Manchester United's hold on the European Cup has not been seriously disturbed by the draw for the second group phase, but Chelsea will need to look to the most profound of their Franco-Italian influences to reach the quarter-finals. Neither of England's remaining representatives have much room for error.
French and Italian opponents lie across the paths of both teams. United will meet Fiorentina, Arsenal's conquerors at Wembley, and Bordeaux. Chelsea have to play Lazio and Marseille, who beat United in the Stade Velodrome in the previous round.
In addition, Alex Ferguson's team will encounter Valencia, who have defeated Rangers twice this season, while Chelsea also meet Feyenoord, who managed to qualify with one win and five draws. It could have been worse: Real Madrid, for example, have to meet Bayern Munich and Dynamo Kiev.
Manchester United will resume their defence of the trophy in Florence a fortnight on Tuesday confident of seeing off an average Serie A side but conscious of the way Gabriel Batistuta ended Arsenal's interest in the tournament last week.
The following evening, Feyenoord will come to Stamford Bridge looking to another Argentine, Julio Ricardo Cruz, to cause an upset. Cruz has scored 37 goals in 74 league matches for the Dutch champions, and if Gianluca Vialli's team fail to beat what is ostensibly the weakest side in the group, Chelsea's prospects for their visit to Rome on December 7th will be poor indeed.
Milan may have brought out the best in Chelsea in the first round, but Lazio look much stronger. Marcelo Salas, scorer of their winner against United in the UEFA Super Cup, will pose the biggest threat.
Valencia visit Old Trafford the following night. Though their league form has been indifferent, they have thrived in Europe, finishing top of their group in the opening phase. Their strength lies in the pace of the front pair, Claudio Lopez and Adrian Ilie.
This part of the Champions League will not be completed until March 21st and 22nd, when United are in Valencia and Lazio visit Stamford Bridge.
The third round of the UEFA Cup has thrown up intriguing ties for English and Scottish interests, although Leeds United can hardly relish the prospect of another trek to Moscow. Having just beaten Lokomotiv, David O'Leary's side face Spartak. However, Bobby Robson's Newcastle United have the most difficult task, facing Roma, but will be pleased that the first leg is away.
Arsenal meet Nantes in a tie which is hardly going to be a novel experience for their large French contingent and will be a relatively easy drive for Dennis Bergkamp.
For those other Champions League drop-outs, Rangers, the consolation for a narrow failure in the prime tournament is a difficult tie against Borussia Dortmund.
