AC MILAN
Current league position: Eighth
Last season: Fifth
Manager: Carlo Ancelotti
UEFA Cup first round: Beat FC Zurich 4-1 on aggregate.
Honours: Serie A: Winners (17), Serie A Runners-up (14),
Coppa Italia: Winners (5) – 1967, 1972, 1973, 1977, 2003
Runners-up (7) – 1942, 1968, 1971, 1975, 1985, 1990, 1998. Champions League (formerly European Cup): Winners (7) – 1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003, 2007.
Champions League: Runners-up (4) – 1958, 1993; 1995, 2005. UEFA Super Cup: Winners – 1989; 1990; 1994; 2003; 2007. Runners-up – 1973, 1993. UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: Winners (2) – 1968, 1973. Runners-up (1) – 1974
Ground: San Siro (Capacity: 83,000)
Notable players: Ronaldinho (Brazil), Kaka (Brazil), Paolo Maldini (Italy), Gennaro Gattuso (Italy).
Former players: Ruud Gullit, Marco van Basten, Frank Rijkaard, Franco Baresi, George Weah, Mark Hateley.
Nickname: Rossoneri (Red and blacks)
Colours: Red and black striped shirts, white shorts
v Pompey: Thursday, November 27, Fratton Park


HEERENVEEN
Current league position: Ninth
Last season: Fifth
Manager: Trond Sollied
UEFA Cup first round: Beat Vitoria Setubal 6-2 on aggregate
Honours: Dutch Premier division: Runners-up – 1999-2000. Dutch Cup: Runners-up – 1992-93, 1996-97
Ground: Abe Lenstra Stadion, Heerenveen (Capacity: 26,800)
Notable players: Gerald Sibon, Danijel Pranjiæ (Croatia), Bonaventure Kalou (Ivory Coast)
Former players: Afonso Alves, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Georgios Samaras, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Jon Dahl Tomasson
Nickname: The Super Frisians
Colours: Blue and white stripes, white shorts
v Pompey: Wednesday, December 17, Fratton Park


SC BRAGA
Current league position: Eleventh
Last season: Seventh
Manager: Jorge Jesus
UEFA Cup first round: Beat Artmedia Bratislava 6-0 on aggregate
Honours: Portuguese Cup: Winners – 1966, Runners-up – 1977, 1982, 1998. Portuguese Super Cup: Runners-up – 1982, 1998
Ground: The AXA Stadium, Braga (Capacity: 30,154)
Notable players: Eduardo (Portugal), Alberto Rodríguez (Peru), Roland Linz (Austria)
Former players: Nordin Wooter, João Pinto, Tiago, Ricardo Rocha, Secretário.
Nickname: The Archbishops or The Arsenalists
Colours: Red shirts, white shorts
v Pompey: Thursday, October 23, The AXA Stadium


VFL WOLFSBURG
Current league position: Ninth
Last season: Fifth
Manager: Felix Magath
UEFA Cup first round: Beat Rapid Bucharest 2-1 on aggregate.
Honours: Bundesliga second division: Runners-up – 1997.
German Cup: Runners-up – 1995. Intertoto Cup: Runners-up – 2003
Ground: Volkswagen-Arena, Wolfsburg (Capacity: 30,000)
Notable players: Jacek Krzynówek (Poland), Grafite (Brazil),
Former players: Andres D'Alessandro, Stefan Effenberg, Claudio Reyna, Brian McBride, Steve Marlet.
Nickname: The Wolves
Colours: Green and white halved shirts, green shorts.
v Pompey: Thursday, December 4, Volkswagen Arena


HOW IT WORKS NOW:
The 40 remaining teams in the UEFA Cup have now been divided into eight groups of five.
The group stage will run from October 23 until December 18. Each club will play twice at home and twice away, with the top three teams from each group qualifying for the next round.
Those 24 sides will then be joined by the eight clubs who are knocked out of the Champions League by finishing third in their group, forming the final 32 teams.
The competition then becomes a straight two-legged knockout, the next round not commencing until February 2009.
The UEFA Cup will reach its climax with the final in Istanbul on Wednesday, May 20.

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