UEFA Cup : Qualifying Rounds Draws

Töpher

Round 1:
HJK Helsinki (Finland) - Drogheda
Goteburg (Sweden) - Derry City

Hmmm.... Anyone know if Finland play a summer league?

MrJoeSoap

Generally considered Finland's biggest club, HJK Helsinki is also the most successful Finnish club in terms of league championships with 21. The club has also won eight Finnish Cups and four Finnish League Cups. Many of Finland's internationally most successful players have played for HJK Helsinki before moving abroad.

HJK Helsinki is the only Finnish club to have played in the UEFA Champions League group stage. They did so in the 1998–1999 season, triumphing over FC Metz in the second qualifying round. The club also managed a respectable five points in their group, beating Benfica at home and earning draws at home to Kaiserslautern and away to Benfica. They lost to PSV Eindhoven twice and to Kaiserslautern away.

IFK Göteborg is a Swedish football club based in Gothenburg. The club is often referred to simply as IFK, although this can be confusing as there are many other clubs in Sweden with that abbreviation as a prefix. The club, formed on 4 October 1904, has won 17 national championship titles, four national cup titles, and two UEFA Cups.

With Malmö FF and AIK, IFK Göteborg are often considered to make up the classic "Big Three" in Swedish club football, with 42 championship titles among them. IFK Göteborg is also the only Swedish team to have won a European cup competition, the UEFA Cup in 1982 and 1987. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Allsvenskan, where they have played the majority of the seasons during their existence. The last time they played in a lower league was in 1976.

And yeah they are both summer leagues, April-October.

Best of luck lads...

gimmick

Bad day all round for the Irish clubs then.

Hopefully Derry can continue irish clubs run against Swedish opposition though.

PHB

Derry will get beat by IFK, they are actually quite a decent club.

MrJoeSoap

PHB wrote:

Derry will get beat by IFK, they are actually quite a decent club.

As are Malmo (currently level on points with IFK, though IFK beat them 1-0 recently), who Cork City comfortably beat 4-1 on aggregate just two years ago.

I don't think its going to be easy by any means, but lets give Derry some credit here.

Kingp35

Very tough draws for both sides. It probably couldnt have turned out much worse. Lets keep positive though as I think both Derry and Drogheda can get through the ties but it will be very tough

MrJoeSoap

PHB wrote:

Derry will get beat by IFK, they are actually quite a decent club.

C'mon Derry

MrJoeSoap

PHB wrote:

Derry will get beat by IFK, they are actually quite a decent club.

Have some faith!