UEFA CUP Preview for September 18th

A quartet of English teams are playing in the first round of the Uefa Cup - a competition in which no team can be underestimated. Portsmouth (1/2) will mark the historic occasion of their first ever European tie with a first leg against Portuguese outfit Guimares (5/1) at Fratton Park. Harry Redknapp's men earned their place in continental competition with a winning FA Cup run last season, disposing of Manchester United on the way to a win over Cardiff City in the final. Goalkeeper David James has stressed the importance Pompey are placing on the Uefa Cup, comparing the Guimares game to May's Wembley showpiece: "This is like the Cup final. There's a massive bit of history potentially to be made. This is the first time Portsmouth have played in Europe and it's massive." Hot-shot Jermain Defoe is 7/2 to score the south-coast kings' first goal in Europe, with possible strike partners Nwankwo Kanu and Peter Crouch 5/1. Moneymen Manchester City (2/5) made hard work of their qualifying round tie with Danish outfit FC Midtjylland, going through on penalties. They now face Omonia Nicosia (10/3) of Cyprus in an away fixture, with record £34.5 million signing Robinho fresh from a debut goal against Chelsea at the weekend. The Brazilian forward is 4/1 to grab the first goal for City, who will be without the injured Martin Petrov. His compatriot Jo is available at 5/1 City last tasted European success in the now-defunct European Cup-Winners' Cup of 1970 and manager Mark Hughes would love a major trophy to bring home to the club's new Arab owners - the Blues are 14/1 to win the Uefa Cup. Tottenham Hotspur (4/11) must be yearning for any sort of success after collecting just one point from a possible 12 in the Premier League so far. Poles Wisla Krakow (6/1) stand in the way of Spurs's first competitive win of the season. Juande Ramos led Spurs to the fourth round of this competition last time out and will be looking to prove his side's European pedigree against Wisla, who are Polish domestic champions. The north London club underwent a virtual clear-out of their forward department over the summer and £14 million Roman Pavlyuchenko is still to net for his new team. The prolific Russian goalscorer is cup-tied for the game after appearing for Spartak Moscow in Europe, leaving fellow frontman Darren Bent (4/1) and Frazier Campbell (5/1) as good possibilities to strike first. #1 Betfair Bonus £25 Free Bet.#2 Ladbrokes £25 Free Bet.#3 Paddypower Bonus £20 Free Bet.