A massive number of clubs are involved in the Second Qualifying Round (80 in total).

The winners of the 23 First Qualifying Round ties were joined in this round by a further 57 clubs that includes the domestic cup winners from the national associations ranked 30 to 53 in the UEFA coefficient, the runners-up from the associations ranked 19 to 34, the third-placed sides from the associations ranked 16 to 21, the fourth-placed sides from the associations ranked 10 to 15 and the fifth-placed sides from the associations ranked 7 to 9.

What does all that mean? It means that some well known names enter the competition like Romanian giants FC Steaua Bucure?ti, Turkish side Galatasaray SK, Danish club Aalborg BK (a participant in last season’s Champions League group stage. The Danish sides did not farewell in the first leg as Brøndby IF, the first Danish side to reach the UEFA Champions League group stage in 1995/96, succumbed 1-0 at home against Estonian side FC Flora. Meanwhile Aalborg BK could only draw 0-0 with FK Slavija Sarajevo.

The biggest wins of the night went to Dutch side NAC Breda and Rapid Vienna. Brada ran riot on Armenia’s Gandzasar, racking up a 6-0 scoreline. Rapid Vienna also had a good day at the office as they beat Vllaznia of Albania 5-0.

The complete first leg results were as follows (winners are in bold):

Sliema Wanderers (Malta) 0-0 Maccabi Netanya (Israel)
Crusaders (Northern Ireland) 1-1 Rabotnicki (FYR Macedonia)
Zestaponi (Georgia) 1-2 Helsingborg (Sweden)
Milano (FYR Macedonia) 0-4 Slaven Belupo (Croatia)
Naftan (Belarus) 2-1 AA Gent (Belgium)
MSK Zilina (Slovakia) 2-0 Dacia Chisinau (Moldova)
Flamutari Vlore (Albania) 1-0 Motherwell (Scotland)
Liepajas Metalurgs (Latvia) 2-1 Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia)
Sevojno (Serbia) 0-0 FBK Kaunas (Lithuania)
Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) 0-0 Tromso (Norway)
Honka (Finland) 2-0 Bangor City (Wales)
Metalist Donetsk (Ukraine) 3-0 MTZ-RIPO (Belarus)
Tobol (Kazakhstan) 1-1 Galatasaray (Turkey)
Zimbru Chisinau (Moldova) 0-0 Pacos de Ferreira (Portugal)
Skonto Riga (Latvia) 1-1 Derry City (Ireland)
Bnei Yehuda (Israel) 4-0 Dinaburg (Latvia)
Rosenborg (Norway) 0-0 Karabakh (Azerbaijan)
Anorthosis (Cyprus) 2-1 Petrovac (Montenegro)
Vetra (Lithuanua) 0-1 HJK Helsinki (Finland)
Suduva (Lithuania) 0-1 Randers (Denmark)
Elfsborg (Sweden) 3-0 Haladas (Hungary)
Cherno More (Bulgaria) 1-0 Iskra-Stal (Moldova)
Sigma Olomouc (Czech Republic) 1-1 Fram (Iceland)
Rapid Wien (Austria) 5-0 Vllaznia (Albania)
Sturm Graz (Austria) 2-1 Siroki Brijeg (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Basel (Switzerland) 3-0 Santa Coloma (Andorra)
Steaua Bucuresti (Romania) 2-0 Ujpest (Hungary)
Omonia (Cyprus) 4-0 HB (Faroe Islands)
AaB Aalborg (Denmark) 0-0 Slavija (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Legia Warsaw (Poland) 3-0 Olimpi Rustavi (Georgia)
Gorica (Slovenia) 1-0 Lahti (Finland)
Differdange (Luxembourg) 1-0 Rijeka (Croatia)
Rudar Velenje (Slovenia) 0-1 Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
Brondby (Denmark) 0-1 Flora Tallinn (Estonia)
Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina) 1-0 Spartak Trnava (Slovakia)
Juvenes/Dogona (San Marino) 0-1 Polonia Warsaw (Poland)
Falkirk (Scotland) 1-0 Vaduz (Liechtenstein)
NAC Breda (Netherlands) 6-0 Gandzasar (Armenia)
St. Patrick’s Athletic (Ireland) 1-1 Valletta (Malta)
KR (Iceland) 2-0 Larissa (Greece)

A lot of lesser-known teams are involved at this stage but the big upset of the day was SPL side Motherwell losing at home to Welsh opponents Llanelli. 42-year-old player-manager Andy Legg, who played for both Swansea City FC and Cardiff City AFC, called their 1-0 win at Motherwell “the best result that Llanelli have ever had”. I was not able to find highlights of the match but in looking at the minute-by-minute report, Motherwell seemed to dominate possession and there is still a long haul for Llanelli if they are to win this round and earn a second qualifying round tie against Albania’s KS Flamurtari.

The one club in this group that I have been watching over the summer has been Rosenborg. They’ve been ripping up the Norwegian league and are still leading by 4 points with 1 game in hand. They helped themselves to a 3-0 advantage in the first leg and will host the second leg against Faroe Islands side NSÍ Runavík. They should advance comfortably.

One other notable score was Cypriot side Anorthosis, who took part in last season’s UEFA Champions League group stage, defeating Luxembourg’s UN Käerjéng 97 by a massive 5-0.

The complete first leg scores were:

Olimpi Rustavi (Georgia) 2-0 B36 Torshavn (Faroe Islands)
Simurq Zaqatala (Azerbaijan) 0-1 Bnei Yehuda (Israel)
Dinaburg (Latvia) 2-1 Nomme Kalju (Estonia)
Banants (Armenia) 0-2 Siroki Brijeg (Bosnia/Herzegovina)
Sutjeska Niksic (Montenegro) 1-1 MTZ-RIPO (Belarus)
Lahti (Finland) 4-1 Dinamo Tirana (Albania)
Valletta (Malta) 3-0 Keflavik (Iceland)
Zimbru Chisinau (Moldova) 1-2 Okzhetpes (Kazakhstan)
Dinamo Minsk (Belarus) 2-1 Renova (FYR Macedonia)
Narva Trans (Estonia) 0-3 Rudar Velenje (Slovenia)
Szombathelyi Haladas (Hungary) 1-0 Irtysh (Kazakhstan)
Spartak Trnava (Slovakia) 2-1 Inter Baku (Azerbaijan)
Slaven Belupo (Croatia) 1-0 Birkirkara (Malta)
Grevenmacher (Luxembourg) 0-3 Veta (Lithuania)
Anorthosis (Cyprus) 5-0 Kaerjeng (Luxembourg)
Randers (Denmark) 4-0 Linfield (Northern Ireland)
NSI Runavik (Faroe Islands) 0-3 Rosenborg (Norway)
Sligo Rovers (Ireland) 1-2 Vllaznia (Albania)
Fram (Iceland) 2-1 The New Saints (Wales)
Buducnost (Montenegro) 0-2 Polonia Warsaw (Poland)
Lisburn Distillery (Northern Ireland) 1-5 Zestaponi (Georgia)
Helsingborg (Sweden) 3-1 MIKA (Armenia)
Motherwell (Scotland) 0-1 Llanelli (Wales)

The UEFA Cup (perhaps soon to be known as the Europa League as we covered a while back) is in some ways more interesting to me as the diversity of nations represented is much higher. If Michel Platini is successful with his reforms, we may see more diversity soon in the Champions League but for now, the UEFA Cup is the place to really learn about the teams in some of Europe’s “smaller” footballing nations like Norway, Denmark, Croatia, Bulgaria, etc.

The draw for the UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round took place last Friday and it has presented us with a number of all Scandinavian fixtures. One of the highlights will be Djurgarden v Rosenborg. Djurgarden, who are going through a bit of a rebuilding phase after being dominant in the early 2000′s, are led by veteran striker Mattias Jonson (formerly with Brondby and Norwich) who has represented Sweden at two World Cups. Djurgarden are currently sitting 10th in the Allsvenskan (Swedish league) table.

Rosenborg are also rebuilding under new manager Erik Hamrén. The club had been trying to sign Kenny Cooper from MLS team Dallas FC but Cooper will remain with the club for the rest of this season. They have also sold Swedish defender Fredrik Stoor to Fulham of the English Premier League. Another player that might be on the move from the club is midfielder Per Ciljan Skjelbred who has drawn interested from Tottenham, Ajax, Blackburn and Newcastle, but it was West Bromwich Albion that has made the first bid for his services. Rosenborg have turned down that offer but with contract talks with Skjelbred stalemated, Rosenborg may start listening to offers again shortly. Rosenborg are struggling again this season and sit 9th in the Norwegian league table with 10 rounds of games left to play.

It’ll be fascinating to see which of these two strugglers will progress in the tournament and if a win in this competition can boost their sagging domestic form.

2008/09 UEFA Cup second qualifying round draw
First leg: 14 August
Second leg: 28 August

NORTHERN SECTION

Djurgarden (Sweden) v Rosenborg Trondheim (Norway)
Manchester City (England) v Midtjylland (Denmark)
FC Honka (Finland) v Viking Stavanger (Norway)
Queen of the South (Scotland) v Nordsjaelland (Denmark)
Ghent (Belgium) v Kalmar (Sweden)
Aston Villa (England) v FH (Iceland)
Stabaek (Norway) v Stade Rennes (France)
Haka Valkeakoski (Finland) v Brondby (Denmark)
FC Copenhagen (Denmark) v Lillestrom (Norway)
Elfsborg Boras (Sweden) v St. Patrick’s Athletic (Ireland)

SOUTHERN SECTION
Siroki Brijeg (Bosnia) v Besiktas (Turkey)
Braga (Portugal) v Zrinjski (Bosnia)
Lokomotiv Sofia (Bulgaria) v Borac Cacak (Serbia)
Aris Salonika (Greece) v Slaven Belupo Koprivnica (Croatia)
Omonia Nicosia (Cyprus) v AEK Athens (Greece)
Vllaznia Shkoder (Albania) v Napoli (Italy)
APOEL Nicosia (Cyprus) v Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
Deportivo Coruna (Spain) v Hajduk Split (Croatia)
Litex Lovech (Bulgaria) v Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona (Israel)
Vojvodina Novi Sad (Serbia) v Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel)
Maccabi Netanya (Israel) v Cherno More Varna (Bulgaria)

CENTRAL-EAST SECTION
VfB Stuttgart (Germany) v Gyor ETO (Hungary)
FC Zurich (Switzerland) v Sturm Graz (Austria)
Lech Poznan (Poland) v Grasshoppers (Switzerland)
Slovan Liberec (Czech Republic) v Zilina (Slovakia)
Metalurgs Liepaja (Latvia) v Vaslui (Romania)
Young Boys (Switzerland) v Debrecen (Hungary)
WIT Georgia Tbilisi (Georgia) v Austria Vienna (Austria)
Suduva Marijampole (Lithuania) v Salzburg (Austria)
Interblock Ljubljana (Slovenia) v Hertha Berlin (Germany)
Legia Warsaw (Poland) v FC Moscow (Russia)
Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine) v AC Bellinzona (Switzerland)

The final set of Intertoto Cup fixtures took place over the weekend and the eleven winning clubs now advance to the UEFA Cup second qualifying round. Advancing are Aston Villa, Napoli, Stade Rennais FC, RC Deportivo La Coruna, SC Braga, SC Vaslui, SK Sturm Graz, Grasshopper-Club, VfB Stuttgart, IF Elfsborg and Rosenborg BK.

A bit of history was made in this final installment of the Intertoto Cup as Rosenborg became the first Norwegian side to successfully qualify and Stuttgart became the only side to qualify for the UEFA Cup from the Intertoto Cup three times. All eleven Intertoto Cup winners will join the 16 automatic entrants and the 37 UEFA Cup first qualifying round winners in the draw for the second round, which will be held this Friday in Nyon.

The UEFA Intertoto Cup winners that progress furthest in the UEFA Cup will be presented with a trophy, following in the footsteps of Newcastle United FC in 2006 and Hamburg last season, who both reached the Round of 16.

Aston Villa’s 1-0 home win against Odense BK secured a 3-2 aggregate victory but also came at a heavy cost. Defender Wilfred Bouma had to be carried off after dislocating his ankle in the eleventh minute and is likely out for several months. In a bit of a soap-opera twist, wantaway midfielder Gareth Barry came on to replace Bouma.He received a warm reception from the home fans, which was a dramatic turnaround from his being booed by Villa supporters in a friendly the previous Wednesday.

Some of the more well-known clubs jump into the fray in this final round of competition including 2007 Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart, Aston Villa (former European Cup and 2001 Intertoto Cup Winners) and Norwegian club Rosenborg. Winners of this round enter UEFA Cup second qualifying round. The ultimate winner of the Intertoto Cup is the club from the surviving 11 who advances the furthest in the UEFA Cup.

My predictions of who will advance are highlighted. I’m picking what might be considered an upset by choosing Russian club Saturn over Stuttgart but the Russian league is in mid-season and Saturn crushed their opponents in the last round 8-1 on aggregate so they are in fine form going into this fixture. The same logic was applied to select Rosenborg advancing over NAC Breda.

Here are the complete fixtures, the first leg takes place over July 19th and 20th with the second leg being held on July 26th and 27th.

Bnei Sakhnin FC (Israel) v RC Deportivo La Coruña (Spain)
Panionios GSS (Greece) v SSC Napoli (Italy)
Sivasspor (Turkey) v SC Braga (Portugal)
Grasshopper-Club (Switzerland) v PFC Chernomorets Burgas (Bulgaria)
FC Saturn Moskovskaya Oblast (Russia) v VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
PFC Neftçi (Azerbijan) v SC Vaslui (Romania)
Stade Rennais FC (France) v SC Tavriya Simferopol (Ukraine)
SK Sturm Graz (Austria) v Budapest Honvéd FC (Hungary)
NAC Breda (Netherlands) v Rosenborg BK (Norway)
Odense BK (Denmark) v Aston Villa FC (England)
IF Elfsborg (Sweden) v FK R?ga (Latvia)