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Big names add weight to Champions League
LONDON, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The Champions League begins to look a little more like Europe's premier club competition this week when several big name clubs join the fray at the third qualifying round stage. Champions Liverpool, Manchester United, Inter Milan, Ajax Amsterdam - with 13 European Cups between them - along with AS Monaco, Panathinaikos and Sporting add some heavyweight class to the competition, with the first legs being played on Tuesday and Wednesday. Liverpool have been there from the start and need to get past Bulgarian champions CSKA Sofia to reach the group stage having taken advantage so far of UEFA's decision to install them in the competition despite not qualifying by finishing in the top four of the Premier League. CSKA knocked Liverpool out in 1982 when the English club were the holders but are unlikely to repeat the feat. Liverpool were edged out of fourth place by city rivals Everton, who consequently return to the European Cup for the first time since 1971 having been denied twice in the 1980s because of the ban on English clubs following the Heysel Stadium disaster. Everton take on Villarreal, third in the Spanish league last season and also in the Champions League for the first time, in one of the most attractive ties of the round, with the first leg at Goodison Park. Villarreal will be spearheaded by Uruguay striker Diego Forlan, who struggled
to make an impact while at Manchester United but finished as the top scorer in
Spain last season with 25 goals.
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