Porto example sets the standard

Two former winners lead the way in the 43 UEFA Cup first round first-leg matches to be held across Europe this evening.

Porto example
Liverpool FC and Parma AC have both lifted the famous trophy in the past and will be hoping to do so again this season. Liverpool, champions in 1973, 1976 and 2001, are in Slovenia to meet NK Olimpija Ljubljana while Parma, winners in 1995 and 1999, face FC Metalurh Donetsk in Ukraine. All 86 sides in action today will be hoping to emulate current holders FC Porto and be crowned UEFA Cup winners in Gothenburg, Sweden on 19 May next year.

Intriguing fixtures
uefa.com will provide comprehensive coverage over the course of the evening, with eight minute-by-minute text commentaries and live score updates from all the other ties. Among the most intriguing fixtures are tough trips for Spanish duo Valencia CF and FC Barcelona to AIK Solna and ŠKM Púchov respectively, while BV Borussia Dortmund will make the short journey to FK Austria Wien.

Strong lineup
Ninety-six teams from across Europe were in the hat for the draw, held last month in Monaco, which also included clubs of the calibre of FC Barcelona, AS Roma, FC Steaua Bucuresti and FK Crvena Zvezda. The 16 losing teams from the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round were also involved, along with the three UEFA Intertoto Cup winners, AC Perugia, FC Schalke 04 and Villarreal CF.

Thursday action
Five first-leg matches will be played on Thursday. The clubs in action include Schalke and Feyenoord who, like Liverpool and Parma, are also both former UEFA Cup winners. The second legs will be played on 15/16 October.