Roy Hodgson will begin his Liverpool FC reign with a UEFA Europa League third qualifying round tie against either FK Rabotnicki or FC Mika after today's draw in Nyon.
A mere 65 days after his Fulham FC side were pipped to the inaugural title by Club Atlético de Madrid, Hodgson learned who his first competitive test as Reds manager will be after moving north this summer. His maiden match at the helm of the five-time European Champion Clubs' Cup winners will come at Anfield on 29 July, with the second leg in either Armenia or the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia on 5 August – the dates for all first and second legs.
Twice European champions Juventus have been paired with the winners of the tie between Shamrock Rovers FC and Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC, level at 1-1 ahead of this Thursday's concluding legs. ŠK Slovan Bratislava stand between 1991 titleholders FK Crvena Zvezda and August's play-offs, while UEFA Champions League regulars Sporting Clube de Portugal will have to overcome FC Nordsjælland of Denmark.
Two sides poised for their debut in continental competition face tough tasks, with Russia's FC Sibir Novosibirsk paired with Apollon Limassol FC and Polish Cup winners Jagiellonia Białystok pitted against Aris Thessaloniki FC. Twenty-nine years on from their only previous European tie, a 7-1 aggregate win for FC Bayern München, the draw has again done Czech Cup holders FC Viktoria Plzeň few favours as they are likely to meet Beşiktaş JK.
Next draw
The reward for the 35 third qualifying round victors is a place in the draw for the play-offs in Nyon at 13.30CET on 6 August. Streamed live on UEFA.com, they will be joined by 15 losing sides from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round as well as 24 new entrants including FC Porto, PFC CSKA Moskva, PSV Eindhoven and 1982 European champions Aston Villa FC.
2010/11 UEFA Europa League third qualifying round draw First leg: 29 July Second leg: 5 August | Match | Fixture | 1 | Odense BK (DEN) | v | NK Zrinjski (BIH) – SP Tre Penne (SMR) | 2 | Stabæk IF (NOR) – FC Dnepr Mogilev (BLR) | v | FC WIT Georgia (GEO) – FC Baník Ostrava (CZE) | 3 | Liverpool FC (ENG) | v | FK Rabotnicki (MKD) – FC Mika (ARM) | 4 | CS Marítimo (POR) – Sporting Fingal FC (IRL) | v | FC Honka Espoo (FIN) – Bangor City FC (WAL) | 5 | PFC Beroe Stara Zagora (BUL) | v | FK Sūduva (LTU) – SK Rapid Wien (AUT) | 6 | FC Timişoara (ROU) | v | Myllykosken Pallo-47 (FIN) – UE Sant Julià (AND) | 7 | PFC CSKA Sofia (BUL) | v | Cliftonville FC (NIR) – HNK Cibalia (CRO) | 8 | KR Reykjavík (ISL) – FC Karpaty Lviv (UKR) | v | FC Zestafoni (GEO) – Dukla Banská Bystrica (SVK) | 9 | Shamrock Rovers FC (IRL) – Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) | v | Juventus (ITA) | 10 | IF Elfsborg (SWE) – FC Iskra-Stali (MDA) | v | FK Ventspils (LVA) – FK Teteks (MKD) | 11 | FC Nordsjælland (DEN) | v | Sporting Clube de Portugal (POR) | 12 | FC Videoton (HUN) – NK Maribor (SVN) | v | Hibernian FC (SCO) | 13 | FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB) | v | ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK) | 14 | FC International Turku (FIN) | v | KRC Genk (BEL) | 15 | Valletta FC (MLT) – KS Ruch Chorzów (POL) | v | FK Austria Wien (AUT) – NK Široki Brijeg (BIH) | 16 | FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE) | v | Beşiktaş JK (TUR) – Vikingur (FRO) | 17 | KS Besa (ALB) – Olympiacos FC (GRE) | v | Maccabi Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) – FK Mogren (MNE) | 18 | KFK Šiauliai (LTU) – Wisla Kraków (POL) | v | Portadown FC (NIR) – FK Qarabağ (AZE) | 19 | SK Sturm Graz (AUT) | v | Gefle IF (SWE) – FC Dinamo Tbilisi (GEO) | 20 | Anorthosis Famagusta FC (CYP) – HNK Šibenik (CRO) | v | Cercle Brugge KSV (BEL) – FC TPS Turku (FIN) | 21 | FK Bakı (AZE) – FK Budućnost Podgorica (MNE) | v | Brøndby IF (DEN) – FC Vaduz | 22 | Molde FK (NOR) – FK Jelgava (LVA) | v | VfB Stuttgart (GER) | 23 | Maccabi Haifa FC (ISR) | v | FC Dinamo Minsk (BLR) – JK Sillamäe Kalev (EST) | 24 | FC Utrecht (NED) – KF Tirana (ALB) | v | FC Luzern (SUI) | 25 | FC Sibir Novosibirsk (RUS) | v | Apollon Limassol FC (CYP) | 26 | ND Gorica (SVN) – Randers FC (DEN) | v | FC Lausanne-Sport (SUI) – FK Borac Banja Luka (BIH) | 27 | FC Olimpia Bălţi (MDA) – FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti (ROU) | v | HNK Hajduk Split (CRO) | 28 | AZ Alkmaar (NED) | v | IFK Göteborg (SWE) | 29 | FC Differdange 03 (LUX) – FK Spartak Zlatibor Voda (SRB) | v | FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKR) | 30 | FK Atyrau (KAZ) – Gyõri ETO FC (HUN) | v | Montpellier Hérault SC (FRA) | 31 | Aalesunds FK (NOR) | v | Motherwell FC (SCO) – Breidablik (ISL) | 32 | Kalmar FF (SWE) – FC Dacia Chişinău (MDA) | v | PFC Levski Sofia (BUL) – Dundalk FC (IRL) | 33 | Galatasaray AŞ (TUR) | v | OFK Beograd (SRB) – FC Torpedo Zhodino (BLR) | 34 | Jagiellonia Białystok (POL) | v | Aris Thessaloniki FC (GRE) | 35 | FK Tauras (LTU) – APOEL FC (CYP) | v | FK Jablonec 97 (CZE) |
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