Ajax faces stiff Shevchenko test
Source: Agencies |
August 7, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FORMER European champion Ajax Amsterdam, hoping to reach the Champions League group stage for the first time in five seasons, was handed a tough draw against Dynamo Kiev in the final qualifying round yesterday.
The draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon also paired Germany's Werder Bremen with Italy's Sampdoria and English Premier League Tottenham Hotspur faces Switzerland's Young Boys, which dumped Fenerbahce out of the competition on Wednesday.
Ajax, absent from the group stage since 2005-06, will travel to Ukraine for the first leg on August 17 or 18.
Dynamo's attack is spearheaded by former AC Milan and Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko, the third highest-ever scorer in the competition with 58 goals.
The Ukrainians comfortably beat Gent 6-1 on aggregate in the third qualifying round while Ajax struggled past PAOK Salonika on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate draw.
Sampdoria is hoping to qualify for the Champions League for the first time. The Serie A side reached the final of the former European Cup in its last season in 1991-92, where it lost to Barcelona in its only previous appearance in Europe's top club competition.
Neither Young Boys nor Tottenham have played in the group stage, Tottenham having last taken part in Europe's top club competition 48 years ago.
All three ties will be played in the non-champions half of the draw along with Braga vs Sevilla and Zenit St Petersburg vs Auxerre.
For the second season running, non-champion teams from the bigger European leagues have been kept apart from champion teams from the smaller leagues to ensure that some of the latter are represented in the group stage.
In the champions half, Sheriff Tiraspol, which last season was one round from becoming the first Moldovan team to reach the group stage, was drawn against FC Basel.
Czech champion Sparta Prague faces Zilina, from neighboring Slovakia, and Rosenborg meets FC Copenhagen in an all-Scandinavian tie between two sides with past group stage experience.
Serbian champion Partizan Belgrade faces Anderlecht.
The draw at UEFA headquarters in Nyon also paired Germany's Werder Bremen with Italy's Sampdoria and English Premier League Tottenham Hotspur faces Switzerland's Young Boys, which dumped Fenerbahce out of the competition on Wednesday.
Ajax, absent from the group stage since 2005-06, will travel to Ukraine for the first leg on August 17 or 18.
Dynamo's attack is spearheaded by former AC Milan and Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko, the third highest-ever scorer in the competition with 58 goals.
The Ukrainians comfortably beat Gent 6-1 on aggregate in the third qualifying round while Ajax struggled past PAOK Salonika on away goals after a 4-4 aggregate draw.
Sampdoria is hoping to qualify for the Champions League for the first time. The Serie A side reached the final of the former European Cup in its last season in 1991-92, where it lost to Barcelona in its only previous appearance in Europe's top club competition.
Neither Young Boys nor Tottenham have played in the group stage, Tottenham having last taken part in Europe's top club competition 48 years ago.
All three ties will be played in the non-champions half of the draw along with Braga vs Sevilla and Zenit St Petersburg vs Auxerre.
For the second season running, non-champion teams from the bigger European leagues have been kept apart from champion teams from the smaller leagues to ensure that some of the latter are represented in the group stage.
In the champions half, Sheriff Tiraspol, which last season was one round from becoming the first Moldovan team to reach the group stage, was drawn against FC Basel.
Czech champion Sparta Prague faces Zilina, from neighboring Slovakia, and Rosenborg meets FC Copenhagen in an all-Scandinavian tie between two sides with past group stage experience.
Serbian champion Partizan Belgrade faces Anderlecht.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
