Ipswich handed favourable draw

Portman Road will entertain European football again

Ipswich Town have been handed a relatively straightforward draw against little-known Luxembourg side Avenir Beggen in the Uefa Cup qualifying round.

The East Anglia club qualified for the competition through their fair play record, despite being relegated from the Premiership last season.

Ipswich gain Uefa Cup spot

Avenir won the domestic Cup in Luxembourg but were also relegated from the top flight.

I'm delighted with the draw and it's a tie that we will be looking forward to

Ipswich manager George Burley

Scottish Premier League club Livingston have also been handed a favourable tie against FC Vaduz of Liechtenstein in their first foray into European football

Aberdeen will face Moldovan outfit Nistru Otaci, with the first leg to be played in Moldova.

Northern Ireland Premiership runners-up Glentoran will take on Polish club Wisla Krakow, while fellow Northern Irish side Linfield were paired with Norwegian club Stabaek.

I have to admit I have never heard of this team so it is difficult to say much about them

Aberdeen manager Ebbe Skovdahl

Shamrock Rovers, of the Republic of Ireland were handed an away first leg tie against Swedish club Djurgardens, while their countrymen Dundalk will also play away first against Croatian side Varteks.

The qualifying round first legs will be played on 15 August, with the ties completed on 29 August.

Rangers, Leeds and Chelsea will join the competition at the first round stage.

---

Full draw for the first qualifying round of the Uefa Cup:
First leg to be played 15 August, second leg to be played 29 August.

Group 1
Liteks Lovetch v FK Atlantas
FC Encamp v Zenit St Petersburg
FK Atyrau v Matador Puchov
Glentoran v Wisla Krakow (Poland)

Group 2
FK Pobeda v FC Midtjyiland
NK Primorje v Zvartnots
FK Ventspils v Lugano
Hapoel Tel-Aviv v Partisani Tirana

Group 3
Apollon Limassol v Ferencvaros
Hajduk Split v GI Gota
SK Brann v FK Suduva
Amica Wronki (Poland) v TNS Llansantfraid FC

Group 4
FC Copenhagen v Lokomotiv Tbilisi
FK Metalurgs v FC Karnten
FC Vaduz (Liechtenstein) v Livingston
Silema Wanderers v Polonia Warsaw

Group 5
Anorthosis Famagusta v CS Grevenmacher
FC Levadia Talinn v Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Leixoes v FK Belasica
Stabaek (Norway) v Linfield

Group 6
Olomouc v FK Sarajevo
Zimbru Chisinau v IFK Gothenburg
Ujpesti v KI Klaksvik
MyPa v Odense BK

Group 7
Dinamo Minsk v CSKA Sofia
TVMK Talinn v Dinamo Tbilisi
Servette v Spartak Yerevan
Djurgardens IF (Sweden) v Shamrock Rovers

Group 8
Varteks (Croatia) v Dundal
Gomel v HJK Helsinki
FC Nistru Otaci (Moldova) v Aberdeen
IBV Vestmannaeyja v AIK Solna

Group 9
Rapid Bucuresti v HIT Gorica
Domagnano v Zizkov
Kairat Almaty v Crvena Zvezda
Metalurg Zaporizhzhya v Birkirkara

Group 10
Bangor City v Sartid (Yugoslavia)
Senec v Siroki Brijeg
SK Tirana v National Bucuresti
Avenir Beggen (Luxembourg) v Ipswich Town
Fylkir v Excelsior Mouscron