Clubs mull over UEFA Cup first round draw

West Ham face a trip to Sicily with a two-legged tie against Palermo in the UEFA Cup first round.

The Hammers, who qualified for Europe by reaching the FA Cup final last season, will face the Serie A side on September 14 and 28.

Newcastle’s reward for beating Latvian side Ventspils in the second qualifying round is another trip to the Baltic region to take on Levadia Tallinn of Estonia.

No Estonian side had ever made it past the first qualifying round of any major European tournament before this season, but Levadia booked their trip to the first round proper by beating Dutch side FC Twente.

Rangers’ first European game under Paul Le Guen will be against Norwegian team Molde while Hearts’ consolation for missing out on the Champions League is a meeting with Czech side Sparta Prague.

Blackburn begin their European campaign against Salzburg, while Tottenham take on Slavia Prague.

Derry City, who knocked out Gretna in the second qualifying round, booked themselves a glamour tie against Paris St Germain.

Draw for first round of UEFA Cup:

Group 1

Chernomorets v Hapoel Tel Aviv

Braga v Chievo

Levadia Tallinn v Newcastle

Molde v Rangers

Standard Liege v Celta Vigo

Group 2

Maccabi Haifa v Litex Lovech

Derry City v Paris St Germain

Hertha Berlin v Odense

Legia Warsaw v Austria Vienna

Panathinaikos v Metalurh Zaporizhya

Group 3

Lokomotiv Moscow v Zulte Waregem

Sparta Prague v Hearts

Fenerbahce v Randers

Salzburg v Blackburn

Schalke v Nancy

Group 4

Ethnikos Achnas v Lens

Slovan Liberec v Red Star Belgrade

AZ Alkmaar v Kayserispor

Rubin Kazan v Parma

Brondby v Eintracht Frankfurt

Group 5

Atromitos v Sevilla

Besiktas v CSKA Sofia

Vitoria Setubal v Heerenveen

Marseille v Mlada Boleslav

Atvidabergs v Grasshoppers

Group 6

Rapid Bucharest v Nacional

Trabzonspor v Osasuna

Basle v Rabotnicki

West Ham United v Palermo

Feyenoord v Lokomotiv Sofia

Group 7

Ruzomberok v Club Brugge

Sion v Bayer Leverkusen

Partizan Belgrade v Groningen

Xanthi v Dinamo Bucharest

Slavia Prague v Tottenham

Group 8

IK Start v Ajax

Artmedia Bratislava v Espanyol

Wisla Krakow v Iraklis

Livorno v Pasching

Dinamo Zagreb v Auxerre