All aboard for Gothenburg

By Jim Wirth

Trabzonspor certain
With a place in the 2003/04 UEFA Cup being set aside for domestic cup winners in all eight countries, Turkish side Trabzonspor have booked their berth after a 3-1 Turkish Cup final win against Gençlerbirligi SK. Meanwhile, three other sides have benefited from the regulation which states that if a cup finalist has qualified for the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Cup place allocated to the cup winner will go to the other finalist regardless of the result of the final.

Southampton rejoice
In England, Arsenal FC will take on Southampton FC in the FA Cup final already assured of Champions League qualification, leaving Gordon Strachan's side certain of entry to the UEFA Cup. It is a similar story in Germany, where FC Bayern München title's success handed a place in Europe to fellow German Cup finalists 1. FC Kaiserslautern.

Utrecht in contention
In the Netherlands, matters are more complicated. The Dutch Cup final pits Champions League hopefuls Feyenoord against FC Utrecht. If Feyenoord pip AFC Ajax in the race for second place in the Eredivisie, underdogs Utrecht will gain a place in the UEFA Cup. But Utrecht could also finish fourth or fifth in the table - the league positions automatically allocated a UEFA Cup berth. Should that happen, and Utrecht win the cup, the team in sixth place would also qualify for Europe.

Italian cup route
Another team likely to take the cup route into Europe is AS Roma, who face AC Milan in the Italian Cup final. With Milan odds on to reach the Champions League, Roma may not need a top-six finish in Italy to be sure of European football.

Spanish struggle
While both Valencia CF and RC Celta de Vigo look certain to qualify for the Champions League or UEFA Cup by finishing fourth or fifth in Spain, the battle for sixth place and the final UEFA Cup spot will be tough. Athletic Club Bilbao are currently joint sixth, level on points with RCD Mallorca and a point ahead of FC Barcelona, Málaga CF and Real Betis Balompié. Seventh place would be good enough, though, if Mallorca finish sixth and beat RC Recreativo de Huelva in the Spanish Cup final.

Simpler issues
In England, Liverpool FC will join Everton FC or Blackburn Rovers FC in the UEFA Cup if they fail to beat Chelsea FC in their final league match. But if Liverpool win, Chelsea will forfeit the Champions League for the UEFA Cup. Italy's closing games, meanwhile, should see AC Chievo Verona, Parma AC and Udinese Calcio battling for two slots. In Germany, the two remaining places will go to two from BV Borussia Dortmund, Hertha BSC Berlin, Hamburger SV, FC Schalke 04 and SV Werder Bremen.