2007 UEFA Cup Group Stage Draw

UEFA CupOctober 25SC Braga – The ReebokNovember 8Bayern Munich – Allianz ArenaNovember 29Aris Thessaloniki – The ReebokDecember 6Red Star Belgrade – Stadion Crvena Zvezda

Reaction To The Draw

Bolton have a fair chance of progress with the selection of European teams that they have been grouped with although the two games away will prove to be difficult for The Wanderers, especially the latter which is likely to become a crucial match that will either end BWFC’s European crusade or mark the beginning of a memorable season.Nicolas Anelka made sense when he suggested that the home games should be won and a point at the away fixtures should be enough for Bolton Wanderers to reach the knockout stage of this year’s UEFA Cup.Of course Bolton’s hardest fixture will be the trip to Germany and Anelka mentioned that the main threat there will be his French international team-mate 34 year-old Frank Ribery.Another player to watch out for is Luca Toni, the 30 year-old striker has played 8 games so far this season and scored 8 goals for FC Bayern Muchich who top the Bundesliga.Anelka spoke further about the trip to Bayern Munich:

“I would love to go there and upset the world of football by winning. It would put Bolton on the map in terms of being a European force.”

He warned about Red Star Belgrade too:

“The match against Red Star will be very intimadating. they always seem to raise their game in European competition and their fanatical fans are always very passionate at home.”

Most of the talk about Group F has been about Bayern Munich.Bolton Chairman had this to say about The Wanderers trip to the impressive Allianz Arena:

“Being greedy you want to play Bayern Munich at home because you get a better TV deal from broadcaster, but we all said Bayern Munich in the group would be fantastic, so we’re very happy.”We’ve had a tough start and are looking for things which might start your season off, and this could be a great fillip for everybody.”

Typical Gartside, thinking about the money! I trust the club will fund Diouf airfare to the two away games, we do not want him to quit.Meanwhile Red Star’s head coach, Kosanovic was also pleased to have been drawn against the German club:”Overall, I am happy with the draw which could have been worse, but also easier for us. Except for Bayern, which is the favorite to win, the other teams are pretty even, which makes for an attractive and open group.

“Right now, I can say that the game schedule is not ideal, since we are hosting both teams in our group with the highest ranking. That could be a problem.”The most important thing for us is that we are playing UEFA Cup this year. With two spectacular matches coming up at Marakana, our fans will certainly have a chance to show that they are among the best in Europe. As for our players, it will be a great opportunity for the lads to continue to mature as a team. At the same time, the coaching staff will be able to gauge their true potential.”Like I said, playing in the UEFA Cup is already an accomplishment for us and we are not under any pressure to win at all cost. That does not mean that we are not going to put up a good fight. This is a great opportunity for us to further our reputation and we are happy that it will be against some of the best teams “

Club President, Stojkovic told fc-redstar.net:”Overall, I am happy with the draw which could have been worse, but also easier for us. Except for Bayern, which is the favorite to win, the other teams are pretty even, which makes for an attractive and open group.”FC Bayern Munich coach Ottmar Hitzfeld was restrained with his reaction about the draw saying:”Those are attractive draws that we came up with, with very good competitors. A very challenging group.”Challenging? Surely not for the Bavarian club who have won The UEFA Cup once and the European Cup no less than four times. He was either being very kind to the other Group F clubs or just plain sarcastic.

Inside Bayern Munich ground, Allianz Arena

Inside the impressive Allianz Arena, home of FC Bayern Munich.

The top three clubs from each group advance to the knockout stage, where they will be joined by eight clubs who finish third in their Champions League groups.The final is scheduled for May 14 at the City of Manchester Stadium.

UEFA Cup 2007 Groups

Group A

  • AZ
  • Everton
  • Larissa
  • Nurnberg
  • Zenit St Petersburg

Group B

  • Aberdeen
  • Atletico Madrid
  • FC Copenhagen
  • Lokomotiv Moscow
  • Panathinaikos

Group C

  • AEK Athens
  • Fiorentina
  • IF Elfsborg
  • Mlada Boleslav
  • Villarreal

Group D

  • Basle
  • Dinamo Zagreb
  • Hamburg
  • Rennes
  • SK Brann

Group E

  • Bayer Leverkusen
  • FC Zurich
  • Sparta Prague
  • Spartak Moscow
  • Toulouse

Group F

  • Aris Salonika
  • Bayern Munich
  • Bolton Wanderers
  • Braga
  • Crvena Zvezda

Group G

  • AaB
  • Anderlecht
  • Getafe
  • Hapoel Tel-Aviv
  • Tottenham

Group H

  • Bordeaux
  • FK Austria Magna
  • Galatasaray
  • Helsingborgs IF
  • Panionios

  • http://www.bwfc24.co.uk/blog/2007/10/14/international-duty-for-euro-2008-qualifiers/ International Duty For Euro 2008 Qualifiers | BWFC24 : The Bolton Wanderers Blog

    [...] Nicolas Anelka scored the first of six goals for France when they took on the Faroe Islands in front of a crowd of just over 8,000 at the Torsvollor Stadium. Anelka turned in a cross from Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich) in the 7th minute. Anelka recently mentioned that Ribery is a player that Bolton should be wary of when they travel to Munich. Jussi Jaaskelainen kept a clean sheet in a scoreless draw between Belgium and Finland in front of what was more of a gathering rather than a crowd at just 4,100 spectators. Another scoreless draw was experienced by Joey O’Brien at Croke Park where Ireland entertained a jubilant Germany after the single point meant that they were the first team to qualify for Euro 2008. However, the solitary point Ireland does little to save them from being knocked out of the competition. [...]