Thursday, August 07, 2003

Ooo, an impressive 11-3 for the Second Qualifying Round of the Champions' League, making 18-6 for far overall. Anyway, here's the draw for the Third, and final, Qualifying Round, with my choices in bold type.

Vardar Skopje (Macedonia) v Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)

MTK Budapest (Hungary) v Celtic (Scotland)

Rangers (Scotland) v FC Copenhagen (Denmark)

Austria Vienna (Austria) v Olympique Marseille (France)

Club Bruges (Belgium) v Borussia Dortmund (Germany)

Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) v Lokomotiv Moscow (Russia)

Lazio (Italy) v Benfica (Portugal)

Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine) v Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

Rosenborg Trondheim (Norway) v Deportivo La Coruna (Spain)

Grasshoppers (Switzerland) v AEK Athens (Greece)

Zilina (Slovakia) v Chelsea (England)

Celta Vigo (Spain) v Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)

Partizan Belgrade (Serb & Mont) v Newcastle United (England)

Galatasaray (Turkey) v CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria)

Anderlecht (Belgium) v Wisla Krakow (Poland)

Graz AK (Austria) v Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Well, there you have it. I can't see any of the big boys taking a real tumble at this stage, and although it will be excellent if lightening strikes twice for Vardar Skopje, I just can't see it happening. I think both the Old Firm teams will make it through, but they will have to watch themselves, both of them. Newcastle have a tough test against Partizan Belgrade, but I don't think they'll lose it in the end. The Shakhtar-Lokomotiv tie should be fun, and I'm predicting the woes of Russian football to continue. And, if I'm correct in my choice of winner in the Battle of the Teams Named Dynamo (or Dinamo), there could be two Ukrainian sides in the group stage. This whole thing starts up next week.

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