Uefa Cup Lowdown

GRASSHOPPERS ZURICH

(Away 20/10)

Where: Grasshoppers play in the Swiss city situated on the country's central plateau. With a population of 360,000, Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland.

Ground: Boro will be travelling to the 17,600 capacity Hardturm Stadium.

Manager: Hanspeter Latour - The Swiss boss, who has also managed FC Basel and FC Thun, took charge last December.

Star Name: Rogerio - The South American striker forms an all-Brazilian attack with compatriot Eduardo.

How they qualified: Grasshoppers, who currently trail Swiss league leaders Basel by four points, finished third in the table last season. Enjoyed a 4-1 aggregate win over Finnish side Mypa in the first round this season.

European pedigree: As well as winning 27 domestic championships and 18 domestic cups, they can also boast 52 victories in European competition.

English connection: Grasshoppers were formed by an English student, Tom E Griffith, in 1886. They also include former Arsenal defender Igors Stepanovs in their current squad.

Did You Know? Irish novelist James Joyce penned his most famous novel, Ulysees, while living in Zurich.

DNIPRO DNIPROPETROVSK

(Home 3/11)

Where: The former Soviet city of Dnipropetrovsk lies in the south west of the Ukraine and would have been a 3,600 mile round trip for Boro had they had to play there.

Ground: The Meteor Stadium holds 30,000 and creates a hostile atmosphere for opponents.

Manager: Evgeny Kucherevsky - The 64-year-old Dnipro boss almost missed his side's first-round success after suffering a heart scare.

Star name: Alexsandr Melaschenko - The powerful striker has already scored two goals in this season's competition.

How they qualified: Despite currently sitting 12th out of 16 in the Ukranian league after 11 games, they finished third last season. Dumped Hibernian out in the first round.

European pedigree: In last season's UEFA Cup they won their group by winning three of their four games before losing to Partizan Belgrade in the last 32.

English connection: Former Boro captain Tony Mowbray suffered defeat as his Hibernian side crashed to a 5-1 defeat in the Ukraine.

Did you know? The club take their name from the river which runs through the steel manufacturing city. It is the longest river in the Ukraine.

AZ ALKMAAR

(Away 24/11)

Where: With a population of nearly 95,000 - similar to the size of Hartlepool - Alkmaar is in the north-west of the Netherlands, only a short drive from the Dutch capital Amsterdam.

Ground: Alkmaar move to their new state of the art stadium next summer but, for now, they play at the 8,390 capacity Alkmaarder Hout.

Manager: Louis van Gaal - the former Barcelona coach.

Star name: Shota Arveladze - The Georgian international left Glasgow Rangers in the summer on a free transfer.

How they qualified: Finished third in Eredivisie, having been in the top two for most of the season. Edged past Russians Kryliya Sovetov on away goals in the first round after a 6-6 aggregate draw.

European pedigree: AZ reached the final of the UEFA Cup in the 1980-81 season - only to lose to Sir Bobby Robson's Ipswich Town - and won the Dutch league that year. They also reached the semi-final of the UEFA Cup last season - but were defeated by Boro's conquerors Sporting Lisbon.

English connection: Sunderland travelled to Alkmaar in the summer for a pre-season friendly ahead of their Premiership return. The Black Cats won, courtesy of a Tommy Miller strike.

Did you know? The city is most famous in Holland for its cheese market every Friday morning.

LITEX LOVECH

(Home 15/12)

Where: Lovech is located in Bulgaria, 70 miles north-east of the capital Sofia.

Ground: The modest Lovech Stadium, a ground with a capacity of just 7,000.

Manager: Stoicho Stoilov - The Lovech boss was voted the best player in the Bulgarian league as his midfield displays helped his current employers win their maiden title in 1997.

Star name: Sandrinho - The Brazilian striker scored the only goal of the game as Lovech secured a shock 1-0 win in Genk last week.

How they qualified: Won the Bulgarian Cup after a penalty shoot-out victory over CSKA Sofia. They ground out a 3-2 aggregate win over Belgian side Racing Genk in the first round of this year's UEFA Cup.

European pedigree: Originally formed in 1921 as FC Hissarya, Lovech have won two domestic titles and two domestic cups. Their best display in Europe came in 2001 when they reached the third round of the UEFA Cup.

English connection: Portsmouth striker Svetoslav Todorov and Charlton midfielder Radostin Kishishev were both part of the Lovech side that won the Bulgarian title twice in the late 1990s.

Did you know? Lovech is the home of one of Bulgaria's most celebrated sporting figures - multiple Olympic gold medal winning Greco-Roman wrestler Bratan Tsenov.

PAUL FRASER

& scott wilson