UEFA Cup Previews: First round, first leg

Leicester v Red Star Belgrade

Leicester return to European action tonight after a three-year absence looking more cussed than ever and hoping there are no hard feelings with Red Star from the fuss over the return leg in a fortnight, which UEFA decreed this week will not be in Belgrade.

Peter Taylor, their new manager, is not the enigmatic verbal gymnast his predecessor Martin O'Neill is but he has no trouble playing the diplomat. "It's not our fault," he said of UEFA's decision to switch the second leg to a neutral venue, "and it's probably not theirs either."

With Matt Elliott sweeping and marshalling Leicester have become difficult to penetrate, let alone rattle, despite wing-backs, Andy Impey and Steve Guppy, who are clearly more wings than backs.

For all that, their crossing, chiefly from the right, has not been good and they have let themselves down with their final ball. Guppy needs to get more often to the byline and the midfield has yet to exploit the startling pace of Ade Akinbiyi, who is still trying to link with Darren Eadie, let alone fathom Stan Collymore.

Leicester's main worry is Neil Lennon, who started the season with a suspect groin and had to be substituted at half-time on Saturday when a shoulder injury sustained the previous day in training played up. He had an injection before training yesterday and a decision on his fitness will be made today.

Rapid Bucharest v Liverpool

Gerard Houllier and Anghel Iordanescu spent part of the summer together watching matches at Euro 2000 as members of UEFA's technical delegation. Tonight they have the chance to pit their tactical wits against each other in the first round of the UEFA Cup as Houllier's Liverpool team travel to the Romanian capital. Iordanescu, the former Romanian national team manager, admits he is worried by Michael Owen's pace and is planning special tactics to try to stop him. Houllier knows that anything other than safe passage through into the second round will reduce to untidy rubble the belief that he has, at last, fashioned a team of substance.

The Merseysiders' cause will hardly be helped this evening by the continued absence of the injured Sami Hyypia. Houllier is again ruing the inability of Steven Gerrard to negotiate two games in seven days; the England international will be missing with a recurring groin problem. Robbie Fowler has travelled but will warm the substitutes' bench, possibly alongside Emile Heskey.

Nick Barmby is likely to win favour wide on the right which would represent a first-ever appearance in European club football for a player who has played top-flight football for four different clubs.

HJK Helsinki v Celtic

HJK Helsinki midfielder Janne Saarinen is gunning for a personal Old Firm double today when he faces Celtic in the first round of the UEFA Cup at Parkhead. The 23-year-old leftsided player was part of the IFK Gothenburg side which sent Rangers crashing out of the Champions League in 1997 after a 3-0 win in Sweden followed by a 1-1 draw in Glasgow.

Helsinki are second in the Finnish League and were in the Champions League two seasons ago.

Meanwhile, Celtic manager Martin O'Neill has admitted that he has spoken to his Blackburn counterpart Graeme Souness about Israeli star Eyal Berkovic.

The English first division outfit and the player's agent have revealed that discussions have been ongoing between the two parties, with Souness a huge admirer of the player since their days together at Southampton. Celtic, however, will be looking to get back a large slice of the £5.75 million former coach John Barnes paid West Ham to secure his services in 1997.

Celtic are looking for their 10th win in a row tonight but they look certain to be without defender Alan Stubbs and revitalised winger Bobby Petta. Stubbs was carried off in the 3-0 victory over Hibernian with a knee injury while Petta is struggling with a damaged thigh.

Chelsea v St Gallen

Dennis Wise bid farewell to his sixth Chelsea manager, swallowed any sentiment he felt for his departed friend and sounded the captain's battle-cry.

The show must go on, he declared, as the Blues prepared for the visit of Swiss champions St Gallen in the UEFA Cup.

Graham Rix, Ray Wilkins and goalkeeping coach Eddie Niedzwiecki took control of the first team at their Harlington training base, near Heathrow Airport.