Sevilla seek to follow Spanish example

Sevilla FC are one of the Spanish clubs hoping to keep the UEFA Cup in the country, following the success of Valencia CF last season.

Opening group engagement
Their return to international action in the first round of the UEFA Cup this season resulted in a 4-1 aggregate win over Portuguese club CD Nacional, and the Spanish club now open their group stage fixtures with TSV Alemannia Aachen, one of the group winners in the first round. Sevilla have played one German club in their seven seasons of UEFA club competition history. In the third round of the 198/83 UEFA Cup, Sevilla beat 1.FC Kaiserslautern 1-0 at home, but were beaten in the return game 4-0 at the Fritz-Walter stadium, after being 3-0 down at half-time.

Positive start
TSV Alemannia Aachen, the German second division club and losing cup finalists to champions Werder Bremen last May, have not been overawed so far by UEFA Cup participation. But Aachen did beat FC Bayern Munchen (2-1) and VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach (1-0) in the later stages of their route to the Cup final. One of three newcomers left in the UEFA Cup, along with Middlesbrough FC and Egaleo FC, the Germans won through to the group stage with a 5-1 win on aggregate against Icelandic club FH Hafnarfjördur. Their success continued with a 1-0 home win in their opening group game against LOSC Lille Métropole, thanks to a winner from Erik Meijer, the former PSV Eindhoven and Liverpool FC striker, whom the club signed from Hamburger SV.