The French city of Toulouse is more renowned for being a big rugby town with a successful rugby team. But its football equivalent is less well-known. The Toulouse football team must play five-time winners Liverpool in the Champions League qualifiers. Only once has any French team won this competition, and the French league still isn't as strong as its Spanish, English, Italian or even German counterparts. Glasgow Celtic must play Spartak Moscow, Glasgow Rangers (if they get past Macedonian team Zeta) must play Levadia Tallinn or Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) and north London big guns Arsenal must play Sparta Praque.
Tough draw for British clubs in Champions League
3rd August 2007
Daily Mail
Liverpool must overcome a tricky trip to Toulouse if they are to reach the Champions League group stage.
The Reds, who have won the competition five times and were beaten in last season's final, must face the Ligue 1 side over two legs for a place in the lucrative section of the competition.
Obstacle: Liverpool face a tough tie against French side Toulouse
Toulouse reached the Champions League qualifiers by finishing third in Ligue 1 behind champions Lyon and runners-up Marseille.
They are coached by former Bordeaux boss Elie Baup and one of their star players is Sweden striker Johan Elmander, who was a reported target of Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson and also Lyon.
He scored 11 times for the club, including a last-day hat-trick against Bordeaux.
Arsenal's opponents Sparta are the champions of the Czech Republic.
Their success last season was their 34th domestic title and they became the first club since the break-up of Czechoslovakia in the early 1990s to win the domestic double.
Their best performance in Europe came in 1992-93, when they reached the semi-final group stage under an old format of the Champions League.
Scottish champions Celtic face a tough test against Spartak Moscow in their bid to reach the group stage.
Last season's SPL runners-up Rangers will face either 1991 European Cup winners Red Star Belgrade or Estonian side Levadia Tallinn if they overcome FK Zeta in the second qualifying round. They lead 2-0 from the home leg.
The first legs will be played on August 14 and 15, with the return matches taking place on August 28 and 29.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFIERS (BRITISH TEAMS SHOWN IN BOLD)
FH Hafnarfjördur or FC BATE Borisov v Zaglebie Lubin or Steaua Bucharest
Tampere United or Levski Sofia v Astana or Rosenborg
Spartak Moscow v CELTIC
Werder Bremen v NK Domzale or Dinamo Zagreb
FK Ventspils or FC Salzburg v Pyunik or Shakhtar Donetsk
Ajax v MSK Zilina or SK Slavia Prague
Valencia v Debreceni or IF Elfsborg
Genk or FK Sarajevo v Dynamo Kiev
Fenerbahce v Anderlecht
RANGERS or FK Zeta v FK Crvena Zvezda or Levadia Tallinn
Toulouse v LIVERPOOL
Benfica v FC Copenhagen or Beitar Jerusalem
Lazio v Dinamo Bucuresti
Sparta Prague v ARSENAL FC Zurich v Sheriff or Besiktas Sevilla v AEK Athens
dailymail.co.uk
Tough draw for British clubs in Champions League
3rd August 2007
Daily Mail
Liverpool must overcome a tricky trip to Toulouse if they are to reach the Champions League group stage.
The Reds, who have won the competition five times and were beaten in last season's final, must face the Ligue 1 side over two legs for a place in the lucrative section of the competition.
Obstacle: Liverpool face a tough tie against French side Toulouse
Toulouse reached the Champions League qualifiers by finishing third in Ligue 1 behind champions Lyon and runners-up Marseille.
They are coached by former Bordeaux boss Elie Baup and one of their star players is Sweden striker Johan Elmander, who was a reported target of Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson and also Lyon.
He scored 11 times for the club, including a last-day hat-trick against Bordeaux.
Arsenal's opponents Sparta are the champions of the Czech Republic.
Their success last season was their 34th domestic title and they became the first club since the break-up of Czechoslovakia in the early 1990s to win the domestic double.
Their best performance in Europe came in 1992-93, when they reached the semi-final group stage under an old format of the Champions League.
Scottish champions Celtic face a tough test against Spartak Moscow in their bid to reach the group stage.
Last season's SPL runners-up Rangers will face either 1991 European Cup winners Red Star Belgrade or Estonian side Levadia Tallinn if they overcome FK Zeta in the second qualifying round. They lead 2-0 from the home leg.
The first legs will be played on August 14 and 15, with the return matches taking place on August 28 and 29.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE QUALIFIERS (BRITISH TEAMS SHOWN IN BOLD)
FH Hafnarfjördur or FC BATE Borisov v Zaglebie Lubin or Steaua Bucharest
Tampere United or Levski Sofia v Astana or Rosenborg
Spartak Moscow v CELTIC
Werder Bremen v NK Domzale or Dinamo Zagreb
FK Ventspils or FC Salzburg v Pyunik or Shakhtar Donetsk
Ajax v MSK Zilina or SK Slavia Prague
Valencia v Debreceni or IF Elfsborg
Genk or FK Sarajevo v Dynamo Kiev
Fenerbahce v Anderlecht
RANGERS or FK Zeta v FK Crvena Zvezda or Levadia Tallinn
Toulouse v LIVERPOOL
Benfica v FC Copenhagen or Beitar Jerusalem
Lazio v Dinamo Bucuresti
Sparta Prague v ARSENAL FC Zurich v Sheriff or Besiktas Sevilla v AEK Athens
dailymail.co.uk
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