Maltese champions Marsaxlokk were drawn to face Bosnia Herzegovina’s Sarajevo in the first qualifying round of the 2007-2008 Champions League.
Sarajevo were one of the seeded teams in this draw.
Sarajevo is a professional football club based in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Formed on October 24, 1946, the club was one of the most successful Bosnian sides in the former Yugoslavia, winning two First League titles. Today it is one of the most prominent members of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Premier League, where it has won two championships and four Cups.
Sarajevo plays its home games at Asim Ferhatovic Hase Stadium, a 35,630 seat venue located in the city's Koševo neighbourhood. Horde Zla, the team's supporters organisation since 1986, traditionally occupies the stadium's north side. The club is strongly associated with its bordo colours, the Koševo stadium, and former stars such as Asim Ferhatovic and Safet Sušic, as well as with the city of Sarajevo and Bosnia in general.
Commenting on the draw, club secretary Mark Cutajar told The Malta Independent that it was a difficult draw for Marsaxlokk’s debut in the competition. He said: “There is no doubt that we have been drawn against one of the best of the seeded teams. The fact that we will be playing the first leg at home, however, should be an advantage, even if the second leg will prove to be very difficult.”
The motivation for the local side will lie in the fact that if they manage to advance to the second qualifying round, they have the prospect of a tie against Belgium’s KRC Genk, the former club of local football hero Carmel Busuttil.
The first round matches against Sarajevo will be played on 17 or 18 July at Ta’ Qali and 24 or 25 July in Bosnia.
The Draws
First Qualifying Round
First Leg 17-18 July ; Second Leg 24-25 July
Khazar Lenkoran (Azerbaijan) vs. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
APOEL (Cyprus) vs. BATE (Belarus)
FC Sheriff (Moldova) vs. Ranger's (Andorra)
Hafnarfjordur (Iceland) vs. Torshavn (Faeroe Islands)
The New Saints (Wales) vs. FK Ventspils (Latvia)
Pobeda (Macedonia) vs. Levadia Tallinn (Estonia)
Olimpi Rustavi (Georgia) vs. Astana (Kazakhstan)
Zeta (Montenegro) vs. Kaunas (Lithuania)
Tampere United (Finland) vs. Murata (San Marino)
F91 Dudelange (Luxembourg) vs. MSK Zilina (Slovakia)
Linfield (Northern Ireland) vs. Elfsborg (Sweden)
Derry City (Ireland) vs. Pyunik (Armenia)
Marsaxlokk (Malta) vs. Sarajevo (Bosnia-Herzegovina)
Domzale (Slovenia) vs. Tirana (Albania)
Second Qualifying Round
First Leg 31 July-1 August ; Second Leg 7-8 August
Derry-Pyunik winner vs. Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine)
Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) vs. Pobeda-Levadia winner
Rangers (Scotland) vs. Zeta-Kaunas winner
Debreceni (Hungary) vs. Linfield-Elfsborg winner
Zaglebie Lubin (Poland) vs. Steaua Bucharest (Romania)
Genk (Belgium) vs. Marsaxlokk-Sarajevo winner
New Saints-Venstpils winner vs. Salzburg (Austria)
Olimpi-Astana winner vs. Rosenborg (Norway)
Hafnarfjordur-Torshavn winner vs. APOEL-BATE winner
FC Copenhagen (Denmark) vs. Beitar Jerusalem (Israel)
Dudelange-Zilina winner vs. Slavia Prague (Czech Republic)
Tampere-Murata winner vs. Levski Sofia (Bulgaria)
Domzale-Tirana winner vs. Lenkoran-Zagreb winner
Besiktas (Turkey) vs. Sheriff-Ranger’s winner
UEFA Cup
First Qualifying Round
First Leg 19 July ; Second Leg
Hajduk Split Croatia) vs. Buducnost (Montenegro)
Rudar Pljevlja (Montenegro) vs. Omonia Nicosia (Cyprus)
Slaven Koprivinica (Croatia) vs. Tueta Durres (Albania)
Bezanija (Serbia) vs. Besa (Albania)
Sliema Wanderers (Malta) vs. Litex Lovech (Bulgaria)
Vojvodina (Serbia) vs. Hibernians (Malta)
Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) vs. Santa Coloma (Andorra)
Siroki Brijeg (Bosnia) vs. Koper (Slovenia)
Vardar (Macedonia) vs. Anorthosis Famagusta (Cyprus)
Gorica (Slovenia) vs. Rabotnicki (Macedonia)
Partizan Belgrade (Serbia) vs. Zrinjski (Bosnia)
Vion Zlate Moravce (Slovakia) vs. Alma Ata (Kazakhstan)
MTK Budapest (Hungary) vs. Mika (Armenia)
Groclin Grodzisk (Poland) vs. MKT Araz (Azerbaijan)
Belchatow (Poland) vs. Ameri Tbilisi (Georgia)
Artmedia Petrzalka (Slovakia) vs. Zimbru Chisinau (Moldova)
Young Boys (Switzerland) vs. Banants (Armenia)
Nistru Otaci (Moldova) vs. Honved (Hungary)
SV Reid (Austria) vs. Neftchi Baku (Azerbaijan)
Vaduz (Liechtenstein) vs. Dinamo Tbilisi (Georgia)
Aktobe (Kazakhstan) vs. SV Mattersburg (Austria)
B36 Torshavn (Faroe Islands) vs. Ekranas (Lithuania)
Drogheda United (Ireland) vs. Libertas (San Marino)
Haka (Finland) vs. Rhyl (Wales)
Carmarthen Town (Wales) vs. Brann Bergen (Norway)
Flora (Estonia) vs. Valerenga (Norway)
Streymur (Faroe Islands) vs. MyPa (Finland)
Dunganno0n Swifts (Northern Ireland) vs. Suduva (Lithuania)
Kaerjeng (Luxembourg) vs. Lillestroem (Norway)
Liepajas Metalurgs (Latvia) vs. Dinamo Brest (Belarus)
Helsingborg (Sweden) vs. Trans Narva (Estonia)
FC Midtjylland (Denmark) vs. Keflavik (Iceland)
KR Reykjavik (Iceland) vs. Hacken (Sweden)
St. Patrick’s Athletic (Ireland) vs. OB Odense (Denmark)
HJK Helsinki (Finland) vs. Etzella Ettelbruck (Luxembourg)
Glebtoran (North Ireland) vs. AIK Stockholm (Sweden)
Skonto Riga (Latvia) vs. Dinamo Minsk (Belarus)