Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) v Internazionale FC (ITA) Milan AC (ITA) v FC Slovan Liberec (CZE) Rosenborg BK (NOR) v Brøndby IF (DEN) v KS Dinamo Tirana (ALB) FC Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Club Brugge KV (BEL) v FC Dinamo B'resti (ROM) NK Maribor (SLO) v APOEL Nicosia FC (CYP) v AEK Athens FC (GRE) FC Barcelona (ESP) v FK Vardar (MKD) v Legia Warszawa (POL) FC Skonto (EST) v PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) v FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) v FC Pyunik (ARM) Lillestrøm SK (NOR) or FK Zeljeznicar (BHZ) v Newcastle United FC (ENG) Hammarby IF (SWE) v FK Partizan (YUG) v FC Bayern München (GER) KRC Genk (BEL) v AC Sparta Praha (CZE) v FC Torp. Kutaisi (GEO) Maccabi Haifa (ISR) v FC Belshina Bobruisk (BLS) v SK Sturm Graz (AUT) Celtic FC (SCO) v MŠK Zilina (SVK) v FC Basel (SUI) Feyenoord (HOL) v Fenerbahçe SK (TUR) Zalaegerszegi TE (HUN) v NK Zagreb (CRO) v Manchester United FC (ENG) Boavista FC (POR) v Hibernians FC (MLT) v AJ Auxerre (FRA) FC Sheriff Tiraspol (MOL) v Grazer AK (AUT) v FC Lokomotiv Moscow (RUS) Damn, Milan is playing my favorite Czech club.
Certainly got the easier end of the draw. It will be interesting to see how Inter do this season with the wonder kid back to full fitness.
Today's matches: 17:00 Sparta Prague (Cze) ? - ? Torpedo Kutaisi (Geo) 18:00 Dynamo Kyiv (Ukr) ? - ? Pyunik Yerevan (Arm) 18:00 Skonto Riga (Lat) ? - ? Levski Sofia (Bul) 18:00 Zilina (Slk) ? - ? Basel (Swi) 19:00 Hammarby (Swe) ? - ? Partizan Belg. (Yug) 19:00 Lillestrom (Nor) ? - ? Zeljeznicar S. (Bos) 19:00 Maccabi Haifa (Isr) ? - ? Belsh. Bobruisk (Blr) 19:30 Sheriff Tiraspol (Mol) ? - ? Graz AK (Aus) 20:00 Club Brugge (Bel) ? - ? Dinamo Bu'rest (Rom) 20:00 Vardar Skopje (Mac) ? - ? Legia Warsaw (Pol) 20:15 Brondby (Den) ? - ? Dinamo Tirana (Alb) 20:15 NK Maribor (Slo) ? - ? Apoel Nicosia (Cyp) 20:45 Zalaegerszeg (Hun) ? - ? NK Zagreb (Cro) 22:00 Boavista (Por) ? - ? Hibernians Paola (Mal)
FT Sparta Prague (Cze) 3 - 0 Torpedo Kutaisi (Geo) FT Skonto Riga (Lat) 0 - 0 Levski Sofia (Bul) FT Dynamo Kyiv (Ukr) 4 - 0 Pyunik Yerevan (Arm) FT Zilina (Slk) 1 - 1 Basel (Swi) FT Hammarby (Swe) 1 - 1 Partizan Belg. (Yug) FT Lillestrom (Nor) 0 - 1 Zeljeznicar S. (Bos) FT Maccabi Haifa (Isr) 4 - 0 Belsh. Bobruisk (Blr) FT Sheriff Tiraspol (Mol) 1 - 4 Graz AK (Aus) FT Club Brugge (Bel) 3 - 1 Dinamo Bu'rest (Rom) FT Vardar Skopje (Mac) 1 - 3 Legia Warsaw (Pol) FT Brondby (Den) 1 - 0 Dinamo Tirana (Alb) FT NK Maribor (Slo) 2 - 1 Apoel Nicosia (Cyp) FT Zalaegerszeg (Hun) 1 - 0 NK Zagreb (Cro) FT Boavista (Por) 4 - 0 Hibernians Paola (Mal)
August 7th Belsh. Bobruisk (Blr) ? - ? Maccabi Haifa (Isr) Pyunik Yerevan (Arm) ? - ? Dynamo Kyiv (Ukr) Torpedo Kutaisi (Geo) ? - ? Sparta Prague (Cze) Graz AK (Aus) ? - ? Sheriff Tiraspol (Mol) Apoel Nicosia (Cyp) ? - ? NK Maribor (Slo) Basel (Swi) ? - ? Zilina (Slk) Levski Sofia (Bul) ? - ? Skonto Riga (Lat) Dinamo Bu'rest (Rom) ? - ? Club Brugge (Bel) Dinamo Tirana (Alb) ? - ? Brondby (Den) Hibernians Paola (Mal) ? - ? Boavista (Por) Legia Warsaw (Pol) ? - ? Vardar Skopje (Mac) Zeljeznicar S. (Bos) ? - ? Lillestrom (Nor) NK Zagreb (Cro) ? - ? Zalaegerszeg (Hun) Partizan Belg. (Yug) ? - ? Hammarby (Swe)
FT Belsh. Bobruisk (Blr) 0 - 1 Maccabi Haifa (Isr) FT Pyunik Yerevan (Arm) 2 - 2 Dynamo Kyiv (Ukr) FT Torpedo Kutaisi (Geo) 1 - 2 Sparta Prague (Cze) FT Graz AK (Aus) 2 - 0 Sheriff Tiraspol (Mol) FT Apoel Nicosia (Cyp) 4 - 2 NK Maribor (Slo) FT Basel (Swi) 3 - 0 Zilina (Slk) FT Levski Sofia (Bul) 2 - 0 Skonto Riga (Lat) FT Dinamo Bu'rest (Rom) 0 - 1 Club Brugge (Bel) FT Hibernians Paola (Mal) 3 - 3 Boavista (Por) FT Legia Warsaw (Pol) 1 - 1 Vardar Skopje (Mac) FT Dinamo Tirana (Alb) 0 - 4 Brondby (Den) FT Zeljeznicar S. (Bos) 1 - 0 Lillestrom (Nor) FT NK Zagreb (Cro) 2 - 1 Zalaegerszeg (Hun) FT Partizan Belg. (Yug) 4 - 0 Hammarby (Swe)
Which makes for the following matches in round three: Tough as nails (based on relative strength, can't pick a winner): Sporting Lisbon (Portugal) v Inter Milan (Italy) Rosenborg Trondheim (Norway) v Brondby (Denmark) Maccabi Haifa (Israel) v Sturm Graz (Austria) Feyenoord (Netherlands) v Fenerbahce (Turkey) Boavista (Portugal) v AJ Auxerre (France) Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia) v Graz AK (Austria) Pee in your pants, but the big(ger) teams should be ok: AC Milan (Italy) v Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic) Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) v Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) Partizan Belgrade (Yugoslavia) v Bayern Munich (Germany) Genk (Belgium) v Sparta Prague (Czech Republic) Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) v Club Bruges (Belgium) Celtic (Scotland) v FC Basel (Switzerland) Should be a blow-out: APOEL Nicosia (Cyprus) v AEK Athens (Greece) Barcelona (Spain) v Legia Warsaw (Poland) Zeljeznicar Sarajevo (Bosnia) v Newcastle United (England) Zalaegerszegi (Hungary) v Manchester United (England)
Sporting and Inter must be cursing their luck. What a tough draw. I would put Shaktar vs. Brugge in that tough as nails category. Should be a good one. Incidentally, the word in the U.S. is that non espn matches will be made available via closed circuit, four matches at a time. That might be pretty good, especially considering there was virtually no way to see the non-espn matches last time.
Well ESPN have the rights, although they may need to sublet them for the closed-circuit part. Keep in mind, this is just what the owner of a soccer place told me he thinks is happening. I do think Setanta was somehow involved.
Well, actually, it shouldn't be too hard for inter becasue Lisbon's goalie is injured, jao Pinto will miss both games and Jardel will miss at least one of them.
ESPN doesn't have the rights for the qualifying. Each year, games in qualifying stage are sold by the individual teams to different carriers. That's why RAI, RTPi, FSW, Turkish DFH2 all had shown qualifying games in the past. In the past, VideoSports also had the rights to show the games over the Internet. Now that VideoSports are dead, look for some other PPV outfit to grab the rights. Setanta is the most logical choice.
Well, at least Celtic x Basle will be on Setanta on Wednesday. http://www.setanta.com/sport/Schedules_Northamerica.htm but probably no other PPV on the first leg. However, I suspect RAI is doing something about the first legs of Milan x Liberec and Sporting x Inter. As of Aug 12, the RAI web-site still hasn't had a program schedule for Aug 14. It very rare. I suspect they are still trying to fit a game in on Wednesday.
August 13th Maccabi Haifa - Sturm Graz Apoel Nicosia - AEK Athens Racing Genk - Sparta Prague Feyenoord - Fenerbahce Boavista - Auxerre
FT Maccabi Haifa 2 - 0 Sturm Graz FT Apoel Nicosia 2 - 3 AEK Athens FT Racing Genk 2 - 0 Sparta Prague FT Feyenoord 1 - 0 Fenerbahce FT Boavista 0 - 1 Auxerre
Excellent result for Haifa. It will be very interesting to see how UEFA politics deals with the situation of an Israeli team in the group stages after making them play the qualifiers away from home.
Today's CL Qualifying Matches: Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukr) ? - ? Club Brugge (Bel) Levski Sofia (Bul) ? - ? Dynamo Kyiv (Ukr) Zeljeznicar S. (Bos) ? - ? Newcastle U. (Eng) AC Milan (Ita) ? - ? Liberec (Cze) Graz AK (Aus) ? - ? Lok. Moscow (Rus) Partizan Belg. (Yug) ? - ? Bayern Munich (Ger) Celtic (Sco) ? - ? Basel (Swi) Rosenborg (Nor) ? - ? Brondby (Den) Zalaegerszeg (Hun) ? - ? Manchester U. (Eng) Barcelona (Spa) ? - ? Legia Warsaw (Pol) Sporting Lisbon (Por) ? - ? Inter Milan (Ita)
Watched the Sparta-Genk game last night on TV and I must say Genk deserved to win by a few more goals. They had two goals called back in the second half... one because of an offside. Sparta came out really strong for the first 20 minutes, but fell back once Genk scored in the 32nd minute. Tonight, the Liberec at AC Milan game is on Czech TV.