Inter identify Sporting strength

Internazionale FC's Portuguese international Sérgio Conçeicão admitted his side faced a tough task if they are to make the UEFA Champions League first group stage after being handed a third qualifying round tie against his compatriots Sporting Clube de Portugal.

'Very difficult'
"It a very difficult team," he said at his club's training ground outside Milan, immediately after today's draw at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland. "They have four or five national team players and also the Brazilian [Mario] Jardel, who won the European Golden Shoe last season as the top scorer in European club competition."

Facchetti happy with draw
However, Inter vice-president Giacinto Facchetti believes that it is better to have received strong opposition. "It is a difficult draw but I prefer to play against a big side than having to come up against an unknown side which would have created immense pressure on the players from the media. We have a good record against teams from Portugal but unfortunately we have 14 players who are struggling with signs of fatigue after taking part in the [FIFA] World Cup."

'We are extemely pleased'
Another intruiging pairing is the potential all-Scandinavian tie between Champions League regulars Rosenborg BK of Norway, and Denmark's Brøndby IF, though the latter must still beat Albanian champions KS Dinamo Tirana in the second qualifying round. Rosenborg coach Aage Hareide recently joined the club from Brøndby, and the Danish side's spokesman Per Krogh was delighted at the possible reunion. "It was Rosenborg we had asked for before the beginning of the draw, so of course we are extremely pleased," Korgh said. "It is a brilliant time to come up against Rosenborg as they are only sixth in the league and in the middle of adding new young players into their system. And of course it will be special for our players to come up against their former coach. "

Tough challenge
Rosenborg offical Per Arne Kaarstad also agreed that his side would be in for a tough challenge, admitting: "Without mentioning any names there were plenty of clubs we would have preferred to have been drawn against but of course we can take some comfort from the fact that our coach Aage Hareide knows everything there is to know about our opponents."

Bayern confident
FC Bayern München secretary Karl Hopfner was brimming with confidence after the draw paired the former winners of the tournament with either Sweden's Hammarby IF FF or FK Partizan of Yugoslavia. "Hammarby or Partizan. It does not matter who it is," he said. "We are definitely pleased that we are playing the first match away, which gives us time to prepare for the match in Munich. On a negative note we have more players on the injury list than players who are actually fit to play but I still expect us to make it safely into the first round of the tournament."

Brugge wary of trip
Should Belgium's Club Brugge KV manage to make it past FC Dinamo Bucuresti of Romania, they will be up against Ukrainian champions FC Shakhtar Donetsk, who also participated in last year's competition, and Brugge vice-president Antoine Vanhove was wary of the potential long trip east. "Of couse we have to focus on Bucharest first but it is definitely not good for Brugge having to travel to Ukraine," he said. "However, we eliminated them in the [UEFA] Cup Winner's Cup in 1995 and we can do it again."