TNS cannot lose in the UEFA Cup draw this lunchtime.

Financially, a repeat of their 2003 meeting with Manchester City would be very welcome. But owner Mike Harris would be happy venturing into mainland Europe as well.

"We have always enjoyed our games in Europe," said Harris.

"Going to places like Sweden, Poland, Estonia and Latvia has been a fantastic experience and something we would look forward to if that is how it turned out.

"However, there is no escaping the financial rewards that come from a draw against Manchester City, so either way it is an exciting time."

The geographical split means there is no chance of the Welsh outfit ending up travelling too far, with Scandinavia the most obvious destination among 14 possible opponents.

However, Barnsley, City's nominated base for the home leg of their first qualifying round tie on either July 17 or 31, would be the preferred destination.

Paired with the Blues when they last benefited from a Fair Play prize and then Liverpool in 2005 after Rafael Benitez's side were allowed to defend their Champions League trophy at the first qualifying hurdle, TNS have already had their fair share of beneficial draws.

"Financially, the two games against Liverpool allowed us to put plans in place for our new stadium," said Harris.

"We also got to play against what were then the European champions for their first game back at Anfield. It is the kind of experience you never forget."

TNS would almost certainly move a match with City to Wrexham's Racecourse Ground, as would Bangor City, meaning a return to his home town for Mark Hughes should the new Blues boss find himself up against either of Wales' two representatives.

Cork City and St Patrick's Athletic are potential opponents from the Republic of Ireland, while Cliftonville and Glentoran, whose manager Allan MacDonald is an old foe of City's from his QPR days, are representatives from the north.

With the draw being seeded and regionalised, City have 14 possible opponents, with trips to Luxembourg, the Faroe Islands and Estonia also in the offing, as well as Iceland and Lithuania.

Other than City, FC Copenhagen and Brondby are probably the best known of the other seeded teams that could be paired with the Welsh and Irish sides.

The first two rounds of the Champions League will also be revealed, giving Rangers a swift return to European competition following the disappointment of their UEFA Cup final defeat against Zenit St Petersburg.

As the draw will also be seeded, Rangers should have little trouble making it into the key third qualifying round, although Walter Smith will probably want to avoid Beitar Jerusalem, IFK Gothenburg and Dinamo Tbilisi.

However, whether they end up travelling to Ireland or Wales depends on the performances of Drogheda United, Linfield and Llanelli in the first phase.

Linfield have tried - and failed - to get beyond the opening hurdle on a number of occasions but it is a new experience for first-time qualifiers Drogheda and Llanelli.

As a top seed in the first qualifying round, Drogheda in theory have more chance of success than Llanelli, who are among the bottom ranked teams and could face Croatian representatives Dinamo Zagreb.

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