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Two recent European champions in Liverpool and Barcelona face tricky opponents as they attempt to negotiate their way safely through the last qualifying stage of the Champions League in first leg matches on Wednesday.
Barcelona, who won the title in 2006, come up against Polish champions Wisla Krakow while Liverpool, who were 2005 European champions and beaten finalists in 2007, travel to Belgium for a first-leg tie against Standard Liege.
Meanwhile the 2006 losing finalists Arsenal also face a difficult opponent in Dutch side FC Twente who have former England manager Steve McClaren in charge.
“It will be a fantastic event for everyone,” McClaren said ahead of the first-leg encounter in Enschede.
“You don’t play Arsenal each day. It is a tricky draw, we already said that. But in football anything can happen. We must prepare ourselves well and work like crazy for each other on the field.
The third qualifying round is the last hurdle before the lucrative main group stage when Champions League winners Manchester United join the rest of the top seeds in the tournament.
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard may miss Liverpool’s trip to Belgium with a thigh strain. With Javier Mascherano on Olympics duty with Argentina, manager Rafael Benitez will be desperate to have his captain in the centre of midfield.
One man who does look likely to start is Xabi Alonso, who remains at the club despite rumours he could leave if Gareth Barry is signed from Aston Villa.
Meanwhile in Barcelona, Samuel Eto’o can hardly wait for Wednesday’s match to come. The fiery Cameroon striker is keen to redeem himself in the eyes of the Camp Nou – and of new coach Josep Guardiola.
Eto’o became unpopular with the Barca fans when in April he appeared to pick up a deliberate fourth yellow card in order to miss the game away to champions Real Madrid, who thrashed Barca 4-1.
Guardiola, when presented to the media in June as replacement for Frank Rijkaard, made it clear he wanted to see the back of Eto’o.
But no convincing bids for the African have come in, and Eto’o was in impressive form finishing as top scorer during the club’s pre- season American tour.
On Wednesday he will line up with Thierry Henry, who has had a far more sluggish pre-season, with teenage sensation Bojan Krkic waiting for his chance on the bench.
Ahead of Arsenal’s tie with Twente, manager Arsene Wenger, who will be without Alexandre Song because of the Olympics, responded to Twente coach Steve McClaren.
The former England coach had claimed that the pressure was all on the English team but Wenger responded: “I am confident and have belief the team will be focused and treat Twente with respect.
“We have learned through our experience and I am confident we can qualify. You always expect good opposition in Holland, but I believe we are good enough to get through.”
In what looks like being the most attractive tie of the qualifying round Spain’s Atletico Madrid visit Germany’s Schalke 04.
“What is at stake here is the work of a whole year,” Atletico defender Pablo Ibanez said.
Atletico finished fourth in La Liga last season, just behind third-placed Barcelona, and are desperate to return to the Champions League after 12 years’ absence.
Schalke, who warmed up by thrashing fifth-division FC Homburg 3-0 in the German Cup on Saturday, will probably be without injury victims Manuel Neuer and Mladen Krstajic.
In addition, right-back Rafinha is playing for Brazil in the Olympic football tournament, but Schalke have been boosted by the early form of Peruvian striker Jefferson Farfan and Dutch midfielder Orlando Engelaar, their two big summer seasons.
Meanwhile two-time European champions Juventus are seeking a return to the Champions League elite following the match-fixing scandal which saw them relegated to Serie B in July 2006.
Coach Claudio Ranieri’s team are up against Slovakian side Artemedia Bratislava in Turin on Wednesday.
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