Benfica face tough futsal fixtures
Monday, July 2, 2007
Article summary
Former UEFA Futsal Cup finalists SL Benfica will face Ukrainian newcomers SK Energia Lviv in the Main round after Monday's draw for the first two stages.
Article body
Former UEFA Futsal Cup finalists SL Benfica will face Ukrainian newcomers SK Energia Lviv in the Main round after the draw for the first two stages of the 2007/08 competition was made in Nyon.
Fixtures
Benfica were runners-up in 2003/04 and if they are to get that far again will have to first finish in the top two of their pool in September. Along with Energia - who ended FC Shakhtar Donetsk's three-year run as Ukrainian champions - Benfica meet home side MFC Varna and the winners of Preliminary round Group D, which along with the other five pools in that stage will be played from 11 to 19 August and will for the first time feature clubs from Estonia, the Republic of Ireland and Montenegro.
Intriguing meetings
Along other Main round meetings, last year's surprise package CIP Deva of Romania play this tournament's only ever-present entrants, Georgia's Iberia 2003 Tbilisi. Another team to impress in 2006/07, Futsal Club Gödöllő from Hungary, will welcome the team who pipped former winners Action 21 Charleroi to the Belgian title, Futsal Topsport Antwerpen.
Elite round
Holders MFK Dinamo Moskva, their Russian rivals MFK Viz-Sinara Ekaterinburg, Spanish champions ElPozo Murcia FS and Kairat Almaty are seeded straight into the Elite round draw on 18 September. Matches will be played from 13 to 21 October with the group winners progressing to April's final four; the hosts are to be picked from among their number to follow in the footsteps of Murcia.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Group hosts in bold