Tricky matches for Italian pair

MONTE CARLO, Monaco (AP) -- Italy's Parma and Chievo Verona were each handed a tricky task in the draw for the UEFA Cup first round Friday while most of the other favorites appear to have comfortable matches.

Parma, the 1999 UEFA Cup champion, will play CSKA Moscow while Chievo, the surprise package of Serie A last season, meets Red Star Belgrade, the 1991 Champions Cup winner.

Two English sides face seasoned opponents too.

Fulham, which qualified through the Intertoto Cup, takes on Croatia's Hadjuk Split and Blackburn Rovers plays Bulgaria's CSKA Sofia.

In another tight-looking game, Portuguese league and cup titlist Sporting Lisbon, which was eliminated from the Champions Cup preliminary round by Inter Milan, plays Partizan Belgrade.

Elsewhere, most of the big names do not seem to run any danger of elimination.

Leeds United, winner in 1968 and 1971, plays the Ukrainian outfit Metalurh Zaporizhzhya while Chelsea, Cup Winner Cup champion in 1998, faces Norway's Viking.

Lazio had better luck than its fellow Italians with a straightforward-looking match against Greek side Xanthi.

Glasgow Celtic, eliminated by Basle in the Champions League this week, faces Suduva of Lithuania.

"I don't really know enough about the opposition. But there were some difficult sides in the group we were concerned with," Celtic coach Martin O'Neill said.

Of Spain's quartet, Celta de Vigo meets Odense while Alaves, runner up in 2001, plays Ankaragucu of Turkey.

Malaga, playing in Europe for the first year, faces Bosnia's Zeljeznicar and Real Betis plays Zimbru Chisinau of Moldova.

Betis has an added incentive to reach the final as it will be held in its home city of Seville at La Cartuja stadium on May 21.

"I know nothing about our opponent but we have to show respect to all our rivals," Betis vice president Angel Martin said.

Germany's Schalke 04, which lifted the UEFA Cup in 1997, meets FC Gomel of Belarus while Stuttgart, runnerup in 1989, plays Ventspils of Latvia.

The third German side Hertha Berlin has the toughest of the three with games against Aberdeen.

"Its an opponent with a good name. After Celtic and Rangers, it's the strongest Scottish team. We want to reach the fourth round, To do that we have to win in the first round," Hertha manager Dieter Hoeness said.

FC Porto, the Champions Cup winner in 1987, plays Polonia Warsaw, while its neighbor, third-division Leixoes, faces PAOK Thessaloniki.

The 96 teams were divided into six groups. In each group, the eight seeded sides were drawn against the other eight.

The last of England's five-club English representation, Ipswich Town, which won in 1981 under Bobby Robson but now plays in the second division, meets Yugoslavia's Sardid.

Hungary's Zalaegerszeg, which surprised Manchester United 1-0 in the first leg of the preliminary round of this season's Champions League but lost 5-0 at Old Trafford, faces Dynamo Zagreb of Croatia.

Another Hungarian side Upjest, runnerup in 1969, plays Paris Saint Germain.

France's other two teams are Bordeaux, runner-up in 1996, which meets Puchov of Slovakia while Lorient plays Denizlispor of Turkey.

 

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