The qualifying rounds for the2008–09 UEFA Cup began on 17 July 2008. In total, there were two qualifying rounds which narrowed clubs down to 80 teams in preparation for the first round.
Times areCEST (UTC+2 ), as listed by UEFA.
First qualifying round [ edit ] The draw for the first qualifying round took place on 1 July 2008.[ 1] The first legs were played on 17 July 2008 and the second legs were played on 29 and 31 July 2008.
In each region of the draw for the first qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis ofUEFA coefficients . The lower pots contained unranked teams from associations 34–53, together withVėtra of Lithuania (the 33rd association). The higher pots contained teams from associations 1–32, together withSūduva of Lithuania, andFH (who had a team ranking, 209).
Three of the 37 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient, all involving teams whose ranking was that of their association:WIT Georgia (Georgia, ranked 38) beatSpartak Trnava (Slovakia, 24);Vllaznia (Albania, 43) beatKoper (Slovenia, 29); andSt Patrick's Athletic (Ireland, 35) beatOlimps/ASK (Latvia, 31).
Notes:
^ Midtjylland were originally drawn to play at home in the first leg, but the order of the games was reversed.Southern region matches [ edit ] 17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
19:30
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:30
Cherno More won 9–0 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
18:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
19:00
APOEL won 1–0 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:30
Zrinjski Mostar won 5–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:15
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:00
Široki Brijeg won 3–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
18:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
17:30
Ironi Kiryat Shmona won 4–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:30
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:00
Vllaznia won 2–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:30
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:45
Interblock won 2–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
18:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:30
Hapoel Tel Aviv won 5–0 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
21:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
18:00
Hajduk Split won 7–0 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
19:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
17:00
Omonia won 4–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:15
Slaven Belupo won 8–0 on aggregate.
Central–East region matches[ edit ] 17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:30
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
16:00
Red Bull Salzburg won 10–0 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
15:00
Győri ETO won 3–2 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
16:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:15
Bellinzona won 4–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
19:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
16:30
Borac Čačak won 4–2 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
17:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:30
Austria Wien won 2–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:15
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
18:00
Hertha BSC won 8–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
18:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:45
Lech Poznań won 5–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:45
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
18:00
Legia Warsaw won 4–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:15
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
15:30
WIT Georgia won 3–2 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
17:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
19:30
Žilina won 3–2 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
15:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:00
Debrecen won 2–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
18:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
16:00
Vojvodina won 2–1 on aggregate.
Northern region matches [ edit ] 17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
21:15
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:00
FH won 8–3 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
18:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
18:00
Viking won 2–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
19:30
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
19:00
Kalmar FF won 10–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
17:30
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:00
Honka won 4–2 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:45
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
17:00
Liepājas Metalurgs won 3–1 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
19:30
Brøndby won 3–0 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
17:30
29 July 2008 (2008-07-29 )
19:00
Nordsjælland won 8–0 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
21:00
Manchester City won 4–0 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
17:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:45
Attendance: 2,200
Referee: Marco Borg (
Malta )
St Patrick's Athletic won 3–0 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
19:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
17:45
2–2 on aggregate; Djurgårdens IF won on away goals.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
18:00
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
19:45
Sūduva won 2–0 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:45
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:00
Copenhagen won 11–0 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:45
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
20:45
Haka won 6–2 on aggregate.
17 July 2008 (2008-07-17 )
20:30
31 July 2008 (2008-07-31 )
19:00
Midtjylland won 10–1 on aggregate.
Second qualifying round [ edit ] The draw for the second qualifying round was held on 1 August 2008 inNyon , Switzerland,[ 4] and featured 16 teams entering directly at the second qualifying round, as well as the 37 winners from the previous round and the 11 third round winners of theUEFA Intertoto Cup . The first legs were played on 14 August 2008 and the second leg on 28 August 2008.
In each region of the draw for the second qualifying round, teams were divided into two pots, on the basis ofUEFA coefficients . The higher pots contained teams with a ranking of 176 or higher, and unranked teams from associations ranked 1 to 15 (or 17 in the Southern region). As there were an odd number of teams in the Central and Northern groups in the 2nd qualifying round, UEFA movedRennes from the Central-East group to the Northern group. Furthermore,Liepājas Metalurgs andSūduva were moved from the Northern group to the Central-East group, andVaslui andInterblock were moved from the Southern-Mediterranean group to the Central-East group.
12 of the 32 ties were won by the team with the lower UEFA coefficient. The 12 teams that lost to a lower team were:AEK Athens ,Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk ,Aris ,Red Star Belgrade ,Grasshopper ,Slovan Liberec ,Viking ,Lokomotiv Sofia ,IF Elfsborg ,Gent ,Queen of the South andDebrecen .St Patrick's Athletic were the only team to beat a higher-seeded team in each of the two qualifying rounds.
Notes:
^a b Order of legs reversed[ 5] ^ Due to thecurrent conflict inGeorgia and the ensuing safety concerns, UEFA ordered the first leg to be cancelled. The match was held as a single leg tie inVienna .[ 6] Southern region matches [ edit ] 14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:30
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
20:00
Beşiktaş won 6–1 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:45
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
18:15
Braga won 3–0 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
17:15
26 August 2008 (2008-08-26 )
19:00
Borac Čačak won 2–1 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
17:30
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
18:00
Hapoel Tel Aviv won 3–0 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
18:30
Slaven Belupo won 2–1 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
19:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
18:00
Litex Lovech won 2–1 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
21:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
20:45
Deportivo La Coruña won 2–0 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
19:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
20:15
5–5 on aggregate; APOEL won on away goals.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:30
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
21:00
Napoli won 8–0 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:10
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
19:00
Cherno More won 3–1 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:30
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
21:00
Omonia won 3–2 on aggregate.
Central–East region matches[ edit ] 14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
17:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
19:30
Vaslui won 5–1 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:15
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
19:30
2–2 on aggregate; Zürich won 4–2 on penalties.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
18:30
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
20:30
VfB Stuttgart won 6–2 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:45
Attendance: 16,500
Referee: Thomas Vejlgaard (
Denmark )
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
20:00
Lech Poznań won 6–0 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
19:30
Žilina won 4–2 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
18:30
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
19:30
Austria Wien won 2–0 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
19:30
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
20:00
Young Boys won 7–3 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
18:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
16:00
FC Moscow won 4–1 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
20:15
4–4 on aggregate; Bellinzona won on away goals.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:45
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
18:30
Hertha BSC won 3–0 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
19:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
18:30
Red Bull Salzburg won 4–2 on aggregate.
Northern region matches [ edit ] 14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
19:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
19:00
Rosenborg won 6–2 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:45
26 August 2008 (2008-08-26 )
19:00
Nordsjælland won 4–2 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
19:00
Kalmar FF won 5–2 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:45
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
16:25
1–1 on aggregate; Manchester City won 4–2 on penalties.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
17:30
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
18:30
Honka won 2–1 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
18:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
19:30
Brøndby won 6–0 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
19:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
20:30
Rennes won 3–2 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
19:00
Copenhagen won 7–3 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
19:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
20:45
St Patrick's Athletic won 4–3 on aggregate.
14 August 2008 (2008-08-14 )
20:00
28 August 2008 (2008-08-28 )
21:00
Aston Villa won 5–2 on aggregate.
^a b Played inLugano atCornaredo Stadium asBellinzona 'sStadio Comunale Bellinzona did not meet UEFA criteria. ^a b Played inSmederevo atFortress Stadium asBorac Čačak 'shome ground did not meet UEFA criteria. ^a b Matches played atFriedrich Ludwig Jahn Sportpark becauseHertha BSC 's usual home ground,Olympiastadion , was occupied with other events.[ 2] ^ Played inChişinău atZimbru Stadium asNistru Otaci 'shome ground did not meet UEFA criteria. ^ Played atTórsvøllur asEB/Streymur 'shome ground did not meet UEFA criteria. ^ Manchester City played their home game atOakwell Stadium , home ofBarnsley , because the pitch at theirhome ground needed to be relaid after aBon Jovi concert.[ 3] ^a b Played atRåsunda Stadium asDjurgårdens IF 'shome ground did not meet UEFA criteria. ^ Bangor City 's home leg was played atWrexham 'sRacecourse Ground , as their own ground did not meet UEFA criteria.^ The return leg was played inAFG Arena ,St. Gallen asGrasshopper 's home ground, theLetzigrund is occupied by aGolden League athletics meet the following day.[ 7] ^a b The WIT Georgia v Austria Wien first leg match, originally scheduled to be played atMikheil Meskhi Stadium ,Tbilisi , was initially moved toRize Atatürk Stadium ,Rize , Turkey, a neutral venue, due to theRusso-Georgian War .[ 8] However, the match was later cancelled due to travel safety concerns and the war's psychological impact on the WIT Georgia players.[ 9] As a result, what was originally the second leg, hosted by Austria Wien, became the sole match of a single-leg tie. ^ Played atArena Petrol inCelje asInterblock 's home ground inLjubljana did not meet UEFA criteria. ^ Played atExcelsior Stadium inAirdrie asQueen of the South 'shome ground inDumfries did not meet UEFA criteria.
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