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UEFA Cup is scant reward for elite
LONDON, England -- The harsh reality of life outside the Champions League will hit home for former European champions Barcelona and Liverpool as they begin their UEFA Cup campaigns against Eastern European minnows on Wednesday. Barcelona, who have made an unbeaten start to the Primera Liga under new coach Frank Rijkaard, open in Slovakia against Puchov, while Liverpool face Slovenia's Olimpija Ljubljana. Barca could be without injured Dutchman Philip Cocu for their tie. He was substituted late in the 1-1 draw with Osasuna on Saturday with a recurrence of a left knee problem. Rafael Marquez should deputise if he is unfit. Barcelona knows it will be the target for an upset. But losing points to a team whose annual budget is US$1 million -- 34 times less than the value of Ronaldinho -- would rank among the biggest shocks in soccer history. Puchov has never played a major European club and its stadium holds just 6,600 spectators, with the most expensive league tickets selling for euro1.30. The club has decided to move the match to an 18,000-seat venue in the nearby town of Trnava to allow more spectators to see the match, but the capacity is still nowhere near that of Barca's 100,000-seat Nou Camp, regarded by many as the cathedral of European soccer. The 16-time Spanish champions have declared they want to win the UEFA Cup after failing to take any silverware last season, the club's worst in decades, and star players like captain Luis Enrique Martinez and Javier Saviola claim they'll have no problem with motivation against the Slovak minnow. "Even though we're playing the UEFA Cup the motivation is always the same. We knew that this year we would be playing the UEFA Cup and even though we don't know much about our opponent, we have the clear aim of winning as many titles as possible," Luis Enrique said. Rikjaard is expected to select Turkish international goalkeeper Rustu Recber for the first time since his summer move from Fenerbahce. Rustu has been relegated to the bench so far this season, with Rikjaard favoring Victor Valdes. Puchov, which finished second in the 10-team Slovak league last season, is in disarray after a disastrous start to the season that saw it slip to eighth place with a 3-1-5 record. We're in a crisis," assistant coach Stefan Tomanek said after last weekend's 1-0 league loss to Banska Bystrica. "We've dug ourselves a deep hole and can't get out." Liverpool, who were pipped by the pre-Roman Abramovich Chelsea side, for the final Champions League slot from the English Premier League, are expected to be at full-strength for their visit to Slovenia and boosted by a 2-1 win over Leicester City at the weekend. Dortmund in 48-team line-upThe 16 teams who lost in the third qualifying round of the Champions League enter the competition, including another former European champion, Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund, who face Austria Vienna, were humbled in the Champions League qualifiers by Club Bruges after a penalty shoot-out and their absence from Europe's premier club competition this season still haunts coach Matthias Sammer. "I was certainly irritated not to be a part of it. But quite simply it isnt just the best teams that play in the Champions League, but those that have qualified for it," Sammer said in a recent interview on the club's website. Spanish Primera heavyweights Valencia, beaten Champions League finalists in 2000 and 2001, also find themselves in the UEFA Cup this season. Rafael Benitez's side, who crushed Atletico Madrid 3-0 on Saturday to maintain their unbeaten start, take on AIK in Stockholm on Wednesday. AS Roma, who top the fledgling Serie A standings on goal difference after drawing 2-2 away at Juventus at the weekend, will be confident of securing a healthy first leg lead at home to Vardar Skopje. The Italians, beaten UEFA Cup finalists in 1991, must be wary of underestimating their Macedonian rivals, who toppled CSKA Moscow in the second round of Champions League qualifying and provided a tough test for Sparta Prague before bowing out at the next stage. The 1999 winners Parma, who like Roma have seven points from their first three Serie A matches after an impressive 3-2 win at Lazio on Sunday, travel to Ukraine to face Metalurg Donetsk. UEFA's seeding system avoided any major clashes but the draw still provided some interesting match-ups, none more so than the Anglo-Turkish clash between Blackburn Rovers, coached by former Galatasaray boss Graeme Souness, and Genclerbirligi. Tensions run highTensions have run high between English and Turkish supporters since two Leeds United fans were killed in Istanbul in 2000. England play Turkey in a decisive Euro 2004 qualifier in Istanbul next month and the English FA have urged fans not to travel for safety reasons. But Blackburn expect to have around 500 supporters travel to Ankara-based Genclerbirligi on Wednesday and say they have not been advised of any special security measures. Two other former UEFA Cup winners feature in this year's competition, with 1997 champions Schalke, who qualified via the Intertoto Cup, away to Croatia's Kamen Ingrad in the first leg, while 2002 winners Feyenoord host Austria's Karnten.
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