June 29, 2007: Champions League and UEFA Cup Draw:
HB Tórshavn draw Icelandic champions FH Hafnafjørður in the Champions League.
HB will meet neighboring champions from Iceland, FH from Hafnafjørður in the 1st qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
The first match will be played in Iceland 17/18 July and the return leg will be played in Tórshavn a week later, on 24/25 July.
Hafnafjørður, or FH, as they are usually called, are not unknown to HB as they met in the Atlantic Cup in 2005. FH won a comfortable 4-1 victory.
The following year, FH visited B36 Tórshavn in the annual Atlantic Cup where B36 beat the Icelandic champions on penalties, after a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes. However, the Icelandic team was probably not at full strength, as was the case for HB the previous year. These matches have not been taken
too seriously, it must be said. That was also the reason why HB without sweating beat KR Reykjavík 3-1 at home in 2004.
Atlantic Cup History
But in 2005, B36 Tórshavn met Icelandic side IBV from the Vestmannaeyar in the UEFA cup where B36 managed to beat the Icelandics over the 2 legs, so it is not impossible for HB to do the same this year in the Champions League.
However, it must also be mentioned that when IBV lost to B36, IBV were struggling in the bottom of the Icelandic league.
But HB's opponents this year are not struggling at all. And they haven't for a long time, really, as they have won the Icelandic league 3 years in succession and are also leading the table this season.
HB's main concern will be their fragile defense, because it's quite simple really: You don't go through in European competitions if you can't defend.
The winner of the tie will play the winner of the meeting between Apoel Nicosia from Cyprus and Bate Borisov from Belarus.
HB have once before played Apoel in European competition, when they drew 1-1 at home in the UEFA Cup in 1997, but lost 6-0 away!
In the UEFA Cup, Cup winners B36 Tórshavn drew Ekranas from Lithuania and runners-up in the league EB/Streymur drew Finnish outfit MyPa. B36 play the first game at home while EB/Streymur starts away. The 1st leg will be played on 19 July and the 2nd leg on 2 August.
KÍ Klaksvík have alreday played in the first leg of their Intertoto Cup tie against Swedish side Hammarby. Hammarby won 1-0. The return leg is on Saturday 30 June in the Faroe Islands.
Hammarby vs. KÍ Klaksvík