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Udinese signal European ambition

Udinese Calcio are one of several lower-profile teams eyeing a place in next season's UEFA Champions League.

Udinese challenge
In Serie A, FC Internazionale Milano should hold on to third position, but the battle for the fourth qualification spot is intense. Udinese Calcio, UEFA Intertoto Cup winners in 2000, went level with UC Sampdoria on Sunday after defeating Atalanta BC, and are now in direct competition with the Genoese side as they bid to enter the European Champion Clubs' Cup for the first time.

Sampdoria hopeful
The two teams meet at the Stadio Friuli on 15 May in a match that could determine which makes the Champions League third qualifying round. Sampdoria, 1990 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup winners, made quite an impact on their only European Cup appearance, reaching the final in 1991/92 before going down 1-0 to FC Barcelona.

Everton return
In England, 1985 Cup Winners' Cup winners Everton FC are still fending off rivals Liverpool FC in fourth, despite losing against Fulham FC on Saturday, as they contemplate their first European Cup campaign since 1970/71 when they went as far as the quarter-finals. Everton were domestic champions in 1985 and 1987 but were denied entry because of the European ban on English sides.

Spanish race
Sevilla FC and Villarreal CF occupy third and fourth places respectively in Spain, but the race for the Champions League qualifying spots looks certain to go to the wire. Fourth position in particular is wide open, with Valencia CF, RCD Espanyol and Real Betis Balompié all mounting serious challenges.

Villarreal push
Villarreal have won the Intertoto Cup in the past two seasons and reached the UEFA Cup semi-finals last term but like Udinese, they have never featured in Europe's premier club competition. Sevilla were quarter-finalists in their only European Cup campaign in 1957/58.

Second chance
The second-placed teams in Germany and France, FC Schalke 04 and LOSC Lille Métropole, will be eager to have another crack at the Champions League. Both have had one previous attempt - in 2001/02 - but neither got beyond the first group stage.

The following list is subject to ratification by the individual national associations

Provisional 2005/06 UEFA Champions League - at 2 May
Teams in bold already assured of involvement
IOCStageClubDomestic position
Grp 2004/05 winnersn/a
ESP Grp FC Barcelona1
ESP Grp Real Madrid CF2
ESP Q3 Sevilla FC3
ESP Q3 Villarreal CF4
ENGGrpChelsea FC1
ENGGrpArsenal FC2
ENGQ3Manchester United FC3
ENGQ3Everton FC4
ITAGrpAC Milan1
ITAGrpJuventus FC2
ITAQ3FC Internazionale Milano3
ITAQ3UC Sampdoria/Udinese Calcio4
GERGrpFC Bayern München1
GERGrpFC Schalke 042
GERQ3VfB Stuttgart3
FRAGrpOlympique Lyonnais1
FRAGrpLOSC Lille Métropole2
FRAQ3AS Monaco FC3
PORGrpSL Benfica1
PORGrpSporting Clube de Portugal2
PORQ3FC Porto3
GREGrpPanathinaikos FC1
GREQ3AEK Athens FC2
NEDGrpPSV Eindhoven1
NEDQ3AFC Ajax2
CZEGrpAC Sparta Praha1
CZEQ3FK Teplice2
TURQ3Fenerbahçe SK1
TURQ2Galatasaray SK2
SCOQ3Celtic FC1
SCOQ2Rangers FC2
BELQ3Club Brugge KV1
BELQ2RSC Anderlecht2
SUIQ3FC Basel 18931
SUIQ2FC Thun2
UKRQ3FC Shakhtar Donetsk1
UKRQ2FC Dynamo Kyiv2
NORQ3Rosenborg BK1
NORQ2Vålerenga IF2
POLQ2Wisla Kraków1
ISRQ2Maccabi Haifa FC1
AUTQ2SK Rapid Wien1
YUGQ2FK Partizan1
BULQ2PFC CSKA Sofia1
RUSQ2FC Lokomotiv Moskva1
DENQ2Brøndby IF1
CROQ2HNK Hajduk Split1
SWEQ2Malmö FF 1
HUNQ2Debreceni VSC1
ROMQ1FC Steaua Bucuresti1
SVKQ1FC Artmedia Bratislava1
SLOQ1NK Gorica1
CYPQ1Anorthosis Famagusta FC1
MOLQ1FC Sheriff1
LATQ1FC Skonto1
FINQ1FC Haka 1
BHZ Q1NK Zrinjski1
GEOQ1FC Dinamo Tbilisi1
MKDQ1FK Rabotnicki1
LITQ1FBK Kaunas1
BLSQ1FC Dinamo Minsk 1
ISLQ1FH Hafnarfjördur1
MLTQ1Sliema Wanderers FC1
IRLQ1Shelbourne FC1
ARMQ1FC Pyunik1
WALQ1Total Network Solutions FC1
LIE
ALBQ1KF Tirana1
NIRQ1Glentoran FC1
ESTQ1FC Levadia Tallinn1
LUXQ1F91 Dudelange1
AZEQ1PFC Neftchi1
FARQ1HB Tórshavn1
KAZQ1FC Kairat Almaty1
ANDQ1
SMRQ1

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