Fuente : UEFA (English)
http://www.uefa.com/

UEFA Cup: 'Red Star' light up busy night

/noticias.info/ Prepare for a feast of UEFA Cup football tonight as 62 teams do battle for a place in the competition proper.

Next round
With 33 berths in the first round already allocated, the second legs of tonight's second qualifying round ties will decide next month's remaining competitors, all of whom will have one eye on entry to the lucrative group stage of the competition, starting in October.

Besiktas hope
Among the biggest names in action are Beşiktaş JK of Turkey, 1-0 winners away to Liechtenstein's FC Vaduz a fortnight ago, while Serbo-Montenegrin giants FK Crvena Zvezda are confident of a progress after a 3-1 victory at NK Inter Žapresic.

Zenga demands
"I shall demand a good performance from my players," said Crvena Zvezda coach Walter Zenga. "The European scene is something special and we must take our chances. The Croatian club have a strong defence and we must be wary of their counterattacks. All sportsmen believe in miracles and we must make sure Inter do not get one."

Miracle men
Many regarded Dundee United FC's journey to the 1986/87 UEFA Cup final as something of a miracle, but the Scottish outfit should be on safer ground at Tannadice as they look to build on a goalless draw at Finland's Myllykosken Pallo-47.

Cork buoyant
Fellow Celts Cork City FC also have reason to believe after a 1-1 away draw against Swedish high-fliers Djurgårdens IF. Top of the table in the Republic of Ireland, this could be turning into a marvellous season for Damien Richardson's side.

Plock shock
In other tense ties, Grasshopper-Club from Zurich face a difficult encounter against Wisla Plock as they try to protect a 1-0 lead in Poland, while FC Krylya Sovetov Samara, decimated by a financial crisis, defend a 2-0 advantage as they visit Belarus's FC BATE Borisov.

Zenit chance
Krylya Sovetov's more stable Russian rivals FC Zenit St. Petersburg have cause for confidence at home to SV Pasching, whom they held to a 2-2 draw in Austria, but the same cannot be said of Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC as they prepare for their home game against APOEL FC.

Maccabi sweat
With three successive defeats in Israel's top flight, Maccabi's summer signings have counted for little, and after Romanian forward Eugen Trica tore a hamstring, they may be forced to field captain Avi Nimny as a makeshift striker as they seek to overturn a 1-0 deficit.

APOEL hopeful
APOEL chairman Prodromos Petrides tried to remain calm. "Despite our 1-0 advantage, we are not complacent," he said. "We are up against a strong team who have played in the Champions League group stage. However, in recent years, APOEL have shown we are not scared of our opponents in Europe." notas_de_prensa_archivo