New boys await old masters

Having qualified for the UEFA Cup quarter-finals for the first time, CA Osasuna were expecting nothing less than "a tough draw" before being paired with Bayer 04 Leverkusen of Germany.

'Positive result'
The Spanish side reached this stage by eliminating Rangers FC 2-1 on aggregate, a result which ended the Scottish club's hopes of contesting the 16 May final on home soil. Yet Osasuna remain very much in contention, particularly as the tie will conclude at their Reyno de Navarra stadium. "Ideally we'd like a positive result in Germany and then qualify at home," said coach José Ángel Ziganda, 24 hours after lauding the "rousing, British-style atmosphere that was so good for the team" against Rangers.

Fine record
The Pamplona-based outfit have a fine record against Bundesliga opposition, their four matches against German teams yielding an away victory - against VfB Stuttgart in this competition in 1991 - and three draws. "We knew that all the sides in the draw would be difficult, but Leverkusen are a great club with a proud history and tradition," Ziganda continued. "They're the favourites to qualify for the semi-finals but we'll be pushing them all the way."

Internationals
There were three Leverkusen players in the latest Germany squad announced today, and none from Osasuna in the Spain party for their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifiers. Form also favours Bayer, the Ruhr club having knocked out an RC Lens team who comfortably dispatched Osasuna 3-1 in the group stage in November. "We know Leverkusen have some good international players, not to mention that they ousted Lens, an opponent we know only too well, in the previous round," Ziganda concluded.

Memorable result
Leverkusen's first trip to Spain witnessed one of their most memorable results, a 1-0 triumph at FC Barcelona which secured a 2-1 aggregate success in the quarter-finals of the 1987/88 UEFA Cup. Erich Ribbeck's men overcame another Catalan side in the final, RCD Espanyol, to collect their first continental trophy, but were denied a second by Primera División opponents when losing the 2002 UEFA Champions League final to Real Madrid CF.

'Challenge'
That game was played at Hampden, and Leverkusen would love to exorcise those demons in May. "We'll approach this challenge confidently," said coach Michael Skibbe. "It's a really interesting draw for us, although it's a pity to play at home first. Osasuna came through against Rangers so that gives an indication of how difficult it's going to be." Sporting director Rudi Völler added: "We're looking forward to the challenge. It's going to be a tough task against Osasuna, Spanish teams are always technically strong."