The first round of the UEFA Cup: FK Mladá Boleslav - US Citta di Palermo 20.9.2007
Mladá Boleslav meets the Sicilian club Citta di Palermo in the first round of the UEFA Cup. The first match will be played in Mladá Boleslav on September 20 while the retaliation match in Palermo on October 4. The Sicilian club was drawn for Mladá Boleslav by the UEFA representatives of five options represented by Ajax Amsterdam, Citta di Palermo, Blackburn Rovers, Sporting Braga, Stade Rennes in Monte Carlo in Friday’s early afternoon on August 31. Desire to meet the English club was prevailing among the players of Mladá Boleslav. The players believe that they have chance to qualify in one of autumn five-participant groups of the UEFA Cup in the matches against Palermo.
Citta di Palermo lost the home match of the opening round of the new season of Italian Seria A against AS Roma 0:2 and is ranked on the eighteenth position of Serie A ranking including 20 clubs. Palermo eliminated Slavia Prague in the third round of the UEFA Cup (2:1, 0:1) in spring 2006. Palermo struggled for top positions in the last season of the Italian top competition, however, the club finally ended on the fifth position only three points behind the fourth position allowing participation in a qualifying round of the Champions League. How do some officials see chances against the Sicilian rival?
Head-coach Luděk Zajíc: “Together with English Blackburn, this was the toughest opponent we could get of the five options. In spite of this fact, I believe that Boleslav has a chance to qualify like a year ago in confrontation with French Marseille. Italians have excellent organization of playing and the match against them is an invitation for audience to excellent football.“
Head-coach assistant Petr Čuhel: “Palermo is a tough and interesting opponent. I wished to meet Blackburn.“
General Director Jaromír Šeterle: “Very tough rival that eliminated Slavia Prague from the UEFA Cup a year ago. We can expect thunderous environment in Palermo but we experienced it already in Instanbul so that it cannot surprise us. This is a rival from the country of current world champions and for that reason, also an excellent invitation for supporters. Each rival is beatable, we could convince about it against Olympique Marseille.“
Club President Josef Dufek: “It will be very hot in a stadium for thirty-seven thousand visitors in the south of Italy, but we will see...“
