AC Milan on Cork's horizon

The glittering prize of a Champions League showdown with Italian giants AC Milan awaits Cork City should they overcome Red Star…

The glittering prize of a Champions League showdown with Italian giants AC Milan awaits Cork City should they overcome Red Star Belgrade to reach the next round.

Trailing 1-0 after the first leg at Turner's Cross on Wednesday, Damien Richardson's side could hardly have asked for any extra incentive when they travel to Belgrade next week hoping to reach the third and final qualifying round.

There also remains the prospect that the Italians, who have lifted the famous trophy on six occasions, will be eliminated from the competition before a ball is kicked.

Officials from Uefa are due to meet next Wednesday to rule on Milan's involvement following the match-fixing scandal in Italy. Milan were included in the the draw on a "provisional basis" ahead of a final decision.

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Should Milan be eliminated, the winners in Belgrade next week would progress straight to the group stages of the Champions League.

Liverpool will play Maccabi Haifa with uncertainty over the away league due to the ongoing hostilities in the region.Uefa have vowed not to put the players, fans and officials of Liverpool at risk, after the Reds were left facing the prospect of a trip to northern Israeli city.

Liverpool are at home in the first leg, on August 8th or 9th, and are due to play in Israel in the second leg two weeks later.

Uefa official Rob Faulkner explained: "We've asked the Israel FA and relevant authorities to give us assurances concerning safety."

Faulkner explained that the Israeli FA had been asked to look at alternative venues, should the game be played outside Israel.

Arsenal face a two-legged match against Lithuania's Ekranas or Croatia's Dinamo Zagreb - home nation of Arsene Wenger's first-team coach Boro Primorac.

The Gunners will have home advantage in the second leg and vice-chairman David Dein said: "We found last season that to get to the final you have got to beat the best teams along the way. "The boys who played in the later stages of the World Cup may not be ready for the game - that's up to Arsene.

"Ideally we'd like this game a bit later on but we have to deal with it. Qualification is important, not just financially but also for the sporting aspect - we want to win every competition we enter."

Hearts will meet AEK Athens in the third round if they can complete a second-round triumph over Siroki Brijeg on Wednesday after a 3-0 win against the Bosnia champions this week.

Full Draw for third round

Sheriff Tiraspol / Spartak Moscow v Liberec
Shakhtar Donetsk v FH Hafnarfjordur / Legia Warsaw
FC Zurich / SV Red Bull Salzburg v Valencia
Levski Sofia / Sioni Bolnisi v Chievo
Hearts / Siroki Brijeg v AEK Athens
CSKA Moscow v Djurgardens IF / SCP Ruzomberok
AC Milan v Cork City / Crvena Zvezda
Galatasaray v Mlada Boleslav / Valerenga
Standard Liege v HIT Gorica / Steaua Bucuresti     
Austria Magna v Benfica  
FK Ekranas / Dinamo Zagreb v Arsenal
FC Copenhagen / MyPa v Ajax
Hamburg v Osasuna
FK Metalurgs / Dynamo Kiev v Fenerbahce / B36 Torshavn
Liverpool v Maccabi Haifa
Lille v Debrecen / Rabotnicki Kometal