First round task on coaches' minds

FC Groningen v ACF Fiorentina
It is a game against challenging opponents. But a match against an Italian club is not necessarily mission impossible. You can expect a hard and clever contest but there are also examples of stadiums that are almost half-empty over there. Ron Jans, Groningen coach

I'm delighted to start against a team with such a good tradition as Groningen's. I hope our fans will support us, especially in Florence, but I'm sure many will also follow us to the Netherlands. We will do everything we can to honour Fiorentina's return to European football. I'm sure it will be an open and spectacular tie against a strong team. Cesare Prandelli, Fiorentina coach

UC Sampdoria v Aalborg BK

Walter Mazzarri, Sampdoria coach

Tottenham Hotspur FC v Anorthosis Famagusta FC
Last year was a big frustration for us. Everyone said that the team that won our match [against Sevilla FC in the quarter-finals] would go on to win the competition, and that's what happened. Damien Comolli, Tottenham sporting director

It's a bittersweet draw but it will be a great experience to play against a Premier League side at such a magnificent stadium as White Hart Lane. Our chances are obviously minimal because they are such a strong team but we having nothing to lose. We will give our all and hope for the best. Timur Ketsbaia, Anorthosis coach

Everton FC v FC Metalist Kharkiv

Keith Wyness, Everton chief executive

I have watched a couple of Everton games but have not seen them this season. Everton are one of the top teams in England. They play Bolton [Wanderers FC] on 1 September and Manchester United [FC] on 15th so I will be looking closely at those matches. Miron Markevich, Metalist coach

FC Bayern München v CF Os Belenenses
I am happy with the draw. Belenenses are the kind of side you really have to beat. It is important that we don't slip up on our travels so we will not make the mistake of underestimating them. Ottmar Hitzfeld, Bayern coach

What better challenge could we have? Probably nobody wanted to play Bayern but all I can say is that Belenenses are ready to take on any European team. We recently played Real Madrid [CF] and had a wonderful game. Sometimes the lesser-known teams are more difficult than the more famous ones. Cabral Ferreira, Belenenses president

NK Dinamo Zagreb v AFC Ajax
We get the most difficult opponents! Ajax are among the most respected clubs in Europe. But it will be another big match at our stadium. Against Werder [Bremen in the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round] we showed we can play against anyone. Ajax have many current or former internationals and they were favourites but lost to [SK] Slavia Prague. This time they will be more careful. Branko Ivanković, Dinamo coach

I think Dinamo are the best of the five teams we could have met, so it is not the ideal draw for us. Football is at a reasonably high level over in Croatia – they are good technical players. We will see them play but my gut instinct is that we should go through. Henk ten Cate, Ajax coach

Club Atlético de Madrid v Kayseri Erciyesspor
There were stronger teams such Bordeaux and Panathinaikos in our pot. So we think it is a plus to play against Atlético. They have made some excellent summer signings and have a powerful squad. It is important that we perform well. The result will be secondary in that respect. If we score in Spain, we might have more hope for the second leg. They may underestimate us because we are playing in the second division. We can benefit from that. Mehmet Bulut, Erciyesspor coach

Aris Thessaloniki FC v Real Zaragoza
They are dangerous opponents, especially at their ground with an intense atmosphere and enthusiastic fans. Aris are a very Latin side with players I know such as Koke and several Brazilians. We will have to concentrate. Víctor Fernández, Zaragoza coach

Villarreal CF v FC BATE Borisov
We have to respect any opponent. Despite BATE coming from a 'minor' league [Belarus], they will be highly motivated and in good physical shape and that makes them tough to play. Our aim is to get a comfortable lead in the first leg, although we don't want to obsess over it. We have to play well and look to win but try not to make the mistake of thinking we can qualify in the first 90 minutes. Manuel Pellegrini, Villarreal coach

There are no weak teams at this stage of the competition. You have a chance against any opponent and Villarreal are no exception. The question is, will we be able to take our chances. Everything will be decided on the pitch. We will try our best to get into the group stage. Igor Kryushenko, BATE coach

Getafe CF v FC Twente
They are not easy opponents because they play good football. We had our pre-season in the Netherlands and played five matches so my players know what to expect. Michael Laudrup, Getafe coach

Hamburger SV v PFC Litex Lovech
The draw was not kind to us. Hamburg are a very strong side. But we must prepare well for both games and we must not feel doomed because it's a German club. We must look forward to playing one of the best teams in the Bundesliga. Ferario Spasov, Litex coach

Stade Rennais FC v PFC Lokomotiv Sofia

Stefan Grozdanov, Lokomotiv coach

FC Girondins de Bordeaux v Tampere United
I know nothing about that team but I do know that the Finnish national side are strong at the moment.
Jean-Louis Triaud, Bordeaux president

Toulouse FC v PFC CSKA Sofia
Of all the unseeded sides in our pot, Toulouse were the strongest and we got them. That is not good at all. We must be ready for them. We must improve. If we get a good result from the first leg in France, then we will have a chance of progressing to the group stage. Stoicho Mladenov, CSKA coach

Larissa FC v Blackburn Rovers FC

Larissa coach Giorgos Donis (Blackburn player 1996-98)

FC Zenit St. Petersburg v R. Standard de Liège
I believe we were drawn against the strongest team of the five we could get. I don't know Standard well and have not seen them play. But they are in good domestic form and that makes them serious opposition. Everything depends on the result of the first leg. If you win 3-0, the return will be much easier, but if you fail the task becomes much more complicated. Andrei Arshavin, Zenit striker

We are happy to have avoided strong sides like Everton and Villarreal. About Zenit, I only know that they have bought [Belgium] defender Nicolas Lombaerts for a lot of money. They are a rich club, no doubt with a lot of good players. Michel Preud'homme, Standard coach

FC Spartak Moskva v BK Häcken
Honestly, I have never heard of that team. I believe all the Spartak players would say the same. I don't even know if it's good or bad that we will play against such a lowly side. But we must treat the Swedes seriously because you will not get far expecting an easy ride. Maxym Kalynychenko, Spartak midfielder

FC Zürich v Empoli FC
We look forward to starting this new adventure. It will not be easy but we hope to qualify for the group stage. I will field the same players who managed to get us here, in the first round. Then, if we reach the group stage, we can use several young players who can do very well in this competition. Luigi Cagni, Empoli coach

1. FC Nürnberg v AFC Rapid Bucureşti

Danut Coman, Rapid goalkeeper

FC Midtjylland v FC Lokomotiv Moskva
Danish teams are powerful, good at the back and quick in switching to attack. Our situation is a bit complicated because there will be a break in the Russian league for international matches so we will be lacking sharpness when we play Midtjylland. We don't know much about them, but we will compensate for that and approach these games fully prepared. Anatoli Byshovets, Lokomotiv coach

FC Dinamo 1948 Bucureşti v IF Elfsborg
We have to forget about [UEFA Champions League third qualifying round nemesis S.S.] Lazio. Everyone, including the fans, suffered a lot after the way we missed out on qualification, but life goes on. We want to play again in the UEFA Cup group stage, we want to win the league and Romanian Cup. We are favourites against Elfsborg, but we have to be very careful because Elfsborg also come from the Champions League preliminaries. Mircea Rednic, Dinamo coach

FK Sarajevo v FC Basel 1893
Our dream was to play Hamburg. We know the Basel team and I think our chances are even. It will be a good match. Basel have a little advantage because they are at home in the second leg. Husref Musemić, Sarajevo coach

SK Rapid Wien v RSC Anderlecht
We have drawn the hardest possible opponent – but Rapid are still beatable. Reaching the group stage is a must for us. We suffered a blow when we lost in the [UEFA Champions League] third qualifying round, but if we can beat Rapid the pain will be gone. Herman Van Holsbeeck, Anderlecht general manager