German giants FC Bayern München will face Bolton Wanderers FC, SC Braga, Aris Thessaloniki FC and 1991 European champions FK Crvena Zvezda in the UEFA Cup group stage after the draw was made in Nyon.
'Toughest group'
Group F will be a tough assignment for 1995/96 winners Bayern, who are making their first UEFA Cup appearance in a decade following a run of ten consecutive UEFA Champions League campaigns. When the Bundesliga side etched their name on the trophy the competition was run in the traditional knockout format. A group stage was introduced in 2004/05 and as the only sides to have featured in all three campaigns since, AZ Alkmaar and FC Basel 1893 will hope to profit from that experience.
Experience
Dutch outfit AZ line up against FC Zenit St. Petersburg, Everton FC, 1. FC Nürnberg and Larissa FC in Group A, while Basel have been handed a tricky-looking Group D with Hamburger SV, Stade Rennais FC, NK Dinamo Zagreb and IF Elfsborg. Helsingborgs IF's reward for their remarkable first round defeat of SC Heerenveen sees them paired with FC Girondins de Bordeaux, FK Austria Wien, Galatasaray SK and Panionios GSS in Group H. Another noteworthy tie comes in Group G where two-time winners Tottenham Hotspur FC meet RSC Anderlecht in a repeat of the 1984 final which Spurs won on penalties.
Two home, two away
Each club will play two matches at home and two away on the following dates: 25 October, 8 November, 29 November, 05/06 December, 19/20 December. A computer draw will determine the fixture schedule with factors such as stadium clashes and climatic conditions - it is not possible to play in some northern countries in mid-December - taken into account.
Manchester final
The winners, runners-up and third-placed sides from each group progress to the last 32 where they are joined by the eight third-placed teams from the UEFA Champions League group stage. At this point, the traditional two-game format is used with the exception of the final, which takes place in Manchester on 14 May 2008.
2007/08 UEFA Cup group stage draw
Group A
1. AZ Alkmaar (NED)
2. FC Zenit St. Petersburg (RUS)
3. Everton FC (ENG)
4. 1. FC Nürnberg (GER)
5. Larissa FC (GRE)
Group B
1. Panathinaikos FC (GRE)
2. FC Lokomotiv Moskva (RUS)
3. Club Atlético de Madrid (ESP)
4. FC København (DEN)
5. Aberdeen FC (SCO)
Group C
1. Villarreal CF (ESP)
2. AEK Athens FC (GRE)
3. ACF Fiorentina (ITA)
4. FK Mladá Boleslav (CZE)
5. IF Elfsborg (SWE)
Group D
1. FC Basel 1893 (SUI)
2. Hamburger SV (GER)
3. Stade Rennais FC (FRA)
4. NK Dinamo Zagreb (CRO)
5. SK Brann (NOR)
Group E
1. Bayer 04 Leverkusen (GER)
2. AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
3. FC Spartak Moskva (RUS)
4. Toulouse FC (FRA)
5. FC Zürich (SUI)
Group F
1. FC Bayern München (GER)
2. Bolton Wanderers FC (ENG)
3. SC Braga (POR)
4. FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
5. Aris Thessaloniki FC (GRE)
Group G
1. RSC Anderlecht (BEL)
2. Tottenham Hotspur FC (ENG)
3. Getafe CF (ESP)
4. Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISR)
5. Aalborg BK (DEN)
Group H
1. FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FRA)
2. FK Austria Wien (AUT)
3. Galatasaray SK (TUR)
4. Panionios GSS (GRE)
5. Helsingborgs IF (SWE)
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