CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Former England manager Steve McClaren’s new Dutch side FC Twente will play Arsenal in the Champions League third qualifying round later this month.
McClaren, who was sacked from the England job after their failure to qualify for Euro 2008, took over at FC Twente in June on a two-year deal.
The 47-year-old told Sky Sports News: “It was strange, because as soon as I joined [Twente] I knew we had the draw coming up. I expected one of the English teams. I think fate deals you certain cards and it has dealt us this draw. On one hand it’s very, very tough for us, but on the other it is very exciting.”
McClaren’s club are making their Champions League debut after defeating Ajax in a play-off last season.
Past winners Liverpool face Belgian outfit Standard Liege, while Rangers will come up against either Denmark’s Aalborg or Bosnian outfit Modrica providing they first see off FBK Kaunas.
Aalborg are coached by former Arsenal boss Bruce Rioch.
Barcelona have been handed what looks like being a trouble free passage to the competition proper as they meet the winner of the second round tie between Beitar Jerusalem and Wisla Krakow.
Irish champions Drogheda take on Spartak Moscow, as long as they can reverse a 2-1 first leg deficit against Dynamo Kiev.
Atletico Madrid were drawn with Germany’s Schalke 04, with France’s former European champions Marseille up against either SK Brann or Ventspils.
McClaren, meanwhile, described Arsenal as the toughest team Twente could have come up against in Friday’s draw made at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon.
“In one respect it’s a tough draw for us; on the other it’s now an opponent we know very well, not just myself, everyone in Holland knows the Premier League well, so Arsenal will be no strangers to us,” McClaren said. “This is a reward for a great achievement last season in reaching this stage, to get one of the big teams. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience that doesn’t come along that often. I’m sure the fans will be delighted.”
Arsenal company secretary David Miles said: “We will be pleased with the draw; logistically Holland isn’t too far and it will give our fans the opportunity to see the game. As you rightly say, it’s a reunion with Steve and we are looking forward to it. When Steve was first-team coach for the national team and then manager they used to use our training ground [at London Colney] so there are good relations there.”
The winners of the third qualifying round will go into the lucrative first group stage of Europe’s top club competition.
Champions League third qualifying round fixtures:
• Anorthosis Famagusta or Rapid Vienna v Olympiakos
• Vitoria Guimaraes v IFK Gothenburg or Basel
• Shakhtar Donetsk v Domzale or Dinamo Zagreb
• Schalke 04 v Atletico Madrid
• Aalborg or Modrica v Rangers or FBK Kaunas
• Barcelona v Beitar Jerusalem or Wisla Krakow
• Levski Sofia v Anderlecht or BATE Borisov
• Standard Liege v Liverpool
• Inter Baku or Partizan Belgrade v Fenerbahce or MTK Budapest
• FC Twente v Arsenal
• Spartak Moscow v Drogheda or Dynamo Kiev
• Juventus v Tampere United or Artmedia
• SK Brann or Ventspils v Marseille
• Fiorentina v Slavia Prague
• Galatasaray v Steaua Bucharest
• Panathinaikos or Dinamo Tblisi v Sheriff or Sparta Prague
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