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Brits begin Europa League quest

Author: Lynda Collins
Date: 17/09/2009
Football betting

Three British sides go into the Europa League group stages hoping to go on and become the first winners of the competition formerly known as the UEFA Cup.

England are represented by Everton and Fulham, while Celtic are the Scottish hope for glory.

David Moyes' Everton side had few problems in negotiating the play-off round as they swept aside Czechs Sigma Olomouc 5-1 on aggregate, although the victory saw Tony Hibbert sent off in the second leg and he will be banned for the opening group game.

Recent signing Johnny Heitinga is also absent as he is cup-tied until after the group stages, having played for Atletico Madrid in the Champions League qualifiers this season.

First up for the Toffees are Greek side AEK Athens, who struggled to see off Romanian outfit SC Vaslui in the play-off round - eventually winning out 4-2 on aggregate thanks to two late strikes from Ignacio Scocco in the second leg.

Another man hoping to make an impact will be Krisztian Nemeth, who is currently on a season-long loan from Everton's deadly rivals Liverpool.

Can Everton become the first winners of the Europa League? - Latest Football Betting

Group I is completed by Benfica and BAE Borisov from Belarus.

England's other representatives, Fulham, have had to negotiate two rounds to reach the group stages, where they start off with a trip to Bulgaria to face CSKA Sofia.

First up for the Cottagers were Lithuanians FK Vetra, who posed few problems as Roy Hodgson's side won both legs 3-0 to progress to the qualifying round.

Their tie with Amkar Perm was a much tighter affair, with a 3-1 victory at Craven Cottage proving to be just enough as Fulham were beaten by a single goal in the return leg in Russia.

Sofia may offer an even greater threat, having knocked out Dinamo Moscow in the play-off round by virtue of a 2-1 victory in the Russian capital, with Ivan Ivanov netting the crucial goal.

The other two teams in Group E are sportsbook favourite Roma and FC Basel.

Celtic's Group C campaign starts with a trip to Israel Hapoel Tel-Aviv, with the Bhoys hoping to make up for a disappointing exit from the Champions League at the hands of Arsenal.

Manager Tony Mowbray will have to do without summer signing Marc-Antoine Fortune, with the striker currently sidelined by a knee injury.

Somewhat surprisingly, these two sides have met before back in 1999 in the first round of the UEFA Cup, where Celtic ran out 3-0 winners with Henrik Larsson scoring all three goals in the tie.

Rapid Vienna and Hamburg complete a tough-looking Group C.

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