Aston Villa's Euro draw would stir memories for Martin O'Neill

May 13 2008 By Bill Howell

VILLA will have to play 18 European matches to get to the UEFA Cup Final at the home ground of Fenerbahce, in Istanbul, on May 20, 2009.

Martin O'Neill's side will play a two-legged third-round Inter-Toto tie on July 19 or 20 and July 26 or 27 to try to secure a place in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Cup.

The draw has thrown up the intriguing prospect of Martin O'Neill facing Lisburn Distillery, of Northern Ireland - the club where he made his debut as a professional footballer.

O'Neill burst on to the scene in 1970, scoring for fun from midfield, including two goals in the 3-0 IFA Cup Final win over his home-town club Derry.

Lisburn meet TPS Turku, of Finland, in Belfast on June 21/22 and June 28/29, and the winners will face the fourth-placed team in the Danish SuperLiga - almost certainly either FC Copenhagen, FC Midtjylland or OB Odense - on July 5/6 and July 12/13 for the right to face Villa.

If they come through that tie Villa, together with 10 other InterToto 'winners', will play one of 32 two-leg UEFA qualifying matches at the beginning of the new Premier League season.

That is to win a place as one of 80 teams in the first round proper of the UEFA Cup, again over two legs, to be played around the end of September and beginning of October.

The 40 winners are then split into eight groups of five, playing four games each with the top three progressing together with eight Champions League clubs to the round of 32.