UC 1st round draw revealed: Three matches to watch

By: Ian Rose | June 29th, 2007

74 teams will enter the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup on July 19th, and as of today, we know the breakdown of who will play whom. Rather than list 37 fixtures, I’ve gone ahead and picked three matches to watch, three ties that could produce an overachieving side that can go deeper into the tournament than anyone expects. Here you go:

St. Patrick’s Athletic FC (Ireland) v. Odense BK (Denmark):
Odense did it last year, beating teams from Wales, Germany and the Netherlands and only being beaten to further qualification by Lens on goal differential. They could do it again this season if they can get past the Saints, whose major European accomplishment has been a nice run in the Intertoto Cup in 2002.
My pick: Odense

FC Midjylland (Denmark) v. Keflavik (Iceland):
There are two Scandinavian derbies in the first round this season, making for great rivalries in the North Sea this summer. This one promises to be the more interesting. Midjylland finished second in Denmark last season, and features promising Nigerian midfielder Adigun Taofeek Salami, who has recently won a trial at Chelsea. Keflavik has a few UEFA Cup trips under their belt, but they’ve been absent from the tournament for a while, and have never won a first-round match.
My pick: Midjylland

Sliema Wanderers (Malta) v. PFC Litex Lovech (Bulgaria):
This is a tough one to call. Litex has the better record in Europe, notably beating Union Berlin in the second round in 2001, but Sliema has a few key players that could make all the difference, including Nigerian international keeper Murphy Akanji.
My pick: Sliema, by a nose.

More immediately, we have the second and deciding leg of the first round of Intertoto this weekend, and I’ll bring you the scores and highlights here on the blog as soon after the matches as possible.