First he spoke about Bayer Leverkusen:
“I arrived here with great expectations, but this is not the best place for me. I do not know what has changed, but I have a two year contract. I would like to leave, but I don’t I will be anytime soon. There has been no discussion with Olympiacos. There is not proposal from Greece in general. If there was a proposal, it would be discussed seriously. Loans are not an option; I know this for a fact as several clubs have approached us.”

Then he talked about his price tag:
“There isn’t a high price tag on my sale; the team has plenty of money to acquire replacements. I asked to leave. If the team finds something special, they will surrender their grip on my rights. The team will be aggressive, however, in the market as they only have three strikers.”

Gekas concluded the interview by talking about his health:
“I am well, and will return to the team on Wednesday. I will then probably take part in a friendly on Friday.

Known as the ‘Tigers’ to many, Hull is one of the three newly promoted clubs in the English Premier League. With a core of inexperienced players, it is reported that the Hull management team are calling on Giannakopoulos to return to England, and to return to action.

We are currently talking to Stelios with regard to a contract until the end of the season or possibly until the January transfer window,” confirmed the Tigers boss.

“Stelios has got an ambition to play for Greece in the World Cup but is currently without a club. As far as I am concerned, if we can convince Stelios to sign for us it would be a no-lose situation.”

It remains to be seen if the player, who was once linked with a return to Olympiacos, will sign on with Hull. However, the transition back into the English game could go smoothly for the Greek when you consider Hull City manager Phil Brown, was a former assistant manager with Bolton. More revelations are expected in the coming weeks, as Giannakopoulos is anxious to return to England.

The game got off to a quick pace with Olympiacos the more dominant of the two sides early. With menacing balls cutting the Nordsjælland box, a final touch was hard to come by and kept both sides level. Knowing this was there game to leave their mark, Nordsjælland began to attack in waves. With a maze of defenders guarding the Olympiacos goal, it was hard for the home side to find a weakness and exploit it. Settling to shoot from beyond the perimeter, Nordsjælland began to attempt shots from distance. With shots coming from all angles imaginable, Olympiakos looked to block each attempt. When bodies were unable to keep the ball away from the goal, the Nordsjælland efforts sailed either high or rolled wide. Despite the poor accuracy, one shot from Nordsjælland managed to be tricky as the ball whizzed past the defense but caught Antonis Nikopolidis’ right post.

A livelier second half was in store for the crowd at Farum Park, as the home side continued to challenge Olympiacos. However, a rise in action did not mean good fortune for the hosts. After a Nikopolidis error which saw the ball fall to a Nordsjælland attacker, the under pressure striker wasn’t able to direct the shot goal wards; instead his effort trickled wide.

With fortune on their side on the defensive end, Olympiacos searched for the same fortunes on the offensive front. With Vassilis Torosidis and Leonardo pushing forward and causing distractions along the flanks, the Greek Champions began to pin Nordsjælland in their own end. With pressure increasing on the home side, the breakthrough finally came on seventy-four minutes. A poor cross from Vassilis Torosidis handcuffed the defender, whose horrid clearance fell to Kostas Mitroglou and the Greece U-21 international controlled the bouncing ball before half-volleying a finish past Jesper Hansen.

It seemed all the hard work put in by Nordsjælland in the first half was all gone, as Olympiacos grabbed a crucial away goal. However, Nordsjælland’s misery wasn’t over as another series of defensive errors left Sebastian Leto all to his lonesome to tap in Olympiacos’ second goal and an insurance marker heading back to Greece.

Olympiacos did not impress on this night, and with a tough string of games on the horizon for Olympiacos, the team will have to return to the chemistry they fashioned last season. The Greek Champions will shift their focus to the Greek Super League as fixtures against Panserraikos and OFI Crete FC are ahead of the October 2nd replay against FC Nordsjælland.

With a deflating series of two goals, Nordsjælland will find the environment a challenge when the Danish side makes the trip to Piraeus. The Danish side will look to improve their domestic record as well, before making the trip to Greece.

Nordsjælland 0-2 Olympiacos
Mitroglou 74’, Leto 90 + 3’

Yellow Cards:
Nordsjælland – Karlsen 63’
Olympiacos – Belluschi 45 + 1’, Stoltidis 63’, Antzas 69’, Stoltidis 90’ (second)

Red Cards:
FC Nordsjælland – none.
Olympiacos – Stoltidis 90’ (sent off after double booking).

FC Nordsjælland (Morten Wieghorst): Hansen, Kidebe, Kildentoft, Lundberg, Karlsen, Bernier, Bernburg, Nakijima-Farran (64’ Christensen), S. Richter, Dahl (76’ Pedersen), J. Richter (Storm).

Olympiacos (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Torosidis, A.Papadopoulos, Antzas, Domi, Stoltidis, Patsatzoglou, Galletti (61’ Diogo), Leonardo, Belluschi (85’ Dudu), Mitroglou (81’ Leto).

Venue: Farum Park, Farum, Denmark

Referee: Stefan Messner (Austria)

In a pregame  interview, Olympiacos manager, Ernesto Valverde, stressed his side must learn  the lessons provided from the shock defeat to Anorthosis Famagusta.

“It’s true  that we have problems when we go into matches. In the first half we’re not  getting the performances we want,” he said.

“It’s something that we know  we have to correct. But the fact is, we always do well in the second  half.

“That’s what happened with Anorthosis Famagusta, Asteras Tripolis  and Skoda Xanthi.

“However, we have to transfer that to the first half.  There is no doubt that we need to learn from our match with Anorthosis, where we  went down 2-0 after twenty minutes.”

The Greek  Champions won’t have all their regulars ready for this match, with Predrag  Djordjevic still recovering from an injury. Luciano Galletti managed to battle  through his injury problems ahead of the weekend fixture against Skoda Xanthi,  and will be heavily relied on to fuel Olympiacos’ attack this evening.

The Greek Super League will return to action this weekend, after a break in play for international fixtures. A handful of teams, including Larissa, Olympiakos, and AEK will look to continue their perfect starts. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos and Panionios will be in search of their first victories.

The weekend starts with four games scheduled for a Saturday kickoff. Iraklis continues its home stay with Cretan club OFI FC visiting Kautanzogleio. Both clubs opened the season with a loss at home, only increasing the pressure for this coming weekend. Allowing a late strike dashed Iraklis’ chances of a successful start, while OFI was overpowered by PAOK.

Kicking off at the same time will be Skoda Xanthi and defending champions Olympiakos. Xanthi welcome the Piraeus giants, and will have a tricky task with the thus far perfect ‘Eruthroleuki’. The home side will be keen to continue their winning streak, after a 1-0 defeat of Panionios gave Xanthi a perfect start. Olympiakos will also be favoured to win, but injuries to club captain Predrag Djordjevic and matchday one MVP Luciano Galletti cause concern amongst the Piraeus ranks. Galletti scored twice in Olympiakos triumph over Asteras Tripolis, but the Argentine is expected to sit this one out. The visitors will look to stay focused, as their sights could linger to their midweek UEFA Cup encounter with Danish side FC Nordsjælland.

After slipping 2-1 in the Athenian derby against AEK, Panathinaikos returns to action and a win against promoted club Panthrakikos is highly expected. The Champions League will provide a distraction for the ‘Tryfilli’, as a meeting with Italian Champions Inter Milan looms midweek. Panthrakikos were robbed a Super League debut victory, as Ergotelis notched a 2-1 away win. The task will be much more draining this weekend against the Athenian giants. However, with no pressure on the visitors, Panathinaikos could be in for a rough match themselves. A win will be crucial for Panathinaikos, not only for the league race, but to boost confidence ahead of their opening Champions League fixture.

Closing out Saturday’s matches is an encounter between Panserraikos and Panionios. Panserraikos sealed an impressive return to the Greek top flight with a win over Iraklis in Thessaloniki. Summer signing, Patrick Zoundi, scored a brace to see the Serres club upset the home side. On the flip side, their second round opponents will be hungry for a win after coming up short against Xanthi in their season opener. Panionios has made a flurry of late transfers to replace the departed Rafik Djebbour. The acquisitions of Alvaro Recoba and Fabian Estoyanoff have boosted the hopes around Nea Smyrni. It is unclear if the two ‘bam’ signings will make their club debuts this coming weekend, nonetheless the match should offer plenty of intrigue.

Matchday two closes out on Sunday, with the remaining four matches taking place across Greece. Thrasyvoulos will look to make up for the destruction left by Larissa’s 3-0 demolition of the newly promoted club. An evenly matched encounter with Levadiakos could see the Super League debutants grab their first points of the season. Their opponents will be enjoying the comforts of their home ground, and they too will be keen to grab their first points of the new term. A 2-0 loss to Aris seemed inevitable, but the meeting with Thrasyvoulos could make up for the club’s matchday one blunders.

Two undefeated clubs look to continue their perfect starts, as Ergotelis welcome Aris to the Pangkritio Stadium. Both teams avoided any opening round shocks, but for Ergotelis the leeway was slim as Panthrakikos gave the Cretan club a real scare. For Aris a disappointing early exit from European competition was quickly brushed aside, and the club nickname ‘God of War’ cruised to a 2-0 victory over Levadiakos. The Thessaloniki based side will be favoured to continue their perfect start, but Ergotelis’ home advantage could prove to be a tricky task for Aris.

Two potential dark horses rekindle their rivalry in Tripoli as Larissa put their winning start on the line against home side Asteras Tripolis. The latter made their home ground a fortress last year, and pulled of shock defeats of Greece’s ‘Big 3′. However, a 3-1 loss to Olympiakos could dampen the team’s spirits but the midweek signing of Cameroon international Roudolphe Douala adds depth to an injury bit side. As for Larissa, a 3-0 win over Thrasyvoulos initiated early season celebrations as the club’s summer facelift proved to be a success on matchday one. Nolberto Solano played a well rounded seventy-five minutes, but Laurent Robert will be hoping for a spike in his minutes after being limited to a mere three minutes.

He weekend and the matchday conclude with a mouth-watering revival of the rich rivalry between PAOK and AEK. PAOK Toumba Stadium will be the venue for this early season derby, and the home side will look to test their revitalized roster. Led by the profitable knowledge of club president Theodoros Zagorakis, and manager Fernando Santos, PAOK pulled off many squad bolstering transfers this past summer. A dominant performance against OFI gave a glimpse of PAOK’s potential, but the Thessaloniki giants will be in tough against a confident AEK outfit. After defeating rivals Panathinaikos at OAKA, AEK will be looking to make it two-for-two in derbies this season as the ‘Enosis’ continued to adapt to Georgios Donis’ tactics. With Greece international Angelos Basinas at full fitness, AEK will be keen to avoid wasting their fine start.

Matchday two looks to top its predecessor in excitement, with several well matched encounters scheduled for kickoff this weekend. In all, eight clubs will look to double their winning streaks, while the remaining eight have their sights on their first wins of the season.

The Greek Champions were paired with a relatively mysterious opponent in FC Nordsjælland. The encounter will be two-legged tie and if Olympiacos do progress from the knockout round, the club will join fellow tie winners in Group 8.

Group 8:
SC Braga (POR) v FC Artmedia Petržalka (SVK)
Feyenoord (NED) v Kalmar FF (SWE)
Hamburger SV (GER) v AFC Unirea Urziceni (ROU)
Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR) v AS Saint-Etienne (FRA)
FC Nordsjælland (DEN) v Olympiacos CFP (GRE)

A relatively tough draw for the Greek Champions, despite the fortunate first knock out tie the club faces a possible stiff test if the club progresses. With that being said, Olympiacos are in for a bit of research ahead of their meeting with Nordsjælland. The two have never met in European competition, but after their Champions League exit, you can guarantee Olympiacos won’t be taking their mysterious opponents lightly.

The first leg of matches is scheduled for 18/9, and the return will come a fortnight later on 2/10. Olympiacos opens its UEFA Cup campaign in Denmark in mid-September, ahead of their return to Greece two weeks later.

Group 1:
AC Milan (ITA) v FC Zürich (SUI)
FC Timişoara (ROU) v FK Partizan (SRB)
Hertha BSC Berlin (GER) v Saint Patrick’s Athletic FC (IRL)
FC Baník Ostrava (CZE) v FC Spartak Moskva (RUS)
FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKR) v Beşiktaş JK (TUR)

Group 2:
Portsmouth FC (ENG) v Vitória SC (POR)
Kayserispor (TUR) v Paris Saint-Germain FC (FRA)
Sevilla FC (ESP) v FC Salzburg (AUT)
VfL Wolfsburg (GER) v FC Rapid Bucureşti (ROU)
UC Sampdoria (ITA) v FBK Kaunas (LTU)

Group 3:
CS Marítimo (POR) v Valencia CF (ESP)
NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO) v AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
Manchester City FC (ENG) v AC Omonia (CYP)
BSC Young Boys (SUI) v Club Brugge KV (BEL)
AS Nancy-Lorraine (FRA) v Motherwell FC (SCO)

Group 4:
Everton FC (ENG) v R. Standard de Liège (BEL)
SSC Napoli (ITA) v SL Benfica (POR)
AC Bellinzona (SUI) v Galatasaray AŞ (TUR)
NEC Nijmegen (NED) v FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti (ROU)
Real Racing Club Santander (ESP) v FC Honka Espoo (FIN)

Group 5:
APOEL FC (CYP) v FC Schalke 04 (GER)
PFC Litex Lovech (BUL) v Aston Villa FC (ENG)
FK Austria Wien (AUT) v KKS Lech Poznań (POL)
Vitória FC (POR) v SC Heerenveen (NED)
SK Brann (NOR) v RC Deportivo La Coruña (ESP)

Group 6:
SK Slavia Praha (CZE) v SC Vaslui (ROU)
NK Slaven Koprivnica (CRO) v PFC CSKA Moskva (RUS)
Brøndby IF (DEN) v Rosenborg BK (NOR)
PFC Cherno More Varna (BUL) v VfB Stuttgart (GER)
Stade Rennais FC (FRA) v FC Twente (NED)

Group 7:
AFC Ajax (NED) v FK Borac (SRB)
Tottenham Hotspur FC (ENG) v Wisla Kraków (POL)
FC København (DEN) v FC Moskva (RUS)
MŠK Žilina (SVK) v PFC Levski Sofia (BUL)
BV Borussia Dortmund (GER) v Udinese Calcio (ITA)

In what was supposed to a night of redemption for the hosts, began rather nerve-racking for the side down by three after one leg. Desperate for a swing in momentum, Olympiacos found it difficult to break through the Anorthosis backline. With the visitors controlling the tempo in the opening minutes, Olympiacos saw the pressure grow as a ruckus crowd began to rally their beloved club. Responding to the atmosphere, Olympiacos began to create chances but the efforts seemed to be missing the convincing flare.

Opting to attack down the flanks, Luciano Galletti and Sebastian Leto became conductors of the Olympiacos insurgence. Weaving their way through the maze of Anorthosis defenders, the two Argentines managed to send several balls across the Anorthosis box; sadly a red-and-white shirt wasn’t around to slot the ball home.

Darko Kovačević finally made his first impression when he turned the defender, but his ensuing shot sailed high over the bar. Anorthosis nearly ended any aspirations of an Olympiacos comeback when a header from Lukasz Sosin narrowly missed Antonis Nikopolidis’ goal.

Looking more promising after the restart, Olympiacos increased the tempo by testing Anorthosis keeper, Arian Beqaj, on several occasions. Ernesto Valverde introduced Kostas Mitroglou ahead of the second half, as Dudu made way for the Greek striker. After forcing a series of corners, Olympiacos dictated the ball in the center of the Anorthosis’ third, and a bouncing ball fell for Fernando Belluschi, who struck the ball with composure to give Olympiacos its first tally. It was nearly 2-0 for the hosts when Mitroglou was left free in the box; but he was unable to beat Beqaj.  Hoping for more of the same, Olympiacos continued to attack, mounting pressure on the Anorthosis defense – which at this point had grown to ten defenders plus Beqaj.

Galletti, the culprit on many occasions this evening, fired a shot from the perimeter of the Anorthosis box; but the strong shot was sent out for only a corner. Belluschi looked keen to extend the lead and double his tally when he drove a shot from distance straight for the right corner of the goal; it proved to be a flashback of previous Olympiacos attacks, as Beqaj leaped to deflect the shot out for another corner. Olympiacos came even closer off a free-kick from substitute Predrag Djordjević, and the shot fooled everyone as it curled just wide of the right post.

As the time continued to tick away on the large scoreboard, it became clear that Olympiacos were facing an early exit from the Champions League. Not settling for defeat, Ieroklis Stoltidis managed to release a shot from the left side, but once again Beqaj held his ground to force a corner.

That effort proved to be the final decent effort Olympiacos mustered, as Herbert Fandel’s final whistle only added to the ‘Eruthroleuki’ misery.

For the first time in eleven years, Olympiacos will not be competing in the Champions League group stage; instead Anorthosis will feature in Europe’s most prestigious club competition, as the Cypriot club is the first of its kind to reach the round of 32. Olympiacos, meanwhile, will await the result of Friday’s UEFA Cup draw.

Olympiacos 1-0 Anorthosis (1-3 on aggregate)
Belluschi 54′

Yellow Cards:
Olympiacos – Dudu 23′, Galletti 37′, Leto 45′, Leonardo 84′
Anorthosis – Bardon 17′, Dobrašinović 56′

Olympiacos (Ernesto Valverde): Nikopolidis, Torosidis, Antzas (69′ Patsatzoglou), A. Papadopoulos, Leonardo, Galletti, Stoltidis, Dudu (46′ Mitroglou), Leto (63′ Djordjević), Belluschi, Kovačević.

Anorthosis Famgusta (Timur Ketsbaia): Beqaj, Constantinou, Dellas, Katsavakis, Liewakabessy, Ockokoljic, Costa, Dobrašinović, Bardon (58′ Sávio), Laban, Sosin (82′ Samaras).

Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

Pressure lies heavily on the home side ahead of the deciding leg. Promising a better showing, Ernesto Valverde has promised his club hasn’t given up their ambitions to play an eleventh consecutive season in the Champions League. “In football you always feel under pressure to win,” said the Olympiacos manager. “It comes from within. I feel we can advance if we handle the stress. We must start the match believing we can do it and we have to channel this belief in our game.”

Media in Greece has alluded to a more aggressive formation for the Greek Champions who must beat their Cypriot opponents by at least four goals to progress to the group stage.

Antonis Nikopolidis has fully recovered from a hand injury he suffered in the first-leg loss to Anorthosis, and the former-Greece international will return to guard the Olympiacos goal. In defense, Paraskevas Antzas and Avraam Papadopoulos are expected to partner-up in the centre of defense; while Vassilis Torosidis and Leonardo, will run the right and left sides respectively.

Dudu Cearense is set for his European debut with his new club. The Brazilian is expected to play alongside Ieroklis Stoltidis in a central midfield role. Pressure has been put on Valverde to include summer acquisition Sebastian Leto in the Olympiacos starting eleven, and it appears the Spaniard will do just that. After several impressive performances in recent pre-season performances, the Argentine will face his biggest task in the red-and-white since his early-August arrival. His countryman, Luciano Galletti – a fan favourite amongst the Olympiacos faithful – will man the opposite flank.

In the need to score goals, Fernando Belluschi is expected to play an attacking role behind striker Darko Kovacevic. Both players managed to hit the score sheet in last week’s friendly against Al-Hilal, and the pair will have to repeat that feat again tonight.

It seems club captain, Predrag Djordjevic, will begin the match on the sidelines but that hasn’t stopped the Serbian from realizing the task at hand. “With the help of our fans, we can get the result that will take us into the group stage,” said Djordjevic. “We must be patient and hopefully we’ll be luckier than two weeks ago in Cyprus.”

For Anorthosis, defense will be the main focus; however, the Cypriot side has the opportunity to pre-maturely end the tie if they manage to score an away goal. Temur Kestbaia opted to rest several of his starters for the club’s Super Cup tilt with rivals APOEL. Losing the game 1-0, it is clear the club has its sights set on qualifying for the group stage for the first time in the club’s ninety-seven year history. “We may have won the first game 3-0 but we have a really tough second leg ahead,” said Ketsbaia. “Obviously our lead is healthy, but we need to work even harder if we want to get to the group stage. I want those who take the field against Olympiacos to use all their strength to achieve our ultimate dream. We’re close but the game that stands in our way is very tough.”

With Cypriot pride fuelling Anorthosis’ qualifying campaign, the return leg in Piraeus is billed as “the most important match in Cypriot football history.” On top of their comfortable lead, the visitors are joyous in the wake of reports Sávio is eligible to take part in the second leg. Making his debut in the loss to APOEL, the former Real Madrid player will make his European debut with the club. Not as fortunate is Ioannis Skopelitis; having played against Olympiacos on several occasions during his spell with Egaleo FC, the former Portsmouth midfielder is forced out of the return leg with an injury suffered a fort night ago.

The atmosphere in the stadium will be a ruckus environment, as a capacity crowd is expected to take in a match that could be Olympiacos’ last Champions League appearance of the season. Added to the fact the match has taken a patriotic twist, tonight’s encounter has transformed into a Mediterranean rivalry.

More proof of the hostility between the two clubs comes in the midst of reports claiming Olympiacos supporters delayed Anorthosis’ arrival in Greece. Olympiacos supporters followed the team’s bus, and according to witnesses “harrassed” the team bus.

More violence followed, as Olympiacos supporters reportedly attacked travelling Anorthosis fans outside the Georgios Karaiskakis Stadium. The severity of the incident is in question, as Anorthosis officials seem to be exaggerating the number of Olympiacos supporters on hand at the stadium — the Cypriot club is claiming there were around 1 200 OSFP supporters, while Olympiacos says only 200 were present.

Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)

Assistants: Mike Pickel (Germany), Christian Dingert (Germany)

Fourth official: Helmut Fleischer (Germany)

Anorthosis qualified for the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League after eliminating Armenia’s Pyunik Yerevan in the first round, and narrowly escaping against Austrian club Rapid Wien in the second round. Olympiacos, meanwhile, start their Champions League quest in this round.

The Cypriot squad bolsters many familiar faces for Greek football fans, including many who began their careers in Greece; Giannis Skopelitis and Stefanos Voskaridis. Alongside Skopelitis and Voskaridis, Anorthosis has made several talented signings this summer, including recent additions Traianos Dellas and Sávio. Dellas, a Greek international, joins the Cypriot Champions from Greek Super League club AEK Athens. The tall center back has plenty of experience playing against Olympiacos, and will be one of many tough obstacles to overcome.

For Olympiacos, Ernesto Valverde faces his first competitive game at the reigns of the Piraeus club and the pressure to succeed is high. A string of inconistent performances during the club’s off season could leave the club’s supporters worried about this game, but Olympiacos are expected to pass this Cypriot test.  Lineups have not yet been confirmed, but expect a list of the ‘Eruthroleuki’ starters by early tomorrow morning.

On the Anorthosis front — added to the fact no Cypriot club has ever made it to the group stgae of the Champions League — the game against Olympiacos has been dubbed a high stakes revenge match. The hypy ahead of the game in Cyprus is calling the game ‘a chance to get out of Greece’s shadow’; however, in Greece, this is not the case. A rivalry between the clubs, at least from the Olympiacos standpoint, is solely because of the historic tie from ten years ago — Olympiacos knocked out Anorthosis to reach the group stage of the 1998/1999 season. It seems that the game will not be a billed as a club encounter, rather a match featuring the pride of two nations.

The lineup of matches for the 3rd Qualifying Round of the UEFA Champions League was confirmed last night, with 14 clubs from all around Europe booking their spot in the final qualifying round. There were some surprises in the 2nd Round, as 2007/2008 UEFA Cup finalist Rangers FC were knocked out by Lithuanian club FBK Kaunas. There was no upset in Panathinaikos’ tie with Dinamo Tibilsi; the Greek team cruised to a 3-0 aggregate victory.

The 14 second round winners are joined by 18 clubs yet to make their debut in Europe this year. Some of Europe’s biggest names will begin their European campaigns in this round.

From the Greek perspective, both Olympiacos and Panathinaikos will repay a visit to past opponents. Olympiacos, requiring to qualify for the first time in 10 years, face a rematch of their last qualification match. The Greek Champions will travel to Cyprus to face Anorthosis Famagusta, in an epic affair. Meanwhile, Panathinaikos will travel to the Czech Republic for an encounter with Sparta Prague. Their last encounter came in the second group stage of the 2001/2002 edition of the Champions League.

2005/2006 Champions League winners, FC Barcelona, face a test from Polish outfit Wisla Krakow. The tie of the round will most definitely be the Schalke – Atlético Madrid match-up. More drama will be expected at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium, when FC Twente manager Steven McClaren returns to England for the first time since being sacked as England boss. Speaking of returns, Juventus will bid to return to Europe’s biggest stage when they meet Slovakian side FC Artmedia Petržalka.

New-look Liverpool faces a Belgian visit from Standard de Liège, while Fiorentina welcome Czech competition in Slavia Praha. Turkish clubs also face stiff competition; Fenerbahçe SK takes on Serbian Champions FK Partizan. Their Turkish counterparts and league winners Galatasaray will welcome FC Steaua Bucureşti. Olympique de Marseille will bid to reach the group stage once again but so will their Norwegian opponents SK Brann.

The first leg of the qualifiers is scheduled for the 12th/13th of August; with all but one being played on the latter. The return leg is scheduled for two weeks later, with the 26th/27th of August being the dates. Both Greek clubs will be on the road for their respective first legs.

Anorthosis Famagusta FC (Cyprus) v Olympiacos CFP (Greece)

Vitória SC (Portugal) v FC Basel 1893 (Switzerland)

FC Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine) v NK Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)

FC Schalke 04 (Germany) v Club Atlético de Madrid (Spain)

Aalborg BK (Denmark) v FBK Kaunas (Lithuania)

FC Barcelona (Spain) v Wisła Kraków (Poland)

PFC Levski Sofia (Bulgaria) v FC BATE Borisov (Belarus)

R. Standard de Liège (Belgium) v Liverpool FC (England)

FK Partizan (Serbia) v Fenerbahçe SK (Turkey)

FC Twente (Netherlands) v Arsenal FC (England)

FC Spartak Moskva (Russia) v FC Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine)

Juventus (Italy) v FC Artmedia Petržalka (Slovakia)

SK Brann (Norway) v Olympique de Marseille (France)

ACF Fiorentina (Italy) v SK Slavia Praha (Czech Republic)

Galatasaray AS (Turkey) v FC Steaua Bucureşti (Romania)

Panathinaikos FC (Greece) v AC Sparta Praha (Czech Republic)