UEFA Cup 2nd Round draw [R]

[gaijin]

UEFA Cup 2nd Round draw

The draw for the second round of the UEFA cup will take place in Nyon, Switzerland on the 17th December at around 13:45 CET.

The draw will consist of the 24 teams who have qualified from the group stage of the UEFA qualifying plus the 8 other teams who finished third in their respective Champions League groups.

Teams who have finished first in the UEFA groups will be paired off with teams that finished third in the other respective groups. The team that finished first will have the advantage of playing their tie away from home first. Teams that have been eliminated from the Champions League, will play teams that have finished second in the UEFA cup groups.

No team from the same country (football association) or same qualifying group can play each other at this stage.

To break it down there will be two groups with two different pots:

Countries indicated in brackets.

Group A

Red Pot (1st placed teams)

Middlesbrough [ENG]
AZ Alkmaar [NED]
Stuttgart [GER]
Lille [FRA]
Athletic Bilbao [ESP]
Dnipro
Newcastle United [ENG]
Feyenoord [NED]

Blue Pot (3rd place teams)

Partizan Belgrade [SGC]
AK Graz [AUT]
Herenveen [NED]
Alemannia Aachen [GER]
Parma [ITA]
Austria Vienna [AUT]
Sporting Lisbon [PRT]
FC Basel [SUI]

[U]Group B

Yellow Pot (2nd placed teams)

Villarreal [ESP]
Auxerre [FRA]
Benfica [PRT]
Sevilla [ESP]
Steaua Bucharest [ROM]
Real Zaragoza [ESP]
Sochaux [FRA]
Schalke 04 [GER]

Green Pot (Eliminated Champions League teams)

Fenerbache [TUR]
Panathinaikos [GRE]
Olympiakos [GRE]
Valencia [ESP]
CSKA Moskva [RUS]
Dynamo Kyiv [UKR]
Shakhtar Donetsk [UKR]
Ajax [NED]


Imo – Group B will provide the most interesting draws….

[gaijin]

My preview....

Group A:

Red pot:

Avoid at all cost - Feyenoord, Stuttgart, Newcastle United
Dangerous floaters - Middlesbrough, Lille, Athletic Bilbao.
Easy option - Dnipro, AZ Alkmaar

Blue pot:

Avoid at all cost - Parma, Sporting Lisbon
Dangerous floaters - FC Basel, Partizan Belgrade
Easy option - Herenveen, Aachen, Austria Vienna, AK Graz

Group B

Yellow pot:

Avoid at all cost - Benfica, Sevilla, Schalke
Dangerous floaters - Auxerre, Zaragoza, Villarreal
Easy option - Steaua, Sochaux

Green pot:

Avoid at all cost - Valencia, Ajax, Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar
Dangerous floaters - Fenerbache (at home especially), Olympiakos, Panathinaikos
Easy Option - CSKA

That said every team in the green pot is tough as nails. Considering playing in Eastern europe in February and the hostile atmosphere of Athens/Istanbul. Remember that Panathinaikos will have to play at the Olympic stadium, due to the ground not meeting UEFA safety standards.

[SueB]

Thanks for the info. I believe they're also drawing for the Round of 16 tomorrow as well. Do you know if that will be a random draw?

[gaijin]

Thanks for the info. I believe they're also drawing for the Round of 16 tomorrow as well. Do you know if that will be a random draw?

I believe that they will determine that each game will have a certain number (i.e = 1-16) from this there will be a set system of matches played (i.e - 7v4, 8v2 etc.)

From what I know, this is completely random.....but I would guess matches form group A will be paired off with matches from Group B....

That would be my guess.

[arthur d]

I believe that they will determine that each game will have a certain number (i.e = 1-16) from this there will be a set system of matches played (i.e - 7v4, 8v2 etc.)

From what I know, this is completely random.....but I would guess matches form group A will be paired off with matches from Group B....

That would be my guess.

Is it just me or is the pairing slightly unfair? You come second in your group, and this gives you the privilege to play a Champions League team? Sure, VfB Stuttgart, Feyenoord and Newcastle United are dangerous opposition, but on average the CL teams are better.

[SueB]

It does seem harsh for the 2nd-place teams, but if you did it any differently, it would be harsh for the group-winners, which wouldn't make any sense at all.

[arthur d]

It does seem harsh for the 2nd-place teams, but if you did it any differently, it would be harsh for the group-winners, which wouldn't make any sense at all.

Why? I'd draw group winners against runners-up, and third placed teams against CL drop outs. Still an incentive to win the group surely.

[SueB]

But then finishing 1st or 2nd wouldn't make any difference (except for getting the home leg second, which is something, I guess). Much more incentive to win if your reward is a matchup vs 3rd-place team. I also don't like the idea of rewarding those CL teams anymore for finishing 3rd out of 4 teams by giving them an easier draw to boot.

[arthur d]

But then finishing 1st or 2nd wouldn't make any difference (except for getting the home leg second, which is something, I guess). Much more incentive to win if your reward is a matchup vs 3rd-place team. I also don't like the idea of rewarding those CL teams anymore for finishing 3rd out of 4 teams by giving them an easier draw to boot.

But it would still be better to get somebody out of:

Benfica, Sevilla, Schalke
Auxerre, Zaragoza, Villarreal
Steaua, Sochaux

rather than:

Feyenoord, Stuttgart, Newcastle United
Middlesbrough, Lille, Athletic Bilbao.
Dnipro, AZ Alkmaar

In fact, what I suggest would be just like the CL draw tomorrow, 1sts vs 2nds. Now the second teams have to play:

Valencia, Ajax, Dynamo Kyiv, Shakhtar
Fenerbache, Olympiakos, Panathinaikos
CSKA

That's an incentive to comefirst surely?

[SueB]

I assume the system was known before the teams were determined, so listing the clubs doesn't change anything. And you can't compare this to the CL draw since in that competition 2nd-place = lowest seed. In any tournament I've ever followed, finishing 1st in your pool/group sets you up vs the lowest seed(s) available.

The real problem is allowing these CL teams in at all.

[arthur d]

I assume the system was known before the teams were determined, so listing the clubs doesn't change anything. And you can't compare this to the CL draw since in that competition 2nd-place = lowest seed. In any tournament I've ever followed, finishing 1st in your pool/group sets you up vs the lowest seed(s) available.

The real problem is allowing these CL teams in at all.

Sure, it makes it more complicated. Anyway, we're quite far into the competition so there are no pushovers left. And finishing first or second is also a bit of luck and doesn't show who's the better team, as we can easily see with Schalke and Feyenoord. :D

[gaijin]

AK Graz [AUT] v Middlesbrough [ENG] (1)

Alemannia Aachen [GER] v AZ Alkmaar [NED] (6)

Parma [ITA] v Stuttgart [GER] (4)

FC Basel [SUI] v Lille [FRA] (3)

Austria Vienna [AUT] v Athletic Bilbao [ESP] (7)

Partizan Belgrade [SGC] v Dnipro [UKR] (8)

Herenveen [NED] v Newcastle United [ENG] (2)

Sporting Lisbon [PRT] v Feyenoord [NED] (5)

Dynamo Kyiv [UKR] v Villarreal [ESP] (16)

Ajax [NED] v Auxerre [FRA] (10)

CSKA Moskva [RUS] v Benfica [PRT] (11)

Panathinaikos v Sevilla [ESP] (13)

Valencia [ESP] v Steaua Bucharest [ROM] (9)

Fenerbache [TUR] v Real Zaragoza [ESP] (12)

Olympiakos [GRE] v Sochaux [FRA] (15)

Shakhtar Donetsk [UKR] v Schalke 04 [GER] (14)

[gaijin]

Round 3 draw:

Winner of (1) v Winner of (5)

Winner of (13) v Winner of (4)

Winner of (9) v Winner of (16)

Winner of (3) v Winner of (10)

Winner of (15) v Winner of (2)

Winner of (14) v Winner of (6)

Winner of (8) v Winner of (11)

Winner of (7) v Winner of (12)