Liverpool `hard test' for Celtic

Get out your tin hats and prepare for a bombardment of cliche. When Liverpool's name was plucked from the Geneva computer immediately after Celtic yesterday morning, the "Battle of Britain" headlines were drawn.

Five years after Rangers defeated Leeds in the European Cup, it will hardly matter that Celtic v Liverpool actually represents little more than a battle of under-achieving clubs.

Being the seeded team Liverpool are favourites and if they succeed they will be seeded again in the second round, which is again divided into groups, and one conclusion to be drawn from the UEFA Cup's new structure is that UEFA do not like upstarts or upsets.

Seeded clubs will be kept apart until the last 16.

Celtic manager Wim Jansen said of the draw: "If I had been given a choice, I don't think I would have picked Liverpool. I think I would have gone for a less powerful opponent. They are one of the biggest around.

"In all honesty, I think we would have to improve between now and the time of the tie to have a chance of beating Liverpool over two matches. It will be a hard test for our team."

Leicester City, of course, care little for supposed order and have a chance in the first round to annoy not just UEFA but a seeded team and one of the biggest spenders in Europe this summer, at Atletico Madrid.

Presumably it will also give Pontus Kaamark another opportunity to stifle an old English favourite, Juninho. The first leg will be in Madrid where Leicester's one and only previous outing came to an end 36 years ago, also against Atletico. England's other two UEFA Cup sides are also away in the first leg with Arsenal travelling to Greece to face PAOK Salonika and Aston Villa - disastrous losers to Helsingborg at this stage last season - meeting sterner opposition in Bordeaux.

After their embarrassment against Gothenborg, Rangers will have a tricky task overcoming Strasbourg - although Rangers are away in the first game - while the holders Schalke kick off against Hajduk Split.

Fellow Croatians, Zagreb, will hope to demonstrate what might have been had Faustino Asprilla not been around, beginning with Grasshoppers of Zurich. In the Cup Winners' Cup, Chelsea's developing side should be too good for the Slovakians, Slovan Bratislava but Kilmarnock, who only squeaked past part-timers Shelbourne in the preliminary round, might find Nice less pleasant.