All Roads Lead To Roma AKA We’re Back, Baby.

By: Rob | June 30th, 2008

Suffering from withdraw symptoms after that other European competition finished last night? Fear not loyal reader, because tomorrow will see the draw of the Champions League qualifying round, the first on the long road to the Champions League final, held for the fourth time in Rome.

So Here’s a run down of which teams are in which qualifying section, who could be playing against who, and who has made the group stages already.

The Following Teams will compete in the First Qualifying Round (Draw tomorrow, matches two weeks after)

Artmedia Petrzalka
Kaunas
BATE Borisov
Llanelli
Dinamo Zagreb
Tampere United
Dinamo Tirana
NSI Runavik
Anorthosis Famagusta
Sherriff Tiraspol
Levada Tallinn
Dudelange
IFK Goteborg
Drogheda United
Pyunik Yerevan
Vallettea
Domzale
Dimao Tiblisi
Inter Baku
Santa Coloma
FC Modrica
Rabotnicki
Aktobe
Murata
Ventsplis
Valur
Linfield
Buducnost

None of these teams really stand a chance of making it to the group stage, they have to win three tricky matches to get there. Next year however, the rules are going to be completely changed, so qualifying is going to be a different, fairer beast.

Anyway, this year if those teams win, they’ll get drawn against these:
The Teams who will play in the Second Qualifying Round of the Champions League

Rangers
Fenerbahce
Beitar Jerusalem
Rapid Vienna
Dynamo Kiev
Panathinaikos
Partizan
Wisla Krakow
Anderlecht
FC Basel
Aaloborg
MTK Budapest
Sparta Prague
Brann

Some decent teams in there, that we have seen in the Champions League before, which could be interesting. Those that win, will be then drawn against teh following:
The teams that will compete in the Third Qualifying Round:

Barcelona
Fiorentina
Twente
Slavia Prague
Athletico Madrid
Marseille
Spartak Moscow
Galatasaray
Arsenal
Schalke 04
Shaktar Donetsk
Olympiacos
Liverpool
Vitoria Guimaraes
Standard
Levski Sofia
Juventus
Steaua

Whoever gets through that lot, and there are a fair few good sides in that section; will come up against the following:
The Teams Who Have Made It To The Group Stage:

Real Madrid
Inter Milan
Bayern Munich
CFR Cluj
Villarreal
AS Roma
Werder Bremen
PSV
Manchester United
Lyon
FC Porto (Controversially, as they were kicked out and let back in, along with Steaua)
Zenit St. Petersberg
Chelsea
Bordeaux
Sporting Lisbon
Celtic (who get into the group stage as Man United won the title)

And there you have it. Its gonna be one hell of a ride, from here till that match in Rome. Who will win, who will shock-qualify, who will be going home already? Thoughts?