The Golden Nuggets 2010/11 - Champions League

By Sports Magician

QUALIFICATION

Red Bull Salzburg of Austria meet Cypriot champions Omonia Nicosia this week in the first leg of the third qualifying round for this season's Champions League. The Austrians have won their domestic league for the past two seasons, while Omonia won their first Cypriot title since 2003 last season. The Austrian side have added 23 year old Uruguayan forward Joaquin Boghossian to their ranks and the South American striker is relishing his first crack at European club football. Boghossian has spent the past year at Argentine club Newell’s Old Boys where he averaged a goal every two games. Newell’s were unable to make his loan arrangement permanent and that is where Salzburg stepped into the equation.

Both sides are packed with players from all over the globe in a microcosm of the internationalism of European club football. No fewer than 25 different nations are featured amongst both squads. Omonia Nicosia feature a name some of you may remember - Lomana LuaLua, formerly of Colchester, Newcastle and Portsmouth. The 29 year old winger was let go by Olympiakos in the summer and has made the move to the Cypriot champions to join his former Olympiakos coach Takis Lemmonis.

The Austrian champions should prove to be far stronger over two legs and, in the event of a first leg defeat in Cyprus, have the capability of overturning any deficit on their home patch. Salzburg beat Lazio and Villarreal home and away last season in the Europa League before being edged out in the last 32 against Standard Liege.

PICK: 5*RED BULL SALZBURG QUALIFY AGAINST OMONIA NICOSIA @ 1.65 (BWIN)

Sports Magician