If Maccabi get past Santa Coloma next Tuesday, the next challenge will be from either Slovenia or Bosnia
Four days ahead of the second leg of Maccabi Tel Aviv's Champions League 2nd round qualifier against FC Santa Coloma, the draw for the 3rd qualifying round was held today at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. The yet undecided contest between the Israeli champions and their counterparts from Andorra appeared in the draw as a seeded entry and among the ten possible unseeded rivals for round three, the pair were drawn against the winners of the encounter between Slovenian champions NK Maribor and the titleholders from Bosnia Herzegovina HSK Zrinjski. If Maccabi do emerge victorious this Tuesday, they will first travel to Slovenia or Bosnia on the 29th or 30th of July, with the return leg being played a week later.
After the draw, Maccabi Tel Aviv's sports director Jordi Cruyff had this to say to the club's official website: "Regardless of the draw we are still halfway through our tie against Santa Coloma. We still have another match to play, in conditions which are not easy as this match will be played at a neutral venue in Cyprus, which takes the edge off our regular home advantage. We are not even looking too far ahead towards our potential opponents as the tie between the Slovenian and the Bosnian champions is level at 0-0 and we still have our own work to do".
NK Maribor
Current European ranking: 106
Largest European win: August 25th 1994, 10-0 against Estonian side FC Norma Tallinnin in Slovenia
Largest European defeat: August 23rd 2001, 9-1 against Dutch side AFC Ajax in Amsterdam
Appearances in Champions League qualifiers: 12
Appearances in UEFA Cup/Europa League qualifiers: 11
From the time of Slovenia's independence in 1991 and the launch of their domestic league, Maribor have won the lion's share of titles with thirteen domestic championships. Maribor's dominance began shortly after independence and the 1996/97 season started a run of seven consecutive championships. Now the club are in the midst of additional run of excellent form, with four consecutive domestic titles, and no realistic opponent looming on the horizon. Having already achieved this unrivalled dominance of the domestic league, Maribor now hope to build upon last year's European success, when they progressed through the group stages of the Europa League to the round of 32 for the first time.
Among Maribor's European credentials are an appearance in the group stage of the Champions League in 1999, three appearances in the group stage of the Europa League and emergence as one of the winners of the Intertoto Cup in 2006. Last year, much like Maccabi Tel Aviv, MK Maribor advanced from the group stage of the Europa League to the round of 32, before being eliminated by ultimate winners Sevilla. In their first leg of this year's Champions League 2nd qualifying round, Maribor encountered surprising resistance from Bosnian champions HSK Zrinjski, who held them to a goalless draw in Bosnia.
HSK Zrinjski
Current European ranking: 333
Largest European win: July 22nd 2010, 2-9 against San Marino side S.P. Tre Penne in Serravalle
Largest European defeat: July 19th 2007, 1-6 against Serbian side Partizan Belgrade in Mostar
Appearances in Champions League qualifiers: 3
Appearances in UEFA Cup/Europa League qualifiers: 4
HSK Zrinjski, the oldest club in the Bosnian domestic league, only began to realise title aspirations in the new millennium after the Yugoslavian authorities suspended and shut down a number of clubs, including Zrinjski. The club reopened after Bosnia's declaration of independence in 1992, but it was not until the 2004/5 season that Zrinjski won their first domestic league championship. Last year they won the title for the third time, gaining them entrance to the qualifying rounds of the Champions League. Only once in their short European history, in 2010, have the club reached the third round of any European competition. In order to repeat that feat this season, they'll have to stay at least level with their Slovenian rivals Maribor in Slovenia this coming Tuesday.
