Goaldash is the NEW gaming phenomenon and gives you the chance to use your football knowledge, foresight and knowhow to win a jackpot of a million pounds every given week. Football and gambling has never been so much fun and at £1 a pop it is surely worth a punt.
To celebrate the launch of the game our next article looks at the top 10 European underdogs
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AEK LARNACA (Cyprus)
UEFA coefficient rank: 239
Europa League qualification: Fourth in Cypriot league (entered at second qualifying stage)
First result: 1-0 away defeat at Maccabi Haifi
This is Larnaca’s first ever season in major European competition, but, like several other Cypriot teams, they are beginning to exude some serious star power. Former Ajax and Feyenoord defender Tim de Cler and ex-Wolfsburg and Feyenoord defender Kevin Hofland anchor a team composed of players from 12 different nations, and until last season Ivan Campo was turning out for AEK on a regular basis. The side faced a long tour around Europe in qualifying, beating Floriana (Malta) and Mlada Boleslav (Czech Republic) to set up their historic 2-1 playoff win over Rosenborg. Tom Caanen’s men face a tough task getting any further, though – they are grouped with Maccabi Haifa, Steaua Bucharest and German giants Schalke.
LEGIA WARSAW (Poland)
UEAFA coefficient rank: 241
Europa League qualification: Polish cup winners (entered at third qualifying stage)
First result: 1-0 away defeat at PSV Eindhoven
Legia Warsaw are one of the most storied teams in this list, having been fairly regular European competitors in the 1970s and 1990s, but they haven’t made it to the first round of the Europa League since 2006 and haven’t gone beyond that stage in a decade. They faced a difficult road to the group stage this year, too, having to dispatch Turkish side Gaziantepspor and then Spartak Moscow in the playoff round. While a group containing PSV, Rapid Bucharest and Hapoel Tel Aviv looks difficult to advance from, the Poles may not find it impossible and certainly impressed in Holland in the first group game. Two new signings, Polish legend Michel Zewlakow and Serbian striker Danijel Ljuboja add quality to Maciej Skorza’s gritty squad.
MALMO (Sweden)
UEFA coefficient ranking: 291
Europa League qualification: Swedish league champions (entered at group stage)
First result: 4-1 away defeat at AZ Alkmaar
They may be heralded as the biggest club in Sweden, according to national football fanzine Offside, but Malmo haven’t actually appeared in Europe in over a decade, hence their unexpectedly low UEFA ranking. The 1979 UEFA Cup champions are back in 2011 with a bang, though, recording a 19th Allsvenskan title last year by holding off Helsingborg. Agon Mehmeti and Daniel Nilsson provide the goals up front, while the distinguished captain Daniel Andersson, who has 79 caps for his country, continues his long service of his hometown club.
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MARIBOR (Slovenia)
UEFA coefficient rank: 235
Europa League qualification: Slovenian league champions (knocked out of Champions’ League qualifying)
First result: 2-0 away defeat at Club Brugge
Saying any team is a ‘Slovenian powerhouse’ doesn’t really sound right, but Maribor are one of the biggest teams in their country and most years you’ll see them at some stage of the qualifying rounds of the European tournaments. But they haven’t made the first round of either the Champions’ League or the UEFA/Europa League since 2004, when they were dispatched in the UEFA Cup first round by Parma. This September, though, Maribor stunned Scottish giants Rangers with a playoff-round victory over two leagues that sees them progress to the group stage of the Europa League. National-team goalkeeping understudy Jasmin Handanovic is probably the squad’s biggest star, while defenders Aleksander Rajcevic and Mitja Viler have been included in recent Slovenia squads, too.
OTELUL GALATI (Romania)
UEFA coefficient rank: 173
Champions’ League qualification: Romanian league champions (entered at group stage)
First result: 2-1 away defeat at FC Basel
Champions League rookies Otelul Galati have risen to European football’s top table having never even made it out of the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Cup/Europa League in their history. Manager Dorinel Munteanu, Romania’s most capped player, has been credited by Romanian media as well as World Soccer magazine with putting together “a psychologically strong unit from a squad of relatively unknown players”; the mostly-Romanian team is built around Argentine technician Gabriel Viglianti and centre-back Sergiu Costin, the club captain.
SHAMROCK ROVERS (Ireland)
UEFA coefficient rank: 324
Europa League qualification: Irish league champions (knocked out of Champions’ League qualifying)
First result: 3-0 home defeat to Rubin Kazan
The biggest underdogs of all. Not only is this the first time an Irish side have ever reached the group stages of a major European competition, Shamrock Rovers do so just six years after going bankrupt, being relegated and then being purchased by a group of fans. Their extraordinary story was worthily rewarded with a first Irish title in 16 years last season. After holding off Estonians Flora Tallinn in Champions’ League qualifying, Rovers were beaten in the third round by Copenhagen, and advanced instead to the playoff round of Europa League qualifying – where they duly pulled off a sensational shock by beating Serbian champions FK Partizan Belgrade over two legs. Left-back Enda Stevens has been bought by Aston Villa but won’t leave until January, so is likely to play all of Rovers’ Europa League games. Oh, and look out for one Rohan Ricketts, who joined in the summer after stints in Canada, Hungary, Macedonia and the German lower leagues.
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SLOVAN BRATISLAVA (Slovakia)
UEFA coefficient rank: 191
Europa League qualification: Slovakian league champions (knocked out of Champions’ League qualifying)
First result: 2-1 home defeat to Athletic Bilbao
Slovan Bratislava, despite being one of the biggest teams in Slovakia, haven’t made the main rounds of a major European competition since 2001 when, ironically, they were eliminated by Czech namesakes Slovan Liberec. This time around, Champions’ League qualification got off to a promising start when Bratislava held off Khazakstan’s FC Tobol, but they were promptly eliminated by Cypriot champions APOEL. Unbelievably, the Slovakians recovered from this disappointment just in time to stun AS Roma. Slovan’s biggest star is probably the man in the dugout, former national team coach Vladimir Weiss, and he will have plenty of thinking to do to get Bratislava past Bilbao, Paris Saint-Germain and Red Bull Salzburg in Group F.
VASLUI (Romania)
UEFA coefficient rank: 152
Europa League qualification: Third in Romanian league, promoted to second (knocked out of Champions’ League qualifying)
First result: 2-2 away draw with Lazio
The second Romanian side in this list, FC Vaslui’s story is incredible, if only for the reason that it only begins in 2002. One of the youngest clubs in Europe, Vaslui have improved their league result every season of their existence and have been rewarded in 2011 with a first berth in the Europa League group stage, following a qualifying triumph over Sparta Prague. The team’s creative genius is Brazilian playmaker Wesley, and you might recognise his countryman Adailton, the striker who has played for Parma, Bologna and Paris Saint-Germain. Many will write off Voriel Hizo’s men after they were drawn in a near-impossible group alongside Lazio, Sporting Lisbon and FC Zurich – but a 2-2 draw in Rome could just herald the start of something spectacular.
VIKTORIA PLZEN (Czech Republic)
UEFA coefficient rank: 142
Champions’ League qualification: Czech league champions (entered at first qualifying stage)
First result: 1-1 home draw with BATE Borisov
Last year’s fleeting appearance in Europa League qualifying (they were knocked out immediately by Besiktas) was Plzen’s first foray into continental competition in 30 years. But they followed it up with a maiden league title and then stunned two Scandinavian giants, Rosenborg and FK Copenhagen, on their way to reaching the Champions’ League group stage. Their reward? A mouth-watering group including Barcelona and AC Milan. Head coach Pavel Vrba has maintained faith in his championship squad of last season, adding strength to his home-grown squad with the capture of Czech defender Marian Cisovsky from Timisoara.
VORSKLA POLTAVA (Ukraine)
UEFA coefficient rank: 148
Europa League qualification: Sixth in Ukrainian league (entered at second qualifying stage)
First result: 1-0 defeat at FC Copenhagen
A decade after their only previous foray into the UEFA Cup proper, Vorskla are back after creeping into sixth in last year’s Ukrainian Premier League, now ranked as the eighth best league in Europe (ahead of the Dutch Eredivisie). Twice facing representatives of the Emerald Isle in qualification, Vorskla saw off Glentoran and Sligo Rovers before surprising Romanians Dinamo Bucharest 5-3 on aggregate in the playoffs. The Ukrainians did little to add to their squad in the summer, though, and it is hard to see them advancing from Group B over Standard Liege, Copenhagen or Hannover 96.
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