Football Betting Basics

For Advanced Bettors

Football Betting Tools

"Thaksin -lofty ambitions"

UEFA Cup Begins

This week sees the return of European football's second most prestigious trophy.

For Zenit St Petersburg fans, the memories of that glorious Manchester night when they lifted the trophy will still be vivid but for everyone else, the new season is upon us and it's time to go again.

With a few qualifying rounds to go before the competition starts properly, there may not be a wealth of big names but there are some footballing stories to get excited about. And no doubt the players who kick off this week will be dreaming of pitting their wits against stars from AC Milan, Seville and of course, the teams who lose in the Champions League qualifying 3rd round.

The most immediate name in the first round that strikes you is that of Manchester City, who gained qualification through the Fair Play system. The Sky Blues made a lot of progress last season and a European spot was a fitting reward for the advances the club made but it was not enough to keep Sven Goran Eriksson in a job.

The Manchester City fans may have loved him and felt he was a massive success but it was not enough for Thaksin Shinawatra. With dreams of Champions League glory to aim for, Eriksson was jettisoned and Mark Hughes was afforded the task of placing City on the road to riches.

An Ex-Red for the Sky Blues
Given the way that City fans had warmed to the Swede, there were a few upset fans at the thought of an ex Manchester United legend taking over the managerial hot seat.

Hughes does bring a strong reputation from his managerial time at Blackburn and now he has real spending power to play with. The club have already purchased Jo from CSKA Moscow and it is said that a bid of £25.5 million has been submitted for Ronaldinho.

At this moment in time, the Brazillian star looks likely to be heading to AC Milan but City remain dogged in their pursuit. Nevertheless, there is likely to be a lot more spending going on this summer at the Eastlands Stadium, even if Ronaldinho turns Manchester City down.

No Home Game for Manchester City
City last graced the European stage back in 2003 and it is on the Faroe Islands that they make their comeback.

A tie against EB Streymur is hardly the most glamorous match that Manchester City will play this season but it could be one of the most important.

Failure to get off to a good start may leave Hughes in a precarious position with Shinawatra and no doubt Hughes will want the tie wrapped up before the home tie. The thing is though; City will not be playing their home game in Manchester. Due to a Bon Jovi concert that is taking place at the stadium, the pitch will not be ready for the second leg of the tie and Barnsley is where City will make their home return to leg.

Oakwell, the home of Barnsley FC has seen some exciting nights but this foray into European football may entice some locals along.

Manchester City aren’t the only team you may have heard of playing at this early stage. The early rounds of the UEFA Cup are split on a geographical basis to reduce travel costs for players and fans so not all of these teams will be able to be paired off against each other.

This has added some added spice with the potential of neighbouring countries opposing each other on the football field.

Other 'Big' Names
FC Copenhagen have plenty of Champions League experience and in recent years have managed to defeat Manchester United and Celtic at home. With their experience they should be able to overcome Cliftonville of Northern Ireland.

That said, The Reds from Northern Ireland managed to win their first ever European tie in 2007 and so at least have something to build from against their more illustrious rivals.

Younger football fans may not be aware of the name but FK Vojvodina have a proud history and even made the quarter finals of the 1967 European Cup. Their recent European exploits may be a bit more modest, based mainly in the Intertoto and Uefa Cup early rounds but the team from Novi Sad in Serbia will certainly be no pushovers. Their first round opponents are FK Olimpik Baku from Azerbaijan.

Another club with former European experience is Hertha Berlin who have played in the Champions League in the past decade. They have also featured in the Uefa Cup semi-final, a feat they achieved in 1979. This may not be a realistic expectation of the club this season but there will be a lot of people hoping for progress to the group stages of the Uefa Cup.

Standing in Hertha’s way first of all is Nistru Ocaci from Moldova.

The End of the UEFA Cup?
This is the last season of the current format of the Uefa Cup and thankfully the awkward group stages are being amended. The groups of 5 with 3 teams progressing may guarantee clubs TV and gate receipt income but it did make for a lot of unattractive games.

In 2009/10, the groups will feature 12 groups of four teams each. There is even talk of a rebranding of the tournament which may make this year the last time the Uefa Cup name is used for the tournament. In trying to compete with the Champions League, it is fair to say that the Uefa Cup has perhaps lost its way and hopefully this redevelopment of the competition will bring it back to life for many football fans across Europe.

There may not be an AC Milan, Hamburg or Tottenham Hotspur involved at the moment but the road to Istanbul starts here with the first round of the Uefa Cup. You may not be rushing out to put money on any of the first round teams to win the trophy (although City may be worth an outside bet) but the European adventure for some clubs is what keeps them going.

Teams like Vaduz, Flora, or Gomel may not even make it to the first round proper but for the players and fans, the dream is still alive at the moment.

for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk

Click Here to Become a Member of The Silver Circle.

1. Receive J Armstrong's personal picks through both email and SMS.
2. Direct access to J Armstrong though email.
3. Access to Members' Area and support.
4. Access to protected information reserved only for members.