Contenders face level playing field

While Hertha BSC Berlin captain Arne Friedrich, for one, admitted he would have liked to meet Juventus in the UEFA Europa League round of 32, the pleasure fell to AFC Ajax. uefa.com rounds up the reaction to Friday's draw in Nyon.

'Interesting game'
Giants of continental football, Ajax and Juve have met twice in European Champion Clubs' Cup finals, winning one apiece. The Amsterdam outfit triumphed 1-0 in 1972/73 while a Juventus side including current coach Ciro Ferrara had the edge when they prevailed on penalties in the 1996 UEFA Champions League showpiece. "It's a nice draw, certainly for some of our younger players," said Ajax coach Martin Jol. "Can [Juve] be beaten? They were by Bayern last week."

More reunions
The Ajax-Juve matchup is not the only tie pitting together former European champions, with PSV Eindhoven drawn to face Hamburger SV. It will have special resonance to the Bundesliga outfit's three-strong Dutch contingent of Eljero Elia, Romeo Castelen and Joris Mathijsen, and PSV's former FC Schalke 04 coach Fred Rutten needs no introduction to German football either. "This is a very attractive draw," said Hamburg counterpart Bruno Labbadia. "Eindhoven are a top European side and in Fred Rutten they have a coach who knows the Bundesliga inside out. These will be sizzling, exciting encounters."

Lucescu caution
Hamburg's dream is to seal the title on home turf come 12 May, taking a trophy that has been in FC Shakhtar Donetsk's possession for the past seven months. The UEFA Cup holders have designs of repeating their success in the competition's new incarnation, though coach Mircea Lucescu says a tie against Fulham FC will not be as easy as some suggest: "With the winter break we will be forced to keep our form through friendlies while Fulham will have plenty of competitive matches – it could be an important factor."

Salzburg sensation
Indeed, Huub Stevens's assertion that "at this stage there's no side people are calling easy" is widely held. It is a point no better exemplified than by his own FC Salzburg, the only team to go through the group stage with a 100 per cent record. Their reward is a meeting with R. Standard de Liège, one of four teams switching from the UEFA Champions League. "We had a sensational run in the Europa League – willpower, commitment, the games, success – it was great, incredible," said Stevens.

Benítez opportunity
The challenge now is to continue it, especially after the introduction of eight UEFA Champions League teams hungry for success. Two, Liverpool FC and FC Unirea Urziceni, will go head to head and Rafael Benítez says the Romanian titleholders' progress has not gone unmissed on Merseyside. "I was following their group because I have friends at Sevilla so I know it will be difficult. But we are Liverpool and we have to have confidence. The Europa League gives us an opportunity to win a trophy." It is a feeling shared by many.

To see the full draw, click here.