MIDDLESBROUGH and Millwall were both given difficult assignments yesterday in their first forays into European competition. The draw for the first round of the Uefa Cup paired Middlesbrough, the Carling Cup winners, with Baník Ostrava, the champions of the Czech Republic, while Millwall, who qualify as losing FA Cup finalists, face Ferencváros, of Hungary. Both clubs will be at home in the first legs on September 16, as will Newcastle United, who play Bnei Sakhnin, the Israeli cup-winners and the first Arab team to represent the country in Europe.
“We expect the game will be in Tel Aviv and we’ll be taking advice as to the best way to proceed,” Freddie Shepherd, the Newcastle chairman, said. “Although I don’t want to show any disrespect, we should make progress.”
Steve McClaren, the Middlesbrough manager, said: “This team won the Czech league and, therefore, they have a good pedigree. They lost their first leg against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League qualifier, but won the second, so it shows they’re dangerous.”
Millwall could have found themselves in Chechnya or Ukraine, so were reasonably happy to be visiting Budapest. “It’s a great draw, but they are probably the hardest unseeded team in our group,” Theo Paphitis, the chairman, said.
Heart of Midlothian and Rangers drew Braga and Marítimo, both of Portugal, respectively. Hearts will stage the home leg of their tie at Murrayfield because Tynecastle does not meet Uefa requirements. Shelbourne, of the Eircom League, will play Lille, of France.
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UEFA CUP FIRST ROUND DRAW
AK Graz v Litex Lovech; Lazio v Metalurgs Donetsk; Bodo Glimt v Besiktas; Shelbourne v Lille; Heart of Midlothian v SC Braga; Austria Vienna v Legia Warsaw; Dukla Banska v Benfica; Partizan Belgrade v Dinamo Bucharest; Parma v Maribor; Real Zaragoza v Sigma Olomouc; Sporting Lisbon v Rapid Vienna; Newcastle United v Hapoel Bnei Sakhnin; Steaua Bucharest v CSKA Sofia; Wisla Krakow v Dinamo Tbilisi; FC Utrecht v Djurgardens; Millwall v Ferencvaros; Schalke 04 v FK
Liepajas Metalurgs; Maccabi Haifa v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk; Terek Grozny v FC Basle; Odd Grenland v Feyenoord; Aalborg v Auxerre; Sevilla v CD Nacional; NK Gorica v AEK Athens; Standard Liège v VfL Bochum; Crvena Zvezda v Zenit St Petersburg; Trabzonspor v Athletic Bilbao; Ujpesti v VfB Stuttgart; Maccabi Petach Tikva v Heerenveen; Panionios v Udinese; Levski Sofia v Beveren; Dinamo Zagreb v IF Elfsborg; FH Hafnarfjordur v Aachen; Middlesbrough v Banik Ostrava; FC Bruges
v Chateauroux; PAOK v AZ Alkmaar; FK Ventspils v Amica Wronki; Sochaux v Stabaek; Egaleo v Genclerbirligi; Rangers v Maritimo; Villarreal v Hammarby.