Each has experienced and enjoyed the glamorous element of participation of European competitions. Now Portsmouth and Aston Villa are confronted with pivotal, if less eye-catching, ties if they are to extend their continental adventure into the New Year.
Now the memorable matches against former European Cup winners Ac Milan and Ajax have been consigned to the past, tonight could determine the fate of both English teams.
Victory for Villa against the Slovakian side MSK Zilina would guarantee their presence in the last 32. Defeat for Portsmouth in Germany, where they face Wolfsburg, could curtail their first Uefa Cup campaign. Theirs is the stiffer task. Wolfsburg only stand eighth in the Bundesliga, but they are unbeaten at home this season and invested heavily in the summer, purchasing two of Italy's World Cup winners in Andrea Barzagli and Cristian Zaccardo.
While Wolfsburg's top scorer, Grafite, is absent, Portsmouth are depleted. John Utaka and Lassana Diarra are both sidelined and it is far from certain captain Sol Campbell will be able to return. With five games in 16 days, rotation is an issue for manager Tony Adams. "The game could be a chance to give other people a chance and rest some legs," he said. "I think one or two are a little bit tired. We are running on empty at the moment. I'm taking the Uefa Cup very seriously, though."
Villa are too, but their 100 percent start to the competition affords them room for error and allows Martin O'Neill to tinker. Fringe players such as Marlon Harewood, Moustapha Salifou and Brad Guzan will be granted rare starts.
Harewood may have the greatest incentive to impress. With John Carew struggling with a back injury, there could be a vacancy in the Villa attack, even though O'Neill hopes the Norwegian will not need surgery.
Gareth Barry, one of the few to have experienced European football for Villa before, says memories of the victory over Ajax should spur on a makeshift side against the group's rank outsiders. "It was a tremendous night against Ajax," he said. "The noise was electrifying. It is great to be playing on nights like that at Villa Park."
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
