibly hard worker," Belletti told uefa.com. "He scored his goals tonight but he also fought so much; he always makes the difference and what's more he helps out in defence."

Top spot sought
Former FC Barcelona player Belletti – who scored the Blaugrana's winner against Arsenal FC in the 2006 final – also had words of encouragement for an Atlético side he believes are turning a corner under new coach Quique Sánchez Flores. "Our opponents tonight obviously should be further up their domestic league table than they are. They were much better on this showing than we saw when they came to London," the Brazilian said before insisting Chelsea would not be taking it easy now that qualification had been achieved. "We're going to fight [with fellow qualifiers FC Porto] to be first because finishing top of the group holds its own advantages," the 33-year-old concluded.

Revised target
Atlético's Juanito, meanwhile, remained philosophical despite his team seeing their chances of advancing to the next round disappear late in the game. "We almost had it won; we weren't even struggling at the back until the last ten minutes," the defender told uefa.com. "Obviously we can't reach our objective of qualifying for the next round of the Champions League now so we need to forget that and to focus on finishing third in the group [in order to qualify for the UEFA Europa League]," he said. "Even though this was just our third match under our new trainer we feel we're growing and we're playing a lot better."

OM revel in 'festival of goals'

2009-11-04T05:49:00.000-08:00

Talent combined with self-sacrifice – that was the recipe behind Olympique de Marseille's crucial 6-1 victory over FC Zürich in UEFA Champions League Group C, according to the French club's influential set-piece provocateur Fabrice Abriel.

Early strikes
Didier Deschamps's side clawed their way back to within a point of section frontrunners AC Milan and Real Madrid CF with their second win over their Swiss rivals in two weeks. It was Abriel who began the festivities with two devilish free-kicks in the first eleven minutes, provoking a Silvan Aegerter own goal to make it 1-0 before scoring himself with an inswinging delivery that evaded everyone. Zürich gave themselves a lifeline when French forward Alexandre Alphonse scored on his return to his homeland, but Mamadou Niang settled OM nerves shortly after the break and his colleagues Hilton, Benoît Cheyrou and Brandão made it a night to remember for the Stade Vélodrome faithful in the final ten minutes.

'Festival of goals'
"We wanted to put lots of pressure on them right from the start to show our fans that we were getting into the game quickly and that we wanted the three points," said Abriel, who owed his starting berth to the ankle injury suffered by club record signing Lucho in Saturday's 1-1 draw against Toulouse FC. "We put maximum pressure on them from set-pieces and through balls, which lifted the whole team and gave us more confidence as well. After that, it was a festival of goals. On a personal level, it was nice to start the festival off and set the tone."

Quality present
Goals have not always been easy to come by of late, with Marseille missing a host of chances at the weekend despite Toulouse being reduced to ten men after just eight minutes. "We knew there were certain things we hadn't done in previous matches and that we needed to work on," explained the 30-year-old. "Most importantly, we had to give more of ourselves individually, make a lot more runs and show plenty of desire. We already have sufficient quality in this side, we just needed to really go for it and free ourselves. That's what was required and we managed it tonight."

Club benchmark
The triumph came close to matching OM's record win in the competition, a 6-0 success against PFC CSKA Moskva on the Mediterranean outfit's route to clinching the first title of the UEFA Champions League era in 1992/93. They beat Milan 1-0 in the final that season and a similar result at San Siro on 25 November would launch them into the top half of the group. "We've put ourselves in a good position and we're going to look for a bonus at Milan with a positive result, be it a draw or a victory," said Abriel, who joined from FC Lorient in the summer. "Both would be good and after that we absolutely have to beat Madrid at home. The fans are with us and we'll need the same atmosphere we had tonight to help swing the match against Madrid."

Bordeaux learn from past mistakes

2009-11-04T05:48:00.000-08:00

Yoann Gourcuff told uefa.com the painfully steep learning curve FC Girondins de Bordeaux endured in the UEFA Champions League last season has played a key role in their success this time around.

Meteoric rise
Gourcuff was part of the Bordeaux side that slumped to a 4-0 defeat at Chelsea FC in their opening game of the 2008/09 group stage, going on to finish third in their section, but just over a year later, the French international midfielder's own rise has mirrored that of his club. Gourcuff headed Les Girondins' first goal in their 2-0 win against FC Bayern München on Tuesday to propel the French champions into the first knockout round with two games to spare.

'More experience'
"Last season's experience taught us that we had the quality to match the best teams in Europe," said the 23-year-old, who has developed into an indispensable fixture for club and country since arriving at Bordeaux, initially on loan, from AC Milan in summer 2008. "Last year, we were left with some regrets over missed opportunities. I think we deserved to win some matches, but they were decided by experience and a little bit of naivety on our part. But we have learned from that. We've now got more experience, more maturity, and I think the fact we won the French title last season gave the players, the staff and the club confidence."

Successful blend
Following Gourcuff's 37th-minute opener from a Wendel free-kick, Marouane Chamakh profited from a breakdown in communication in the Bayern defence to add a second in the closing stages, Bordeaux's first goal from open play in the group stage this season. Gourcuff acknowledged his team's win in Bavaria was built on a blend of coach Laurent Blanc's tactical nous and his team-mates' discipline and industry, as well as that all-important intangible, luck.

'Spot on'
"We knew we were up against a good Bayern team, even though they've got a few problems at the moment and are lacking in confidence," he said. "Tactically we were spot on, and we were efficient when we had the ball. The first objective was to defend well as a team – everyone putting in the effort together – as we knew Bayern would put us in danger. We exploited our counterattacks well and also put them under pressure. We played really well, though we did enjoy the rub of the green at times."

Milan hit right note for Pirlo

2009-11-04T05:40:00.000-08:00

It may not have been a vintage performance, but Andrea Pirlo was delighted at the attitude shown by AC Milan after they dug deep to secure a 1-1 draw against Real Madrid CF in UEFA Champions League Group C. "Even though we went a goal down, we kept our heads up and never lost belief," he said.

Real pressure
Following the 3-2 defeat of their Spanish opponents a fortnight ago, Milan were determined to hold on to their lead at the top of the section, but in order to do so Leonardo's side had to withstand a sustained Madrid onslaught, which produced an opening goal for Karim Benzema on 29 minutes. The floodgates threatened to open, but instead of capitulating, the hosts hit back thanks to a Ronaldinho penalty and some determined defending from Pirlo and his team-mates.

'Exciting match'
"It was an exciting match which was enjoyable to play in with chances for both sides," said Pirlo. "We both wanted to win but in the end we were forced to settle for a point. The result was important but so was playing well in front of our home fans and we're satisfied we did that. The best thing about tonight's match was the spirit we showed. Even though we went a goal down, we kept our heads up, never lost belief and showed the desire to get back in the game. In the second half we created a few chances to win the match too."

Marseille prospect
The result leaves Milan level on seven points with Madrid at the top of the section and just a point ahead of Olympique de Marseille, following the French club's 6-1 rout of FC Zürich. "The group is still tight but we have a good chance of qualifying for the knockout stage because our next match is against Marseille at home," added Pirlo, a seasoned campaigner with 97 UEFA club matches to his name. "It will be a tricky encounter but playing them in front of our own fans will help."

Defensive duties
Although best known for his playmaking skills Pirlo was called upon to help shield the back four – a mission he accomplished to good effect alongside Massimo Ambrosini. "It was important for Ambrosini and I to stop any balls coming through and we did that well, but the whole side ran themselves ragged to hassle and harry," said the 30-year-old. "Pato and Ronaldinho on the flanks gave us a huge hand and if we keep going like this we'll be fine."

Kaká return
Milan's achievement was all the more impressive for the fact they had to contain 2007 Ballon d'Or winner, Kaká. The Brazilian did get away from his former team-mates once, though, to set up Benzema's strike on what was a largely happy homecoming for the ex-Rossoneri playmaker. "Coming back here felt great," he said, fresh from embracing a long line of old friends outside the changing rooms at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, his home for six seasons. "It was another incredible San Siro experience. The fans gave me a fantastic welcome. It was the first time back, so it was strange seeing all my old team-mates, so many friends. But it was a nice experience; two very special days in Milan."

Falcao shares plaudits as Porto advance

2009-11-04T05:38:00.001-08:00

Striker Falcao praised his team-mates' work-rate after his late goal against Cypriot champions APOEL FC fired FC Porto into the knockout phase of the UEFA Champions League.

Late winner
The visitors had been the more threatening of the two sides in Nicosia, but were denied on several occasions by APOEL goalkeeper Dionisios Chiotis until Falcao popped up with the winner with six minutes remaining. The 23-year-old striker has taken Portugal by storm since signing from CA River Plate in the summer. He has already scored seven times in the Liga and his second UEFA Champions League strike, after hitting Porto's first in their 2-0 win over Club Atlético de Madrid on Matchday 2, again proved pivotal. The Colombian, though, refused to take sole credit for the Portuguese titleholders' 1-0 victory.

'Great job'
"The team in general did a great job," he told uefa.com. "The team worked for the victory and that made it possible for me to play well. I feel composed and have a lot of confidence in my game and in the end the reward for our effort was the goal. It made me personally very happy and it secured my team's passage into the next round." Defender Rolando added that Porto knew they were in for a tough evening in the Cypriot capital, but that belief in their abilities saw them through. "It was a difficult match," he said. "We knew what the atmosphere would be like. We knew the quality of the opposition, but taking into consideration our own capabilities we were prepared and were able to fight for the win. We secured a difficult victory but a vital one. We made it into the next round and that was always our aim."

Deserved victory
APOEL's defeat, coupled with Atlético's 2-2 draw with Chelsea FC in the night's other Group D match, saw Ivan Jovanović's side slip into last place in the section and defender Marios Elia conceded APOEL were second best at the GSP Stadium. "We are a bit disappointed because Porto scored in the last few minutes, but to be fair, Porto had all the chances to score much earlier. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to make it because of the pressure Porto put us under and as a result they scored and we lost." APOEL next host Atlético in a game which looks set to decide third place in the group and a place in the UEFA Europa League. "Our aim is now to win the next home match against Atlético," the Cypriot international defender said. "They managed to get another point which makes things more difficult for us."

Džeko sets sights on CSKA showdown

2009-11-04T05:36:00.000-08:00

Striker Edin Džeko believes a similar performance to their 3-0 win at Beşiktaş JK on Matchday 5 will put VfL Wolfsburg in the last 16, saying: "If we play like we did tonight in Moscow it won't be a problem."

Repeat performance
The Bosnia-Herzegovina striker sprung the offside trap to score the final goal of the night in Istanbul and leave the German champions second in UEFA Champions League Group B. Now Wolfsburg need just a point at PFC CSKA Moskva on 25 November to secure a place in the first knockout round in their maiden campaign. "We played better over the 90 minutes and deserved the win," the 23-year-old said. "The game against CSKA in Moscow will be difficult because if they win they can take second place, but we have a very good team. If we play like we did tonight in Moscow, it won't be a problem."

Exciting atmosphere
Beşiktaş supporters applauded the German side after the final whistle, a gesture which impressed Džeko enormously. "They were amazing," said the striker who scored nine times for his country in FIFA World Cup qualifying. Christian Gentner, who scored Wolfsburg's second of the night – Zvezdjan Misimović having registered the first – concurred, telling uefa.com: "It was really exciting to play here. The atmosphere was something new for us. We played very well for the whole 90 minutes. We prevailed in most of the one-on-one situations."

Last straw
With goalkeeper Rüştü Reçber, İbrahim Toraman, Fabian Ernst and Nihat Kahveci all ruled out through injury since the Black Eagles' league win against MKE Ankaragücü on Saturday, Beşiktaş always had a mountain to climb, but central defender Tomáš Sivok made no excuses for a result which closed the door to the knockout phase. "We played very badly in the first half so we didn't have any chance," the Czech told uefa.com. "3-0 is 3-0. The UEFA Champions League is over for us. We can play for a UEFA Europa League place. We will have to get points at Manchester United and then have a life-or-death home match against CSKA, who showed they are a strong team by drawing at Old Trafford. That's the only chance we have left."

Futsal referees put fitness first

2009-11-04T05:34:00.000-08:00

The fourth edition of the UEFA Course for European International Futsal Referees has been taking place in Coverciano (Florence) - the technical centre of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC).

Fitness test
After the opening ceremony on Monday, match officials took the FIFA fitness test and attended theory sessions on Tuesday. Forty referees have been representing 36 European national associations in Coverciano, and 16 of them will be officiating at the UEFA European Futsal Championship in Budapest and Debrecen, Hungary, from 19-30 January next year.

'Improve every day'
On Monday, in the presence of FIGC president Giancarlo Abete and Italian Futsal Federation president Fabrizio Tonelli, UEFA Referees Committee chairman Angel María Villar Llona officially inaugurated the course. He thanked presidents Abete and Tonelli for their hospitality. "We are here to instruct you on the rules and for you to take the fitness tests," he concluded in his address to the referees. "We want you to improve every day."

Speed and agility
On Tuesday morning, the referees took the FIFA test - a speed test, agility test and 1,000-metre run. "The most important thing is that we had no injuries, we could do the tests in good conditions and the referees performed very well," said UEFA referee fitness expert Werner Helsen. "The other positive thing is that we can also identify some points for improvement that mainly had to do with coordination and agility, which are very relevant in a Futsal match. The speed of the game has increased significantly over the years and, therefore, speed and agility have also become more important for match officials."

Theoretical work
Match officials have not only been busy only on the pitch. In the Aula Magna of Coverciano, with the support of DVDs, important theoretical work was undertaken. Dealing with red and yellow cards, reading the game and positioning and movement were the topics which the referees studied together with UEFA observers and instructors Andrea Lastrucci (Italy) and Pedro Galan Nieto (Spain).

More match officials
From the next edition of the European Championship, the number of match officials will be increased to 16 as, for the first time, 12 national teams, instead of the current eight, will take part in the tournament. At the course, in addition to the 40 referees from UEFA associations, two referees from Kyrgyzstan and Australia were present as guests together with Asian Football Confederation instructor Yasuhiro Matzusaki (Japan), while four Italian match officials were also invited to attend.

Mission accomplished for Diego

2009-11-04T05:33:00.000-08:00

Juventus playmaker Diego stressed the importance of leaving Israel with all three points after the Italian side defeated Maccabi Haifa FC 1-0 for the second time in a fortnight to strengthen their hold on second spot in UEFA Champions League Group A.

'Respect'
Juventus suffered a shock 3-2 defeat by Napoli SSC in Serie A on Saturday but put that behind them with an efficient display at the Ramat Gan Stadium as Mauro Camoranesi's added-time goal at the end of the first half proved the difference. "It was important to get the three points," said Diego. "The Champions League is always hard; it is difficult to play anywhere. We know that and because of that we show teams respect. Maybe it was because of that that we won." Victory leaves Juve four points clear of third-placed FC Bayern München and they would be assured of a place in the knockout phase should they win at leaders FC Girondins de Bordeaux, who have already qualified, in their next match. Diego is looking forward to the challenge. "When you play for a club like Juve you always have to win. We must now concentrate on the next game."

'Hard work'
It was another disappointing night for Haifa coach Elisha Levi and the majority of the 39,120 fans at the Ramat Gan. Haifa are yet to score a goal in the competition and the best they can now hope for is catching Bayern, who they trail by four points, in third place. "The first half was our weakest performance so far in this competition," Levi said. "The players cannot be faulted for a lack of effort or commitment because they did their best, but it wasn't enough." Haifa striker Shlomi Arbeitman has scored 13 goals this season, but like all his team-mates, once again drew a blank in Group A. "It wasn't easy and we conceded a goal out of nowehere," he told uefa.com. "After that it was difficult to get back into it and we struggled. It's a shame but we have to look forward. We tried, we worked hard, but the ball just refused to go in."

'Brave'
Arbeitman, though, remains optimistic as he looked ahead to the Matchday 5 meeting with Bayern. "We will try and salvage something from this group against Bayern. Two good results starting with a victory in Munich could help our chances of finishing third, but is a very hard task." At 24, Arbeitman is already one of the more experienced members of the Haifa side, and the squad's youthfulness should hold them in good stead regardless of the results in the next two matches in the section. "We have a very young side with 18 and 19-year-old players which makes us very dynamic," he said. "To their and our credit, no one felt inferior and we stood our ground bravely."

Perpetuating the pioneers' spirit

2009-11-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

The editoral column by UEFA President Michel Platini in the latest edition of the official UEFA publication uefadirect.

Caring about the future does not mean forgetting about the past. On the contrary, looking back can be a good way of making sure that the path mapped out at the beginning has not been strayed from too much, and of re-establishing priorities if necessary.

Legitimate wish
It is therefore worth remembering that the European club competitions were born out of the enthusiasm of a small group of football lovers who were motivated by a legitimate wish to know which was the best club in Europe at a time when comparisons could only be based on friendly matches.

Social phenomenon
We all know how these competitions developed and how their interests became entwined with those of television in order to create events that extended far beyond the realms of sport, becoming a social phenomenon increasingly shaped by one of the key factors of modern society: money.

Making football more durable
I am not going to complain here about this influx of money which, in itself, is to be welcomed, since it should enable us to support professional footballers, enhance infrastructures and playing standards, and make our sport more durable.

Sporting events
Unfortunately, the financial aspect has made some people forget that these competitions should, above all, be sporting events. It is intolerable that, for some clubs, participating in the European competitions has become an obligation that is indispensable for balancing their books and that, consequently, they are not afraid to borrow money to achieve their objective, leading them into a spiral of debt that can ultimately ruin them.

Common will
It is even harder to accept that certain clubs, with more modest ambitions, should try to profit from their participation in European competitions by making money from illegal betting and match-fixing. No, the financial excesses of sport cannot be tolerated, a fact that has not escaped any of the stakeholders represented in the Professional Football Strategy Council, who have expressed support for the principles of financial fair play put before them. A common will has been established; now it is a question of finalising ways not of returning to the era of the pioneers of the European club competitions, but of at least ensuring that their spirit lives on.

UEFA Regions' Cup

2009-11-02T05:20:00.000-08:00

The UEFA Regions' Cup is a football competition for amateur teams in Europe, run by UEFA. It was held for the first time in 1999 and has been played biennially since. The first champions were the Italian Veneto team and the current holders are Spain's Castile and León.

The competition was created in 1996 as there was no European level competition for amateur teams. The UEFA Amateur Cup, a previous attempt of awarding amateurs with continental competition, had run from 1966 to 1978, but was cancelled due to lack of interest both by the public and amateur teams themselves. Also, as opposed to today's Regions' Cup, in which amateur clubs are represented, the competition represented amateur national teams.

Each UEFA member nation is allowed to enter one representative amateur team into the competition, with clubs having to win a domestic amateur competition (such as the NLS Cup) in order to qualify.

The first two finals were won by teams from the host nation and, thus far, Spain has been the most successful nation in the competition, with Spanish sides winning two of the past six finals and finishing as runners-up in another.

Format

All of the 53 UEFA-affiliated associations are open to submit a team to compete in the Regions' Cup, granted that they hold a domestic qualifying competition to decide which team will represent that nation. Smaller member nations, however, are permitted to enter a representative national side to compete.

Teams were entered by 32 nations for the inaugural tournament in 1999 and competed in one qualifying round. After increased interest for the tournament over the years, the qualifying stage was enlarged and an extra group round added in 2005, scrapping the playoffs added in 2001.

The preliminary round consists of a small number of teams split into groups, with the best from each group being included in the draw for the intermediary round. In the intermediary round, the teams are placed into eight groups of four teams. The teams within each group play each other once and the team finishing top of the group qualifies for the Regions' Cup finals. The eight group winners are placed into two groups of four for the final tournament and the winners of these two final groups, after each team has played one another once, play in the final, with the winners being crowned champions. Third place is shared between the two teams which finish second in their respective groups.

One part of the Regions' Cup that is different to most other international club tournaments is the hosting of games. As the preliminary and intermediary rounds only have teams playing each other once, as opposed to the more common two-legged fixtures, each group has all its matches held in one particular region. For example, in the 2009 tournament, all of preliminary Group 1's matches were played in San Marino. Another uncommon procedure within the Regions' Cup is the choosing of the final tournament's host. The majority of football tournaments have their host nation, or city, decided by the governing body before qualification begins. With the Regions' Cup, however, the host is chosen only after most of the eight finalist teams have qualified, with one of the qualified regions selected as host.

UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship

2009-11-02T05:16:00.000-08:00

The UEFA European Women's Under-17 Championship was launched for the 2007/08 season, having been approved by the UEFA Executive Committee on 22 May 2006.

New event
The decision to begin the annual competition followed the inauguration of the biennial FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup for 2008 – the European tournament acts as a qualifier when it is in the same year as the global finals – and also allowed UEFA to underline further its commitment to women's football and recognise the continual increase of activities in this sector. UEFA also hoped that this new championship would encourage and motivate those member associations who do not currently take part in a women's European competition to do so.

Impressive entry
UEFA's expectations were exceeded when 40 nations put in for the first edition, with the first qualifying round draw given the date of 19 February 2007. For the first season it was decided that four teams would progress to the finals, and UEFA itself acted as the hosts in its Swiss base of Nyon. Germany were to emerge champions ahead of France, Denmark and England, who all qualified for the World Cup. The following year Germany retained the title with a 7-0 final defeat of Spain, with France beating Norway 3-1 to finish third.

UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship

2009-11-02T05:14:00.000-08:00

The UEFA European Women's Under-19 Championship is a competition in women's football for European national teams of players under 19 years of age. It is also a FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup qualifying competition. National under-19 teams whose countries belong to the European governing body UEFA can register to enter the competition.

The competition began in the 1997-98 season as an under-18 event; it became an under-19s event from the 2001-02 season. The Championship has 2 phases: the qualifying phase open to all eligible nations, and the finals phase which is composed of 8 qualifying teams. The finals themselves are composed of two groups of four teams; each team plays the others in the group. The winner of each group after the 3 matches plays the runner-up of the opposing group in a semi-final, with the winner contesting the final.

UEFA Women's Championship

2009-11-02T05:13:00.000-08:00

The UEFA European Women's Championship, also called the UEFA Women's Euro and unofficially the "European Cup", held every fourth year, is the main competition in women's football (soccer) between national teams of the UEFA Confederation. The competition is the women's equivalent of the UEFA European Championship.

The predecessor tournament to the UEFA Women's Championship began in the early 1980s, under the name UEFA European Competition for Representative Women's Teams. With increasing popularity of women's football, the competition was given European Championship status by UEFA around 1990. Only the 1991 and 1995 editions have been used as European qualifiers for a World Cup; starting in 1999, the group system used in men's qualifiers was also used for women's national teams.

Six UEFA Women's Championships have taken place, preceded by 3 editions of the earlier European Competition for Representative Women's Teams. The most recent holding of the competition was the 2009 Women's Euro, hosted by Finland between August 23 and September 10, 2009.

UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship

2009-11-01T04:08:00.000-08:00

The successor to the UEFA European Under-16 Championship, which for several years had virtually become the sole property of Spain and Portugal, the first U17 event in 2001/02 was claimed in a surprise triumph by Switzerland.

Swiss success
The Swiss captured the hearts of football lovers with a series of stunning performances that were enough to win the title and prove that they could well be a country to watch in the future. However their immediate U17 successors failed to qualify for the 2003 finals – showing how high standards across the continent have risen and how competitive youth football has become.

Recent winners
Hosts Portugal won that edition, followed by another home team, France, in 2004, with Turkey victorious in Italy a year later and Russia then taking the title in Luxembourg. Spain were champions in Belgium in 2007 and Turkey the following year, and were the dominant force in the old U16 championship; indeed all but the first two of those were under Juan Santisteban, appointed in 1988. He retired after the 2008 triumph and the following year hosts Germany secured the crown.

Stars
The U16 competition, which began in 1982, was the place where stars such as Thierry Henry and Luís Figo took their first step towards the limelight and from the 2002 inaugural U17 edition alone the likes of Switzerland's Philippe Senderos, England's Wayne Rooney and Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo have already begun to follow in their footsteps.

Iberian dominance
While the Iberian sides have dominated the tournament over the years, with eight Spanish triumphs (six at U16 level) and five by the Portuguese, Germany with three wins – two in the U16 even including one as West Germany – have also a fine pedigree at this level. Switzerland, Republic of Ireland, Turkey, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Italy and the Soviet Union all lifted the U16 trophy on one occasion each.

UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship

2009-11-01T04:02:00.000-08:00

The European Under 19 Football Championship is an annual football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. The competition has been held since 1948. It was originally called the FIFA junior tournament, until it was taken over by UEFA in 1955. In 1980, it was restyled the European Under 18 Football Championship, and as changes were made to player eligibility dates in 2001, the championship received its current name, and this name has been used since the 2002 championship. The contest has been held every year since its inauguration in 1948, except for the period between 1984 and 1992, when it was only held every other year.

The tournament has been played in a number of different formats during its existence. Currently it consists of two stages, similarly to UEFA's other European championship competitions. The qualifying stage is open to all UEFA members, and the final stage is contested between eight teams.

A higher advance team of this meeting will get the participation right to the FIFA U-20 World Cup held in the next year.

UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

2009-11-01T04:00:00.000-08:00

The European Under-21 Football Championship is a football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. It is held every two years. The competition has existed in its current form since 1978. It was preceded by the Under 23 Challenge Cup which ran from 1967 to 1970. A true Under 23 championship was then formed, starting in 1972.

The age limit was reduced to 21 for the 1978 championship and it has remained so since. To be eligible for the campaign ending in 2009, players need to be born in or after 1986. Many can be actually 23 years old by the time the finals tournament takes place, however, when the qualification process began (late 2007) all players would have been 21 or under.

Under-21 matches are typically played on the day before senior internationals and where possible, the same qualifying groups and fixtures were played out. This was not true for the shortened 2006-7 Championship.

This tournament has been considered a stepping stone toward the senior team. Players such as Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Luis Figo, Petr Čech, Euro 2008 winner Iker Casillas, 2006 World Cup winners Francesco Totti and Andrea Pirlo and Euro 2004 winner Georgios Karagounis began their international careers in the youth teams.

Germany are the reigning champions, defeating England in the final, 4–0. The finals of the next competition will be hosted by Denmark in 2011.

Competition structure

Up to and including the 1992 competition, all entrants were divided into eight qualification groups, the eight winners of which formed the quarter-finals lineup. The remaining fixtures were played out on a two-legged, home and away basis to determine the eventual winner.

For the 1994 competition, one of the semi-finalists, France, was chosen as a host for the (single-legged) semi-finals, 3rd place playoff and final. Similarly, Spain was chosen to host the last four matches in 1996.

For 1998, nine qualification groups were used, as participation had reached 46, nearly double the 24 entrants in 1976. The top seven group winners qualified automatically for the finals, whilst the eighth- and ninth-best qualifiers, Greece and England, played-off for the final spot. The remaining matches, from the quarter-finals onward, were held in Romania, one of the eight qualifiers.

The 2000 competition also had nine groups, but the 9 winners and 7 runners-up went into a two-legged playoff to decide the eight qualifiers. From those, Slovakia was chosen as host. For the first time, the familiar finals group stage was employed, with the two winners contesting a final, and two runners-up contesting the 3rd-place playoff. The structure in 2002 was identical, except for the introduction of a semi-finals round after the finals group stage. Switzerland hosted the 2002 finals.

In 2004, ten qualification groups were used, with the group winners and six best runners-up going into the playoff. Germany was host that year. For 2006, the top two teams of eight large qualification groups provided the 16 teams for the playoffs, held in November 2005. Portugal hosted the finals.

Then followed the switch to odd years. The change was made because the senior teams of many nations often chose to promote players from their under-21s team as their own qualification campaign intensified. Staggering the tournaments allowed players more time to develop in the under-21 team rather than get promoted too early and end up becoming reserves for the seniors.

The 2007 competition actually began before the 2006 finals, with a qualification round to eliminate eight of the lowest-ranked nations. For the first time, the host (Netherlands) was chosen ahead of the qualification section. As hosts, Netherlands qualified automatically. Coincidentally, the Dutch team had won the 2006 competition - the holders would normally have gone through the qualification stage. The other nations were all drawn into fourteen three-team groups. The 14 group winners were paired in double-leg play-off to decide the seven qualifiers alongside the hosts.

UEFA European Football Championship

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The UEFA European Football Championship is the main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by UEFA (the Union of European Football Associations). Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World Cup tournaments, it was originally called the UEFA European Nations Cup, changing to the current name in 1968. Specific championships are often referred to in the form "Euro 2008" or whichever year is appropriate.

Prior to entering the tournament all teams other than the host nations (which qualify automatically) compete in a qualifying process. The championship winners earn the opportunity to compete in the following FIFA Confederations Cup, but are not obliged to do so.

History

The idea for a pan-European football tournament was first proposed by the French Football Federation's Henri Delaunay in 1927, however it was not until 1958 that the tournament was started. In honour of Delaunay, the trophy awarded to the champions is named after him. The 1960 tournament, held in France, had 4 teams competing in the finals, out of 17 that entered the competition. It was won by the Soviet Union, beating Yugoslavia 2–1 in a tense final in Paris. Spain withdrew from its quarter-final match against the USSR due to political protests. Of the 17 teams that entered the qualifying tournament, notable absentees were England, West Germany and Italy.

Spain held the next tournament in 1964, which saw an increase in entries to the qualification tournament, with 29 entering; however, Greece withdrew after being drawn against Albania, with whom they were still at war. The hosts beat the title holders, the Soviet Union, 2–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid.

The tournament format stayed the same for the 1968 tournament, hosted and won by Italy. For the first and only time a match was decided on a coin toss (the semi-final against the Soviet Union) and the final went to a replay, after the match against Yugoslavia finished 1–1. Italy won the replay 2–0. More teams entered this tournament (31), a testament to its burgeoning popularity.

Belgium hosted the 1972 tournament, which West Germany won, beating the USSR 3–0 in the final in Brussels. This tournament would provide a taste of things to come, as the German side contained many of the key members of the 1974 FIFA World Cup Champions.

The 1976 tournament in Yugoslavia was the last in which only four teams took part in the final tournament, and the last in which the hosts had to qualify. Czechoslovakia beat West Germany in the newly introduced penalty shootout, with Antonín Panenka's famous chipped shot.

Eight teams took part in the 1980 tournament, again hosted by Italy. It involved a group stage, with the winners of the groups going on to contest the final, and the runners-up playing in the third place play-off. West Germany won their second European title by beating Belgium 2–1 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

France won their first major title at home in the 1984 tournament, with their captain Michel Platini scoring 9 goals in just 5 games, including the opening goal in the final, in which they beat Spain 2–0. The format also changed, with the top two teams in each group going through to a semi-final stage, instead of the winners of each group going straight into the final. The third place play-off was also abolished.

West Germany hosted UEFA Euro 1988, and the Netherlands beat the hosts—and traditional rivals—2–1 in the semi-finals, which sparked vigorous celebrations in the Netherlands. The Netherlands went on to win the tournament, beating the USSR 2–0 at the Olympia Stadion in Munich, a match in which Marco van Basten scored one of the most memorable goals in football history, a spectacular volley over the keeper from the right wing.

UEFA Euro 1992 was held in Sweden, and was won by Denmark, who were only in the finals because UEFA did not allow Yugoslavia to participate as some of the states constituting the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia were at a state of war with each other, this state being knowns as the Yugoslav wars from 1990 on. However, the Danes produced a shock, beating world champion Germany 2–0, having beaten holders the Netherlands on penalties in the semi-finals. This was the first tournament in which a unified Germany took part and also the first major tournament to have the players' names printed on their backs.

England hosted UEFA Euro 1996 and would see the number of teams taking part double to 16. The hosts, in a replay of the 1990 FIFA World Cup semi-final, were knocked out on penalties by Germany, who would go on to win in the final 2–1 against the newly-formed Czech Republic thanks to the first golden goal ever in a major tournament, scored by Oliver Bierhoff. This was Germany's first title as a unified nation.

UEFA Euro 2000 was the first tournament to be held by two countries, the Netherlands and Belgium. France, the reigning world champion, was favored to win, and they lived up to expectations when they beat Italy 2–1 after extra time, having come from being 1–0 down: Sylvain Wiltord equalized in the very last minute of the game and David Trezeguet scored the winner in extra time.

UEFA Euro 2004, like 1992, produced an upset: Greece, who had only qualified for one World Cup (1994) and one European Championship (1980) before, beat host Portugal 1–0 in the final (after having also beaten them in the opening game) to win a tournament that they had been given odds of 150–1 to win before it began. On their way to the final they also beat holders France as well as the Czech Republic with a silver goal, a rule which replaced the previous golden goal in 2003, before being abolished itself shortly after this tournament.

The 2008 tournament, hosted by Austria and Switzerland marked the second time that two nations co-hosted. It commenced on 7 June and finished on 29 June. The final between Germany and Spain was held at the Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna. Spain defeated Germany 1–0, sparking much celebration across the country. This is their first title since the 1964 tournament.

Trophy

The Henri Delaunay Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the European Football Championship, is named in honor of Henri Delaunay, the first General Secretary of UEFA, who came up with the idea of a European championship but died five years prior to the first tournament in 1960. His son Pierre Delaunay was in charge of making the trophy. Since the first tournament it has been awarded to the winning team for them to keep for four years, until the next tournament.

For the 2008 tournament, the trophy was slightly remodelled, making it larger. The trophy, which is made of sterling silver, now weighs 8 kilograms and is 60 centimeters tall. A small figure juggling a ball on the back of the original was removed, as was the marble plinth. The silver base of the trophy had to be enlarged to make it stable. The names of the winning countries that had appeared on the plinth have now been engraved on the back of the trophy.

Format

The competition

Before 1980, only four teams qualified for the final tournament. From 1980, eight teams competed. In 1996 the tournament expanded to 16 teams, and in 2016 will increase to 24 teams. The competing teams are chosen by a series of qualifying games: in 1960 and 1964 through home and away play-offs; from 1968 through a combination of both qualifying groups and play-off games. The host country was selected from the four finalists after they were determined through qualifying.

Since the expansion of the final tournament starting from 1980, the host country, or countries, have been chosen beforehand and qualify automatically.

The defending champions have never been granted an automatic place in the finals.

Qualifying

In order to qualify a team must be winners or runners-up in one of the seven qualifying groups. After this a team proceeds to the finals round in the host country, although hosts qualify for the tournament automatically. The qualifying phase begins in the autumn after the preceding FIFA World Cup, almost two years before the finals.

The groups for qualification are drawn by a UEFA committee using seeding. Seeded teams include reigning champions, and other teams on the basis of their performance in the preceding FIFA World Cup qualifying and the last European Football Championship qualifying. To obtain an accurate view of the teams abilities, a ranking is produced. This is calculated by taking the total number of points won by a particular team and dividing it by the number of games played, i.e. points per game. In the case of a team having hosted one of the two previous competitions and therefore having qualified automatically, only the results from the single most recent qualifying competition are used. If two teams have equal points per game, the committee then bases their positions in the rankings on:

1. Coefficient from the matches played in its most recent qualifying competition.
2. Average goal difference.
3. Average number of goals scored.
4. Average number of away goals scored.
5. Drawing of lots.

The qualifying phase is played in a group format, the composition of the groups is determined through means of a draw of teams from pre-defined seeded bowls. The draw takes place after the preceding World Cup's qualifying competition. For the 2008 European Football Championship, the group qualifying phase consists of seven groups; one of eight teams and the remainder of seven teams each.

The qualifying phase is done in groups, each effectively a mini league, where the highest ranked team and the runner up, after all the teams have played each other home and away, progresses to the finals tournament. As with most leagues, the points are awarded as three for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. In the eventuality of one or more teams having equal points after all matches have been played, the following criteria are used to distinguish the sides:

1. Higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question.
2. Superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question.
3. Higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question.
4. Higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question.
5. Results of all group matches:
1. Superior goal difference
2. Higher number of goals scored
3. Higher number of goals scored away from home
4. Fair play conduct.
6. Drawing of lots.

Final tournament

Sixteen teams progress to the final tournament; for the 2008 tournament, they will be the winners and runners up of the seven qualifying groups and joint hosts Austria and Switzerland. These sixteen teams are divided equally into four groups, A, B, C and D, each consisting of four teams. The groups are drawn up by the UEFA administration, again using seeding. The seeded teams being the host nations, the reigning champions, subject to qualification, and those with the best points per game coefficients over the qualifying phase of the tournament and the previous World Cup qualifying. Other finalists will be assigned to by means of a draw, using coefficients as a basis.

The four groups are again played in a league format, where a team plays its opponents once each. The same points system is used (three points for a win, one point for a draw, no points for a defeat). A schedule for the group matches will be drawn up, but the last two matches in a group must kick off simultaneously. The winner and runner-up of each group progresses to the quarter-finals, where a knockout system is used (the two teams play each other once, the winner progresses), this is used in all subsequent rounds as well. The winners of the quarter-finals matches progress to the semi-finals, where the winners play in the final. If in any of the knockout rounds, the scores are still equal after normal playing time, extra time and penalties are employed to separate the two teams. This tournament, unlike the FIFA World Cup does not have a 3rd place play-off.

Future

Bids for future tournaments

On 18 April 2007, Poland/Ukraine were selected to host the 2012 competition. They beat competition from the highly favoured Italy and a joint bid from Croatia/Hungary.

In 2010, UEFA will decide which country will host Euro 2016. Sweden and Norway are currently planning a joint bid. Bids were submitted in 2008. In February 2009, it was confirmed France had entered a bid to host EURO 2016. The final deadline for applications was the 9th of March 2009.

Both Bulgaria and Romania, and the Czech Republic and Slovakia are considering joint bids for Euro 2020.

Expansion to 24 teams

There was much discussion about an expansion of the tournament to 24 teams, started by Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, due to the increased number of football associations in Europe after the breakups of Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, the USSR and the inclusion of many Asian based countries. The new president of UEFA, Michel Platini, was reported to be in favour of expansion which proved an accurate assumption. Whilst on 17 April 2007, UEFA's Executive Committee formally decided against expansion in 2012, Platini indicated in June 2008 that UEFA will increase participation from 16 to 24 teams in future tournaments, starting from 2016. On 25 September, it was announced by Franz Beckenbauer that an agreement had been reached, and the expansion to 24 teams would be officially announced the next day.

UEFA Women's Champions League

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The UEFA Women's Champions League (formerly know as the UEFA Women's Cup) is the first international women's football (soccer) club competition for teams that play in UEFA nations. The competition was started in the 2001–02 season in response to the increased interest in women's football. It is sometimes called the Women's European Cup, given its status as the only UEFA club competition for women.

Teams qualify by virtue of winning their top national competition, be it a league or cup, if there is no national league. One place is allocated per country except for the defending champion's country, which has two (the champion and the national runner-up, or champion if different).

For the 2009–10 season, the competition has been re-branded as the UEFA Women's Champions League and will be decided in a new one-off final, as apposed to the two-legged ties in previous years.

Format

On December 11, 2008, UEFA announced that the competition would be reformatted and renamed to the UEFA Women's Champions League. As in the men's game, the new tournament aims to include runner-ups of the top women's football leagues in Europe, and the final is to be played in a single match, in the same venue as the men's Final.

On March 31, 2008, UEFA confirmed that the eight top countries according to the UEFA league coefficient between 2003–04 and 2007–08 would be awarded two places in the new Women's Champions League. These leagues are:

* Bundesliga, Germany
* Damallsvenskan, Sweden
* Women's Premier League, England
* Division 1 féminine, France
* 3F Ligaen, Denmark
* Top Division, Russia
* Toppserien, Norway
* Serie A, Italy

The title holder has the right to enter if they do not qualify through their domestic competition, and will start in the round of 32.

The competition is in theory open to the champions of all 53 UEFA associations. However, during the past eight years of the Women's Cup, the following associations have never participated:

* Albania
* Andorra
* Armenia
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Montenegro
* San Marino
* Turkey

Luxembourg entered in 2001–02, but did not enter any of the next seven competitions. Turkey are set to enter one team in 2009–10.

Due to the varying participation, the number of teams in each round will change from year to year. However, the top 20 countries are assured of a place in the round of 32, while the runners-up from each nation participate in the qualifying round.

A number of 4-team mini-tournaments, involving the runners-up of the top eight leagues and the champions from the lowest ranked associations, reduces the field to 32 teams before the knock-out stages of home and away games.

Below is shown the amount of teams starting in each round, given between 47 and 62 (the maximum possible) participants. The principles are inferred from the access list:

* An even number of groups of 4 teams shall contest the qualifying round.
* The group winners shall qualify for the main round.
* The smallest possible number of qualifying group runner-ups shall qualify for the main round.

UEFA Super Cup

2009-10-30T22:23:00.000-07:00

The European Super Cup (UEFA Super Cup) is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League (formerly UEFA Cup). It takes place at the start of the domestic season, in August, normally on a Friday.

The current champions are Spanish club FC Barcelona, and the most successful team in the competition is Italian side A.C. Milan, who have won the trophy five times.

History

The UEFA Super Cup is an annual football competition established in 1972. It was previously contested between the winners of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup Winners' Cup until 1999 when the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was discontinued. The last Super Cup in this format was the 1999 UEFA Super Cup between Lazio and Manchester United which Lazio won 1–0. The competition was originally played over two legs, one at each participating club's stadium. Since the 1998 competition, the final has been a single match, played at a neutral venue, Stade Louis II in Monaco.

The European Super Cup was created in 1972 by Anton Witkamp, a reporter and later sports editor of Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. The idea came to him in a time when Dutch total football was Europe's finest and Dutch football clubs were living their golden era (especially Ajax). Witkamp was looking for something new to definitely decide which was the best team in Europe and also to further test Ajax's legendary team, led by their star player Johan Cruyff. It was then proposed that the winner of the European Cup would face the winner of the Cup Winners' Cup.

All was set for a new competition to be born. However, when Witkamp tried to get an official endorsement to his competition, the UEFA president turned it down.

The 1972 final between Dutch team Ajax and Scotland's Rangers is considered unofficial by UEFA, as Rangers were banned from European competition due to the behaviour of their fans during the 1972 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup Final. As a result UEFA refused to endorse the competition until the following season. It was played in two legs and was financially supported by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf. Ajax beat Rangers and won the first European Super Cup. Since then, the competition has been officially recognised and supported by UEFA.

Although the two-legged format was kept, in some years, the European Super Cup was decided in one single match whether because of schedule dilemmas or political problems. In 1974, 1981 and 1985, the European Super Cup was not played at all.

At the end of the 1998–1999 season, the Cup Winners' Cup was discontinued by UEFA. Since the beginning of the 1999–2000 season, the European Super Cup has been contested between the winners of the UEFA Champions League (formerly the European Cup before the format was changed) and the UEFA Europa League (formerly known as the UEFA Cup before that format was changed in 2009-10).

Trophy

The UEFA Super Cup trophy is retained by UEFA at all times. A full-size replica trophy is awarded to the winning club. Thirty gold medals are presented to the winning club and thirty silver medals to the runners-up.

The UEFA Super Cup trophy has undergone several changes in its history. The first trophy that was presented to Ajax in 1973 and 1974 was extremely large, bigger than the European cup, this was replaced by a plaque, that had a gold UEFA Emblem on it with the continent inscribed within the emblem. The next trophy was the smallest and lightest of all the European club trophies, weighing 5kg and measuring 42.5cm in height (the UEFA Champions League trophy weighs 8kg and the UEFA Cup 15kg). The new model weighs 12.2kg and measures 58cm in height.

A team which wins 3 times in a row or 5 in total, receives an original copy of the trophy and a special mark of recognition.

Rules

Currently, the rules of the UEFA Super Cup are the same as any other UEFA club competition. The UEFA Super Cup is a single match final, contested in a neutral venue. The match consists of two periods of 45 minutes each, known as halves. If the scores are level at the end of 90 minutes, two additional 15-minute periods of extra time are played. If there is no winner at the end of the second period of extra time, a penalty shoot-out determines the winner. Each team names 18 players, 11 of which start the match. Of the 7 remaining players, a total of 3 may be substituted throughout the match. Each team may wear its first choice kit; however, if these clash the previous year's Europa League winning team must wear an alternative color. If a club refuses to play or is ineligible to play then they are replaced by the second finalist from the competition they qualified through. If the field is unfit for play due to bad weather the match must be played the next day.

Sponsorship

Carlsberg have been the presenting sponsor for the UEFA Super Cup since 2006. As part of this they also present the "Carlsberg Man of the Match Award" Other current official sponsors include Intersport, Vodafone, and Canon Europe.

Tickets

60% of the AS Monaco stadium capacity is reserved for the visiting clubs. Seats are also reserved for VIP guests. The remaining seats are sold by UEFA through an online auction. There are an unlimited number of applications for tickets given out. The 5 euro's administration fee is deducted from each applicant and one can enter as many times as they want.

UEFA Intertoto Cup

2009-10-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

The UEFA Intertoto Cup, also abbreviated as UI Cup and originally called the International Football Cup, was a summer football competition for European clubs that have not qualified for one of the two major UEFA competitions, the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. The competition was discontinued after the 2008 tournament. Teams who originally would have entered the Intertoto Cup directly enter in the qualifying stages of the UEFA Europa League from this point.

The tournament was founded in 1961–62, but was only taken over by UEFA in 1995.

Any club who wished to participate had to apply for entry, with the highest placed club (by league position in their domestic league) at the end of the season entering the competition. The club didn't necessarily have to be ranked directly below the clubs which had qualified for another UEFA competition; if the club which was in that position did not apply, they would not be eligible to compete, with the place instead going to the club which did apply.

The cup billed itself as providing both an opportunity for clubs who otherwise would not get the chance to enter the UEFA Cup and as an opportunity for sports lotteries (or pools) to continue during the summer. This reflects its background, which was as a tournament solely for football pools. In 1995 the tournament came under official UEFA sanctioning and UEFA Cup qualification places were granted. Initially two were provided; this was increased to three after one year; but in 2006 it was again increased to the final total of eleven.

History

The Intertoto Cup was the idea of the later FIFA vice president and founder of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, Ernst B. Thommen, and the Austrian coach, Karl Rappan, who coached the Swiss national team at the 1938 World Cup and the Austrian national team at the 1954 World Cup. The "cup for the cupless" was also heavily promoted by the Swiss newspaper Sport. It derived its name from Toto, the German term for Football pools.

Thommen, who had set up football betting pools in Switzerland in 1932, had a major interest in having purposeful matches played in the summer break. UEFA were initially disinclined to support the tournament, finding its betting background distasteful; nevertheless they permitted the new tournament but refrained from getting officially involved. Clubs which qualified for one of the official continental competitions, such as the European Champions Cups and Cup Winners Cup, were not allowed to participate.

The first tournament was held in 1961 as the International Football Cup (IFC). Initially the Cup had a group stage, which led to knock-out matches culminating in a final. By 1967 it had become difficult to organize the games, and so the knock-out rounds and the final were scrapped, leaving the tournament without a single winner. Instead, group winners received prizes of CHF10,000-15,000.

By 1995 UEFA had reconsidered its opinion, took official control of the tournament and changed its format. Initially, two winners were given a place in the UEFA Cup. The success of one of the first winners FC Girondins de Bordeaux in reaching the final of the 1995–96 UEFA Cup encouraged UEFA to add a third UEFA Cup place in 1996.

Many clubs dislike the competition and see it as disruptive in the preparation for the new season. As a consequence they do not nominate themselves for participation even if entitled. In particular, following its 1995 relaunch, clubs in England were skeptical about the competition; after initially being offered three places in the cup, all English top division teams rejected the chance to take part. Following the threat of bans of English teams from all UEFA competitions the situation was eventually resolved with three English clubs entering weakened teams, and none of them qualifying.

In following years UEFA made it possible for nations to forfeit Intertoto places. For example, in 1998 Scotland, San Marino and Moldova forfeited their places, and England, Portugal and Greece forfeited one of their two, Crystal Palace being the sole English entrant despite finishing bottom of the Premiership. Other clubs have built upon their success in the UI Cup, following it up with great campaigns in the UEFA Cup. Furthermore UEFA reject this assertion that the tournament is disruptive. They point out that in the 2004–05 season two of the three 2004 Intertoto Cup winners went on to qualify for the Champions League.

In December 2007, following the election of new UEFA president Michel Platini, it was announced that the Intertoto Cup would be abolished as of 2009. This was a part of a range of changes that were to be made to the UEFA Cup/Champions League System. Instead of teams qualifying for the Intertoto Cup they will now qualify directly for the Qualifying Stages of the UEFA Europa League, which will be expanded to four rounds to accommodate them.

Format

When the competition was taken over by UEFA in 1995, the format was both a group stage and a knock-out stage; 60 teams were split into 12 groups of five with the 16 best teams then contesting the knock-out stage with two-legged ties at each stage, the two winning finalists qualifying for the UEFA Cup. In 1996 and 1997 just the 12 group winners entered the knock-out round, with now three finalists advancing. Nations were allocated places according to their UEFA coefficients, much as with other UEFA tournaments.

The group stage was scrapped for the 1998 tournament, which became a straight knock-out tournament, with clubs from more successful nations entering at a later stage. This arrangement lasted until 2005.

From the 2006 tournament the format for the Cup changed. There were three rounds instead of the previous five, and the eleven winning teams from the third round went through to the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup. For the first time since the 1960s, there is provision for an actual trophy — whichever sides go furthest in the UEFA Cup will each be awarded a trophy. The first winners were Newcastle United, who won the 2006 tournament outright by going further in the UEFA Cup 2006–07 than the other ten qualifiers.

Only one team from each national association will be allowed to enter. However, should one or more nations not take up their place, the possibility has been left open for nations to have a second entrant. Seedings and entry are determined by each association. Teams from the weakest federations enter at the first round stage, while those from mid-level federations enter in the second round, and those from the strongest federations enter in the third round.

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

2009-10-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a football club competition contested annually by the most recent winners of all European domestic cup competitions. The cup is one of the many inter-European club competitions that have been organised by UEFA. The first competition was held in the 1960–61 season, and the last in 1998–99. The competition was then abolished to make way for a further expansion to the UEFA Champions League, with domestic cup winners now gaining entry into the UEFA Europa League.

Prior to its abolition, the Cup Winners' Cup was regarded as the second most prestigious European club competition out of the three major tournaments, behind the UEFA Champions League/European Cup and ahead of the UEFA Cup, although many commentators felt the Cup Winners' Cup was the easiest of the three competitions to win. However, no club successfully defended the Cup Winners' Cup, with such major names in European football as FC Barcelona, Valencia CF, Arsenal, AC Milan, Ajax, Anderlecht, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Fiorentina and Atlético Madrid failing to defend the trophy. Nonetheless, the idea of the Cup Winners' Cup "jinx" against the defending side came to prominence particularly due to the unlikely manner of Arsenal's defeat in the 1995 final and the defeat of Paris Saint-Germain in 1997.

From 1972 onwards, the winner of the tournament would go on to play the winner of the European Cup (later the UEFA Champions League) in the UEFA Super Cup. Since the abolition of the Cup Winners' Cup, the Super Cup place previously reserved for the CWC winner has been taken by the winner of the UEFA Cup.

From its inception until 1994, the competition was known as the European Cup Winners' Cup - from the 1994–95 season onwards, UEFA officially named the tournament the 'UEFA Cup Winners' Cup'. The competition is also sometimes referred to as European Cup 2, EC2 or simply C2, usually in football statistics books and websites, although this shorthand was also used on some match tickets and in programmes. Despite the abolition of the Cup Winners' Cup, the modern UEFA Cup is still referred to in shorthand as EC3, in order to avoid confusion with the CWC.

Format

Throughout its 39-year history, the Cup Winners' Cup was always a straight knock-out tournament with two-legged home and away ties up until the single match final staged at a neutral venue, the only exception to this being the two-legged final in the competition's first year. The format was identical to the original European Champions' Cup with 32 teams contesting four knock-out rounds prior to the showpiece final, with the tournament usually running from September to May each year. In later years, a regular August preliminary round was added to reduce the number of entrants to 32 following the influx of new UEFA member nations during the 1990s.

Entry was restricted to one club from each UEFA member association, the only exception being to allow the current Cup Winners' Cup holders to enter alongside their nation's new domestic cup winners in order to allow them a chance to defend their CWC title (although no club ever managed to do this). However, if this team also qualified for the European Champions' Cup then they would default on their place in the Cup Winners' Cup and no other team would replace them.

On occasions when a club completed a domestic league and cup 'double' that club would enter the European Cup/UEFA Champions League and their place in the Cup Winners' Cup would be taken by the domestic cup runners-up. In 1998/99, the competition's final year, SC Heerenveen of the Netherlands entered the CWC despite only reaching the semi-final of the previous season's Dutch Cup. This was due to both Dutch Cup finalists Ajax and PSV qualifying for the recently expanded Champions League. Heerenveen won a third-place playoff and became the only club to enter the Cup Winners' Cup without having contested their own domestic cup final the previous year.

The winners of the League Cup competitions held in some countries were never allowed to enter the Cup Winners' Cup. Instead, the winners of these competitions were sometimes allowed to enter the UEFA Cup.

History

Inauguration

Mirroring the circumstances behind the creation of the European Cup five years earlier, the idea for a pan-European cup competition contested by all of Europe's domestic cup winners came from prominent European sports journalists. The European Cup had proven to be a great success and the Fairs Cup had also proven popular - as a result, other ideas for new European football tournaments were being aired. One proposal was for a tournament based upon the format of the Champions' Cup, but with national cup winners rather than champions taking part, which could run alongside that competition.

The inaugural Cup Winners' Cup was held in the 1960-61 season and was basically a semi-official pilot tournament. However the initial reaction to the competition's creation was unenthusiastic on the part of many of Europe's top clubs - many European associations did not have domestic cup competitions at the time and in those countries that did, the cup competition was generally held in low esteem and often not taken seriously by the bigger clubs. It was essentially only in England and Scotland that the domestic cup was considered especially prestigious. Many were sceptical about the viability of a European tournament for cup winners and many of the bigger clubs eligible to contest the first CWC turned down the chance to enter, such as Atlético de Madrid of Spain and AS Monaco of France.

Ultimately the inaugural CWC was contested by just 10 clubs (with Fiorentina of Italy winning the two-legged final against the Scottish team Rangers F.C.) but the games were generally well attended and the response from the public and the media to the new tournament was positive and enthusiastic. For the tournament's second season in 1961-62, UEFA took over the running of all aspects of the competition and this time all the clubs eligible to enter accepted the opportunity. By 1968, all UEFA member nations had set up domestic cup competitions due to the success of the Cup Winners' Cup which by then had firmly established itself as Europe's second most prestigious club competition.

Prestige

The Cup Winners' Cup was a key component of the European football calendar throughout the 1970s and 1980s. The cup was regarded by UEFA as its second most important club competition, even though the tournament was felt to be weaker than both the European Cup and the UEFA Cup in terms of the overall quality of the teams taking part. The tournament gained a reputation for showcasing attacking, entertaining football and also for the remarkable number of spectacular long range goals in many of the finals.

Notable sides to have won the Cup Winners' Cup and some notable finals include:

* The Tottenham Hotspur side of Danny Blanchflower, which became the first British side to win a European trophy when they won the CWC in 1963, two years after becoming the first side in modern times to complete the English league and cup double. Spurs hammered reigning CWC holders Atlético Madrid in the final 5-1, a scoreline which remains the joint largest margin of victory in a one-match European final.

* In 1970, Joe Mercer's free flow attacking Manchester City side defeated Górnik Zabrze and in doing so became the first English side to win a European and domestic cup in the same season.

* West Ham United in 1965, who won the CWC at Wembley Stadium with Bobby Moore captaining a side that also included Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters just one season before all three went on to star in England's World Cup winning side of 1966. They defeated 1860 Munich in the final. As a result of their CWC success, Bobby Moore became the only captain to climb the Wembley steps to be presented with three different trophies in three successive seasons (English FA Cup and European Cup Winners' Cup with West Ham in 1964 and 1965 respectively, then the World Cup with England in 1966).

* Borussia Dortmund were the first German club to win a European title in the 1965–66 season by beating 2-1 Liverpool FC in Hampden Park Glasgow.

* AC Milan in 1968, who went on to follow up this success with victory in the European Champions' Cup the following year, making them only one of two clubs to achieve the feat of winning the Cup Winners' Cup and European Cup in consecutive seasons.

* Rangers in 1972. This victory was significant due to the notably difficult route Rangers had to the final, including victory over the famous Bayern Munich team of Franz Beckenbauer. It was also Rangers' third CWC final after losing in 1961 and 1967, and the victory sparked a pitch invasion by their fans. As a result of this Rangers were presented with the trophy in the dressing-room and were forbidden by UEFA from defending the CWC in the following season.

* The controversial 1973 final where Milan beat Leeds United 1-0. Milan's victory was blemished by the refereeing of Christos Michas, who made several dubious decisions in favour of the Italian side, and who eventually sent off Norman Hunter for Leeds. The crowd at the final was so incensed by the combination of Michas' one-sided refereeing and the Italians' game-killing, defensive tactics, that they threw missiles at the Milan players when they attempted their lap of honour. Instead, for the first and last time in the history of the trophy, the losing side took a lap of honor around the field, with the Leeds players receiving applause from the local sets of fans. Michas was later banned by UEFA from refereeing international club matches for match-fixing, though the result stood.

* Anderlecht, who won the CWC in 1976, then lost the final the following year before returning in 1978 to claim the trophy for the second time in three years.

* Dinamo Tbilisi in 1981, who won the CWC with a spectacular side that defeated West Ham United away before beating Carl Zeiss Jena in the competitions most poorly attended final (7,000 in Dusseldorf). This win was the high point of that Georgian side and is still the club's greatest achievement.

* Alex Ferguson's young Aberdeen side defeated Spanish giants Real Madrid in 1983, after a notable victory over Bayern Munich in the quarter-final. Having conquered the domestic game in Scotland, Aberdeen went on to become the only Scottish team to win two European trophies by defeating the European Cup holders Hamburger SV to win the UEFA Super Cup, a record which still stands today.

* Michel Platini's Juventus won the trophy in 1984 and then become the second team after AC Milan to follow victory in the Cup Winners' Cup with a successful European Cup campaign.

* The Everton side of 1985 which claimed the Cup Winners' Cup and the English league title in the same season. After an impressive victory over Bayern Munich in the semi-final, Everton beat Rapid Wien in the final before narrowly missing out on a unique treble three days later after losing to Manchester United in the FA Cup final. Despite being regarded as amongst the favorites to win the European Champions' Cup the following season, Everton were barred from entering that tournament following the Heysel stadium disaster and the subsequent five-year ban on all English clubs entering UEFA competitions.

* The Dynamo Kyiv side of 1986 which provided half of the Soviet Union's World Cup squad that year in Mexico.

* The young Ajax side, which included the likes of Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp, which was guided to victory by coach Johan Cruyff in 1987.

* In 1988, KV Mechelen of Belgium became one of only a handful of clubs to win a European trophy in their first ever European campaign. Their CWC triumph was the highlight of a brief period in the limelight for the Belgian club, who drifted back into relative obscurity only a few years later.

* Cruyff's star-studded FC Barcelona side which won the CWC in 1989. Cruyff became the first of only two managers to win the CWC with two different clubs, having completed the feat in the space of just three seasons.

* Manchester United won the competition in 1991, becoming the first English team to win a European trophy since the Heysel disaster had forced English clubs into a five-year ban from European competition. United beat Johan Cruyff's Barça just a year before the Dutch legend would lead the Catalan giants to their first European Champions' Cup and in the process United manager Alex Ferguson became one of only two managers - the other being Cruyff himself - to win the CWC with two different clubs.

* 1995 saw one of the most memorable CWC finals with Real Zaragoza defeating Arsenal 2-1 with one of the most extraordinary goals ever seen in a European final, a long-range strike by Nayim from 40 yards in the last minute of extra-time.

* Sven-Göran Eriksson's expensively assembled Lazio side which won the final CWC tournament in 1999.

No club managed to retain the Cup Winners' Cup (the so-called "CWC jinx"), although FC Barcelona won it on four occasions (1979, 82, 89, 97) and finished runners up twice (1969, 91). Aberdeen won the tournament in 1983, however only managed to reach the semi-final the year after, in 1984. Anderlecht won it twice (1976, 78), and finished runners up twice (1977, 90) and Ajax failed to defend their title in 1988, losing out to K.V. Mechelen; in addition, three finals over four years between 1993 and 1997 saw the holder reach the final only to lose (Parma 1993 and 1994, Arsenal 1994 and 1995, Paris Saint-Germain 1996 - 1997).

Decline

After the establishment of the UEFA Champions League (formerly called the European Champion Clubs' Cup) in the early 1990s, the standing and prestige of the Cup Winners' Cup began to decline. With the expansion of the Champions League in 1997 to allow more than one team from the highest ranked member associations to enter, the CWC began to look noticeably inferior. At the time of the Champions League expansion, UEFA also considered expanding the CWC from 32 teams to 64 by allowing a second team to enter from many countries, although by what qualification criteria the second entrants would be determined were never settled upon - ultimately UEFA did not make any of these changes to the CWC. Many of the bigger teams who would previously have entered the CWC were now gaining entry to the Champions League instead by finishing second in their domestic league - such as CWC holders FC Barcelona in 1997/98 and Bayern Munich and PSV in 1998/99 - and this greatly weakened the CWC.

By the late 1990s, the CWC had come to be seen as a second-rate competition with only one or two big name teams available to enter each year and the interest in the tournament from both major clubs and the public dropped. Finally, with the further expansion of the UEFA Champions League to include as many as three or four teams from the top footballing nations, the decision was taken to abolish the competition after the end of the 1998/99 tournament, which was won by Lazio. The trophy was permanently awarded to FC Barcelona as they were the most successful club in the competition, despite protests from Lazio that, as legitimate last winners, claimed the title to be definitively handed on their hands. Since then, domestic cup winners who do not otherwise qualify for the Champions League are given a place in the UEFA Europa League.

UEFA Europa League

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The UEFA Europa League (previously called the UEFA Cup) is a competition for eligible European football clubs; the second most prestigious European football contest after the UEFA Champions League. It is an annual football cup competition for European club teams organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA). Clubs qualify for the competition based on their performance in their national leagues and cup competitions.

Previously called the UEFA Cup, the competition as of June 2009 for the 2009-10 football season is now the Europa League, following a change in format. For UEFA footballing records purposes, the Europa League and UEFA Cup are considered the same competition, with the change of name being simply a rebranding.

The competition began in 1971 and replaced the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. But, for UEFA footballing records purposes, the Inter-Cities Fair Cup is not recognised as the direct predecessor of the UEFA Cup. In 1999, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was abolished and merged with the UEFA Cup. For the 2004/05 competition a group stage was added prior to the knock out stage. The 2009 rebranding will see a merge of the UEFA Intertoto Cup producing an enlarged competition format, with an expanded group stage and changed qualifying criteria.

Shakhtar Donetsk are the current champions of the competition, having beaten Werder Bremen in the 2009 final on 20 May 2009, the last time the competition was known as the UEFA Cup.

History

he UEFA Cup was first played in the 1971–72 season, with English team Tottenham Hotspur being the first winners.

The competition was traditionally open to the runners-up of domestic leagues, but the competition was merged with UEFA's previous second-tier European competition, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, in 1999. Since then, the winners of domestic cup competitions have also entered the UEFA Cup. Also, clubs eliminated in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League and the third placed teams at the end of the group phase could go on to compete in the UEFA Cup. Also admitted to the competition are three Fair Play representatives, eleven UEFA Intertoto Cup winners, and winners of some selected domestic League Cup competitions.
The UEFA Cup logo from 2004 to 2009

The winners keep the trophy for a year before returning it to UEFA. After its return, the club can keep a four-fifths scale replica of the original trophy. The regulations also state that the original trophy is awarded to any club that wins the UEFA Cup three times in a row or five times overall, though this has yet to occur as of 2008.

Four teams have won the UEFA Cup as well as their domestic league and cup competitions in the same season, those being IFK Göteborg in 1982, Galatasaray in 2000, Porto in 2003 and CSKA Moscow in 2005. This accomplishment is known as a treble that only Galatasaray completed with the European Super Cup. Additionally, Tottenham Hotspur, Borussia Mönchengladbach, IFK Göteborg (twice), Ajax, Galatasaray and Feyenoord are the only teams to have won the cup without suffering a single loss in their campaign. RCD Espanyol is the single runner-up without a defeat. IFK Göteborg played 25 consecutive matches in the UEFA Cup between 1980 and 1987 without a single loss, including their 1981-82 and 1986-87 winning campaigns.

From the 2009–10 season, the competition is known as the 'UEFA Europa League'. At the same time, the UEFA Intertoto Cup, UEFA's third-tier competition, was discontinued and merged into the new Europa League.

Trophy

The UEFA Cup, also known as the Coupe UEFA, is the trophy awarded annually by UEFA to the football club that wins the UEFA Europa League. Before the 2009–10 season both the competition and the trophy were known as 'the UEFA Cup'.

Before the competition was renamed the UEFA Europa League in the 2009–10 season, the UEFA regulations stated that a club could keep the original trophy upon their third consecutive win or fifth win overall. However under the new regulations the trophy remains in UEFA's keeping at all times. A full-size replica trophy is awarded to each winner of the competition. Also a club that wins three consecutive times or five times overall will receive a 'special mark of recognition'.

The trophy was designed and crafted by Bertoni for the 1972 UEFA Cup Final. It weighs 15 kg and is silver on a yellow marble plinth.

Europa League anthem

The Paris Opera under the direction of composer Yohann Zveig recorded the anthem of the UEFA Europa League in March–May 2009. This theme for the re branded UEFA Cup competition was first officially unveiled at the Grimaldi Forum on 28 August 2009 before the 2009–10 season group stage draw.

The anthem is to be played before every Europa League game at a stadium hosting such an event and also before every television broadcast of a Europa League game as a musical element of the competition's opening sequence.

Zveig himself hopes that his anthem will achieve a similar success as the UEFA Champions League Anthem in terms of global recognition.

Qualification

Qualification for the competition is based on UEFA coefficients, with more places being offered to the more successful nations. Usually, places are awarded to teams who finish in various runners-up places in the top-flight leagues of Europe and the winners of the main cup competitions. A few countries have secondary cup competitions but the only countries which currently grant a UEFA Cup place to their secondary cup winners are England and France.

If the previous UEFA Cup title-holders are not eligible to take part in either of the current UEFA club competitions (UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup) by virtue of their domestic form, the UEFA Administration may, at the request of the association of the club concerned, admit this club to the current UEFA Cup competition. Its participation will not be at the expense of the contingent of its association.

Qualification can be quite complicated if one team qualifies for European competition through two different routes. In all cases, if a club is eligible to enter the UEFA Champions League then the Champions League place takes precedence and the club does not enter the UEFA Cup. The UEFA Cup place is then granted to another club. If a team qualifies for European competition through both winning a cup and league placing, the "spare" UEFA Cup place will go to either the cup runners-up or the highest placed league team which has not already qualified for European competition, depending on the rules of the national association.

Three more berths are given to federations that finish above a certain level in UEFA's Fair Play table. The top three federations automatically receive a Fair Play entry if their rating is at least 8.0. The berth goes to the highest-placed team in the Fair Play table of that country's top league that has not already qualified for Europe.

More recently, clubs that are knocked out of the qualifying round and the group stage of the Champions League can also join the UEFA Cup, at different stages (see below).

Competition format

Historical formats

The competition was traditionally a pure knockout tournament. All ties were two-legged, including the final. Starting with the 1997-98 season, the final became a one-off match, but all other ties remained two-legged.

Before the 2004-05 season, the tournament consisted of one qualifying round, followed by a series of knockout rounds. The 16 losers in the third qualifying round of the Champions League entered at the first round proper; later in the tournament, the survivors would be joined by third-place finishers in the group phase of the Champions League.

From the 2004-05 season competition started with two knockout qualifying rounds held in July and August. Participants from associations ranked 18 and lower entered the first qualifying round with those from associations ranked 9–18 joining them in the second qualifying round. In addition, three places in the first qualifying round were reserved for the UEFA Fair Play ranking winners, and eleven places in the second qualifying round for the UEFA Intertoto Cup winners.

Winners of the qualifying rounds then joined teams from the associations ranked 1–13 in the first round proper. In addition, losers in the third qualifying round of the Champions League also joined the competition at this point along with the current title-holders (unless they had qualified for the UEFA Champions League via their national league), for a total of 80 teams total in the first round.

After the first knockout round, the 40 survivors entered a group phase, with the clubs being drawn into eight groups of five each. Unlike the Champions League group phase, the UEFA Cup group phase was played in a single round-robin format, with each club playing two home and two away games. The top three teams in each of the eight groups qualified for the main knockout round along with the eight third-placed teams in the Champions League group phase. From then on a series of two-legged knockout ties were played before a single-legged final, traditionally held on the Wednesday in May immediately preceding the Champions League final.

Current format

From the 2009–10 season, the competition has been rebranded as the UEFA Europa League in a bid to increase the competition's profile.[2] As well as changing the competition's name, an extra 16 teams now qualify for the main stages of the competition, with the group stage now consisting of 12 groups of four teams (in a double round robin), with the top two placed teams in each group progressing. The competition then progresses in much the same way as the previous format, with 4 rounds of two-legged knockout rounds and a one-off final held at a neutral ground meeting UEFA's Elite stadium criteria.

Qualification has also changed significantly. Associations ranked 7–9 in the UEFA coefficients will send the Cup winner and three other teams to the UEFA Europa League qualification, all other nations send a Cup winner and two other teams, except Liechtenstein, Andorra and San Marino, who will only send a Cup winner. Usually, the other teams will be the next highest ranked clubs in each domestic league after those qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, however France and England will continue to use one spot for their League Cup winner. Additionally, three places in the first of four qualifying rounds are still reserved for Fair Play winners. For the inaugural 2009–10 season these places will go to Rosenborg of Norway, Randers of Denmark and Motherwell of Scotland. With the scrapping of the Intertoto Cup there will no longer be spaces reserved in the qualifying rounds for teams qualifying through that route. Generally, the higher an association is ranked in the UEFA coefficients, the later its clubs start in the qualification, however every team except the title holder has to play at least one qualification round.

Apart from the teams mentioned, an additional 15 losing teams from the Champions League qualification round three will enter in the fourth and last UEFA Europa League qualification round, formerly known as the first round, and the 10 losers of the Champions League qualification round 4 will directly enter the UEFA Europa League group stage. The 12 winners and the 12 runners-up in the group stage will advance to the first knock out round, together with eight 3rd placed teams from the Champions League group stage. The losing finalist for the domestic cup competition will still be entitled to be entered for the UEFA Europa League should the domestic cup winners qualify for the UEFA Champions League.

Winners

The UEFA Cup finals were played over two legs until 1997. The first final was played on 3 May 1972 in Wolverhampton and 17 May 1972 in London. The first leg between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur was won 2–1 by the away side. The second leg finished as a 1–1 draw, meaning that Tottenham Hotspur became the first UEFA Cup winners.

The one-match finals in pre-selected venues were introduced in 1998. A venue must meet or exceed UEFA 4-star standards to host UEFA Cup finals. On two occasions, the final was played at a finalist's home ground: Feyenoord defeated Borussia Dortmund at De Kuip, Rotterdam in 2002, and Sporting CP lost to CSKA Moscow at their own José Alvalade Stadium, Lisbon in 2005.

The winner of the last UEFA Cup final (prior to the competition being rebranded the UEFA Europa League) was Shakhtar Donetsk on 20 May 2009. The Ukrainian team beat Werder Bremen of Germany 2-1 at Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey.

UEFA Champions League

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The UEFA Champions League (usually referred to as simply the Champions League or historically as the European Cup) is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It is the most prestigious club trophy in European football, and is widely considered the most prestigious club trophy in the world.

Prior to 1992 the tournament was officially called the European Champion Clubs' Cup but was usually referred to as simply the European Cup or European Champions' Cup. The competition was initially a straight knockout competition open only to the champion club of each country. During the 1990s the tournament began to be expanded, incorporating a round-robin group phase and more teams. Europe's strongest national leagues now provide up to four teams each for the competition. The UEFA Champions League should not be confused with the UEFA Europa League, formerly known as the UEFA Cup.

The tournament consists of several stages. In the present format it begins in mid-July with three knockout qualifying rounds. The 16 surviving teams join 16 seeded teams in the group stage, in which there are eight groups consisting of four teams each. The eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the final knockout phase, which ends with the final match in May.

The title has been won by 21 different clubs, 12 of which have won the title more than once. The all-time record-holders are Real Madrid, who have won the competition nine times, including the first five seasons it was contested. Barcelona are the current champions. Since the tournament changed name and structure in 1992, no club has managed consecutive wins.

History

The tournament was inaugurated in 1955, at the suggestion of the French sports journalist and editor of L'Équipe Gabriel Hanot, as a reaction to a declaration on the part of Wolverhampton Wanderers as being "Champions of the World" by the British press, after a successful run of European friendlies in the 1950s. The tournament was conceived as a continental competition for winners of the European national football leagues, as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, abbreviated to European Cup.

The competition began as the 1955–56 using a two-leg knockout format where the teams would play two matches, one at home and one away, and the team with the highest overall score qualifying for the next round of the competition. Until 1992, entry was restricted to the teams that won their national league championships, plus the current European Cup holder. In the 1992–93 season, the format was changed to include a group stage and the tournament was renamed the UEFA Champions League. There have since been numerous changes to eligibility for the competition, the number of qualifying rounds and the group structure. In 1997–98, eligibility was expanded to include the runners-up from some countries according to UEFA's coefficient ranking list. The qualification system has been restructured so that national champions from lower ranked countries have to take part in one or more qualifying rounds before the group stages, while runners-up from higher ranked countries enter in later rounds. Up to four clubs from the top-ranked countries are currently given entry to the competition.

Between 1960 and 2004, the winner of the tournament qualified for the now defunct Intercontinental Cup against the winner of the Copa Libertadores of South America. Since then, the winner automatically qualifies for the FIFA-organised Club World Cup with other winners of continental club championships.

Format

Qualification

As of 2009, the UEFA Champions League commences with a round-robin group stage of 32 teams, which is preceded by two qualification 'streams' for teams which do not receive direct entry to the tournament proper. The two streams are divided between teams which have qualified by virtue of being league champions, and those which have qualified by virtue of finishing 2nd-4th in their national championship.

The number of teams that each association enters into the UEFA Champions League is based upon the UEFA coefficients of the member associations. These coefficients are generated by the results of clubs representing each association during the previous five Champions League and UEFA Cup seasons. The higher an association's coefficient, the more teams which represent the association in the Champions League and the fewer qualification rounds that the association's teams must compete in.

The number of places in the competition is currently allocated as so:

* associations ranked 1 to 3 have four positions,
* associations ranked 4 to 6 have three positions,
* associations ranked 7 to 15 have two positions,
* associations ranked 16 or lower have one position.

Of these, 22 teams receive automatic qualification for the group stage, as follows:

* 1st-3rd ranked teams of associations ranked 1 to 3
* 1st-2nd ranked teams of associations ranked 4 to 6
* 1st ranked team of associations ranked 7 to 12
* Champions League holders or 1st ranked team of association ranked 13

The situation with holders of the Champions League has not always been clearly defined. There was controversy when Liverpool won the competition in 2004–05 but finished outside the top four in the FA Premier League. The Football Association ruled that Everton, who finished fourth in the Premier League, should get the final English place in the 2005–06 European Cup. UEFA came to an agreement that both Merseyside rivals would be allowed to enter the competition with Liverpool starting from the first qualifying round and Everton starting from the third qualifying round. This confusion resulted in the current ruling, whereby if the European Cup winners fail to finish in one of its national league's qualifying positions, it will take the place of the lowest placed team in its association. The superseded team will go to the UEFA Europa League.

5 of the remaining ten qualifying places are granted to the winners of a four round qualifying tournament between the remaining 39 or 38 national champions, within which those champions from associations with higher coefficients receive byes to later rounds. The other 5 are granted to the winners of a two round qualifying tournament between the 15 clubs from the associations ranked 1-15 which have qualified based upon finishing 2nd-4th in their national league.

In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions league. To obtain a license, club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements.

In 2005-06, Liverpool and Artmedia Bratislava of Slovakia became the first teams to reach the Champions League group phase after playing in all three qualifying rounds. In 2008-09, both BATE and Anorthosis Famagusta achieved the same feat. Barcelona, Manchester United, and Porto are the teams that have appeared most often in the group stage: fourteen times each. FC Porto have only won the tournament once since the establishment of the group stage (2004), Manchester United (1999 and 2008) and Barcelona (2006 and 2009) have both won it twice.

Between 2003 and 2008, no differentiation was made between champions and non-champions in qualification. The sixteen top ranked teams spread across the biggest domestic leagues qualified directly for the tournament group stage. Prior to this, three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds whittled down the remaining teams, with different teams starting in different rounds.

Tournament

The tournament proper begins with a group stage of 32 teams, divided into 8 groups. Seeding is used whilst making the draw for this stage, whilst teams from the same country may not be drawn into groups together. Each team meets the others in its group home and away in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group progress to the round of 16, which commences the knock-out tournament. For this stage, group winners play against group runners-up. From the quarter-finals onwards, the draw is entirely random.

The group stage is played through the autumn, whilst the knock-out stage starts after a winter break. The knock-out ties are played in a two-legged format, with the exception of the final. This is typically held in the final two weeks of May.

Prize money

UEFA awards €3 million to each team that qualifies for the UEFA Champions League, plus €2.4 million for participating in the Group stage. A Group stage win is worth €600,000 and a draw is worth €300,000.

In addition, UEFA pays each quarter finalist €2.5 million, €3 million for each semi-finalist, €4 million for the runners-up and €7 million for the winners.

A large part of the distributed revenue from the UEFA Champions League is linked to the "market pool", the distribution of which is determined by the value of the television market in each country. For the 2008-09 season, both Manchester United and Bayern Munich, who reached the final and quarter-final respectively, earned more than Barcelona, who won the tournament.

Sponsorship

Like the FIFA World Cup, the UEFA Champions League is sponsored by a group of multinational corporations, in contrast to the single main sponsor of the Barclays Premier League, the Ligue 1 or Serie A TIM. When the Champions League was created in 1992, it was decided that a maximum of eight companies should be allowed to sponsor the event, with each corporation being allocated four advertising boards around the perimeter of the pitch, as well as logo placement at pre- and post-match interviews and a certain number of tickets to each match. This, combined with a deal to ensure tournament sponsors were given priority on television advertisements during matches, ensured that each of the tournament's main sponsors was given maximum exposure.

The advertising boards are a source of criticism, due to their larger size compared to those in other leagues such as the Premier League. Their larger size means that, at some grounds, such as Old Trafford, Anfield, and Stamford Bridge, the front rows of seating cannot be used as their views of the pitch are blocked by the extreme size of the boards; accordingly, some season ticket holders are not guaranteed tickets for games and have to sit in seats other than their usual ones for games. Additionally, some stadia use the flat area in front of the front rows of seating for wheelchairs and disabled seating, so the boards drastically reduce these grounds' disabled supporter capacity.
The Champions League logo is shown on the centre of the pitch before every game in the competition

The tournament's current main sponsors are:

* Ford
* Heineken (excluding Norway, France, Switzerland and Russia, where alcohol sponsorship is restricted. In Norway the Heineken adboard is replaced by a chalk art picture adboard, In France and Switzerland the Heineken adboard is replaced by a "Star Experience" adboard and in Russia the Heineken adboard is replaced by a "No To Racism" adboard)
* MasterCard
* Sony
*The PlayStation, BRAVIA and Sony Ericsson series also sponsors the tournament as parts of Sony's brands
* UniCredit

Adidas is a secondary sponsor and supplies the official match ball, as they do for all other UEFA competitions. Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer is also a secondary sponsor as the official Champions League video game.

Individual clubs may wear uniforms with advertising, even if such sponsors conflict with those of the Champions League. However, only one sponsorship is permitted per uniform (plus that of the manufacturer), and if clubs play a match in a country where the relevant sponsorship category is restricted (such as the case of France and alcohol), then they must remove that logo from their uniforms.

Media coverage

The competition attracts a huge television audience, not just in Europe, but throughout the world. The matches are broadcast in over 70 countries in more than 40 languages each year, and some important matches can attract over 200 million TV audience, often considered as one of the most watched sports events on TV.

UEFA

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The Union of European Football Associations (French: Union des associations européennes de football) is the administrative and controlling body for European football. It is almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA (usually pronounced /juːˈeɪfə/ ew-AY-fə).

UEFA represents the national football associations of Europe, runs Europewide national and club competitions, and controls the prize money, regulations and media rights to those competitions. Several national football associations which are geographically in Asia or mostly in Asia belong to UEFA rather than the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). These nations are Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Israel, Cyprus, Russia and Azerbaijan (Israel and Kazakhstan are former AFC members). Cyprus chose to be classed as a European football nation – it had the choice of Europe, Asia or Africa.

UEFA is the biggest of six continental confederations of FIFA. Of all the confederations, it is by far the strongest in terms of wealth and influence over the global game. Virtually all of the world's top players play in European leagues in part due to the salaries available from the world's wealthiest football clubs, particularly in England, Spain, Italy and Germany. Many of the world's strongest national sides are in UEFA. Of the 32 available spots in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, 14 were allocated to UEFA national teams, and currently 14 of the top 20 teams in the FIFA World Rankings are UEFA members.

UEFA was founded on 15 June 1954 in Basel, Switzerland following discussions between the French, Italian and Belgian FAs. The headquarters was in Paris until 1959 when the organization moved to Bern. Henri Delaunay was the first General Secretary and Ebbe Schwartz the president. Its administrative center since 1995 is in Nyon, Switzerland. It was initially made up of 25 national associations. Currently there are 53 associations (see the bottom of this page or List of UEFA national football teams).

UEFA, as a representative of the national associations, has had a number of bruising clashes with the European Commission. In the 1990s the issues of television rights and especially international transfers (the Bosman ruling) have had to undergo some major changes to remain in line with European law.

The current UEFA President is Michel Platini.

Competitions

Continental

The main competition for men's national teams is the UEFA European Football Championship, started in 1958, with the first finals in 1960, and known as the European Nations Cup until 1964. UEFA also runs national competitions at Under-21, Under-19 and Under-17 levels. For women's national teams, UEFA operates the UEFA Women's Championship for senior national sides and the UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship at under-19 level, since 2008 there is a UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship for under-17 sides.

UEFA also organizes the UEFA-CAF Meridian Cup with CAF for youth teams.

UEFA launched the UEFA Regions' Cup, for semi-professional teams, in 1999.

In futsal there is the UEFA Futsal Championship and UEFA Futsal Under-19 Championship.

Club

UEFA also runs the two main club competitions in Europe (knowns as UEFA club competitions): the UEFA Champions League was first held in 1955, and was known as the European Champion Clubs Cup (or just European Cup) until 1992; and the UEFA Europa League (former UEFA Cup), for national knockout cup winners and high-placed league teams, was launched by UEFA in 1971 as a successor to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (also begun in 1955 but not recognized by UEFA). A third competition, the Cup Winners' Cup, started in 1960 and was absorbed into the UEFA Cup in 1999.

The UEFA Super Cup, which pits the winners of the Champions League against the winners of the UEFA Cup (previously the winners of the Cup Winners' Cup), came into being in 1973.

The UEFA Intertoto Cup was a summer competition, previously operated by several Central European football associations, which was relaunched and recognized as official UEFA club competition by UEFA in 1995. The last Intertoto Cup took place in 2008. UEFA also conducts the UEFA Women's Champions League for women's club teams, first held in 2001, and known as the UEFA Women's Cup until 2009.

The UEFA/CONMEBOL Intercontinental Cup was jointly organised with CONMEBOL between the Champions League and the Copa Libertadores winners.

In futsal there is the UEFA Futsal Cup.

The UEFA Plaque

Only three teams (Juventus, Ajax and Bayern Munich) have won each of the three main competitions (European Cup-UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup Winner's Cup and UEFA Cup/Europa League), a feat that is no longer possible for any team that did not win the Cup Winners' Cup. There are currently nine teams throughout Europe that have won two of the three trophies; all have won the Cup Winners Cup, four require a win in the Champions League and five require a UEFA Cup win.

Juventus is the only team in Europe to win all UEFA's official championships and cups and, as the first side in the history of the European football to have won the three major UEFA competitions, have received The UEFA Plaque by the Union of European Football Associations in 1987.

UEFA competitions

Clubs:

* UEFA Champions League
* UEFA Europa League
* UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1960–1999)
* UEFA Intertoto Cup (1995–2009)
* UEFA Super Cup
* UEFA Women's Champions League
* UEFA club competition records
* List of UEFA club competition winners

National teams:

* UEFA European Football Championship
* UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
* UEFA European Under-19 Football Championship
* UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship
* UEFA Women's Championship
* UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship
* UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship

Semi-professional:

* UEFA Regions' Cup