With the Uefa Cup first round drawing to a close, with the last round being played this wednesday and thursday, i'd like to look at some of the possible teams that Benfica might be facing. The teams from the Champions league will be thrown in the same pot as the 2nd place teams from Uefa's first round, with the exceptions of teams from the same country will not be drawn together.
Group A possibilities:
Zenit (5 pts), Nurnberg(4pts) and AZ Alkmar(4pts) with Nurnberg being the most possible 2nd place finisher being that they will play Larissa who is in last place with no points. Zenit has played all of their games and hope that either AZ or Nurnberg slip in order to hold on.
Group B Possibilities:
Atletico Madrid or Panatinaikos - Both teams play eachother in the last round, Panatinaikos needs a tie to secure first spot, while Atletico Madrid has secured second place but will be looking to qualify first place in order to avoid CL teams.
Group C Possibilities:
Villareal, Aek and Fiorentina. Villareal currently tops the group but has a tough match against AEK in Greece, while Fiorentina has an easier task against Mlada Boleslav, at home, and will most likely be second in the group.
Group D Possibilities:
Hamburg and Basel. The 2 teams play eachother in Germany and the Germans will most likely have the edge, playing home and currently top of the group.
Group E Possibilities:
Spartak Moskva(7pts), Zurich(6pts), Leverkusen(6pts) and Sparta(4pts). Spartak leads the group but has played all of their games. Zurich and Leverkusen play eachother in Switzerland with the winner taking over first place, Sparta seems like an outside shot but can be in the mix, in case of a tie between Leverkusen and Zurich and a win of their own.
Group F Possibilities:
Bolton(6pts), Aris(5pts) and Bayern Munich(5pts). Bolton sits atop of the group but has played all their matches. Bayern and Aris will play in Munich, and Bayern will have a chance to top the group with a win.
Group G Possibilities:
Tottenham(7pts), Getafe(6pts) and Anderlecht(5pts). Tottenham has played all of their games, while Getafe and Anderlecht will play for the group lead in Spain.
Group H Possibilities:
Bordeaux(9pts), Helsinborg(7pts), Panionios(4pts). Bordeaux will bring their unbeaten record to Greece and will most likely beat Panionis and finish in first. Helsingborg have played all their games, and barring an upset in Greece they will be the second place finishers.
My predictions are : NurnBerg, Panatinaikos, Fiorentina, Basel, Spartak Moskva, Bolton, Getafe and Helsingborg.
Out of these 9, Fiorentina and Bolton seem to be the strongest teams.
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