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Veteran Matt Stairs joined the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday. Eager to fill whatever role needed as the defending NL East champs try to make a push back to the playoffs.

Stairs was acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays in a trade that wrapped up Saturday. The Blue Jays will receive a player to be named later.

“They (Toronto) were headed in a different direction,” Stairs said. “I can understand that. It’s tough leaving Toronto, being Canadian and playing for a Canadian team. But when they told me I was going to Philly I was like… ‘nice.’ Going to a ballpark where I enjoy playing in.”

With Geoff Jenkins on the disabled list with a strained hip flexor, the Phillies needed a left-handed bat. Stairs had been designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Thursday night.

“We lost Jenkins so we were short left-handed,” Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said Saturday. “Consequently, (we) get an experienced guy that can play some and hit off the bench. Can’t hurt.

“We had claimed him off waivers, so they couldn’t do anything with him. The only place they could move him was to us. Either they had to take the deal with us or keep him on the roster.”

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said Stairs would help his team off the bench or could be used to give right fielder Jayson Werth or left fielder Pat Burrell some rest.

“His left-handed bat can definitely help us,” Manuel said.

Used mostly as a designated hitter, Stairs was hitting .250 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 105 games for the Blue Jays. Toronto will use the roster spot to give top prospect Travis Snider significant playing time the remainder of the season.

Backup roles have become quite familiar to Stairs, who broke in with the Montreal Expos in 1992 and will be joining his 11th major league team. And he’ll be back in the National League where pinch-hitters get more chances because there here is no DH.

As a pinch-hitter during his career, Stairs has batted .279 (70-for-251) with 12 homers and 59 RBIs. He is batting .333 this season with three RBIS in pinch-hitting roles.

“I love pinch-hitting. It’s a situation where you usually pinch-hit in a situation where the game is on the line,” the 40-year-old Stairs said. If I’m here for a month and they want me to pinch-hit everyday that’s fine by me, whatever it takes.

“It’s fun to be in that atmosphere of being in the playoff race again. It’s nice to see this team loose and having fun because I’ve been on teams before when you get in a race and everybody gets tight.”

Gillick said the deal will be finalized when the season is over and the player to be named later - likely a minor league pitcher - is officially identified.

Stairs, a career .266 hitter with 252 homers, joined the Phillies at Wrigley Field where they dropped first two games of an important four-game set against the Cubs.

“It will be a good fit for Matt,” said Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, who was in New York to see Toronto in its last trip to Yankee Stadium. “They had Geoff go down and needed someone off the bench. He should be able to help them.”

To qualify for the postseason, a player must be on a team’s major league roster before Monday. With the Blue Jays fading from contention, Ricciardi said more moves are possible.

“I think you’ll see some things happen,” he said. “They’ll be minor things, but things could pick up in the next day or two.”

In a difficult season for the Atlanta Braves, Chipper Jones had a milestone to celebrate on Saturday night.

Jones hit his 20th home run of the season in the seventh inning of the Braves’ 9-8, 10-inning loss to the Washington Nationals, and joined Eddie Mathews as the only players to begin their careers with 14 straight seasons of 20 or more homers.

“It’s just me doing my job. That’s how I look at it,” Jones said.

“A lot of players aren’t lucky enough to play this long, but I have been that lucky and relatively healthy during that run and able to produce. Any kind of longevity record is a feather in your cap. I’ve had a pretty good career. To be standing besides Eddie Mathews in another category is quite an honor.”

Despite an ailing right elbow, Jones entered the game leading the majors with a .358 average. After going 2-for-5, Jones raised his average to .359. St. Louis’ Albert Pujols went 4-for-4 in the Cardinals’ 8-5 loss to Houston and took over the NL batting lead - raising his average from .356 to .362.

Jones would love to win his first batting title.

“It’s a motivational tool,” Jones said. “You’re expected to go out and entertain and represent your team. A lot of guys in here are trying to find something to motivate themselves. For me, it’s easy.”

The 36-year-old has had a fine season despite a series of injuries this season. His biggest problem lately has been the balky right elbow.

“It’s really, really painful,” Jones said.

The third baseman said it’s not a structural problem, and it bothers him on some throws and occasionally when he extends the elbow at the plate.

“It makes you want to cry,” he said.

Jones has missed 24 games due to injuries. He was on the disabled list from July 24-Aug. 8 with a strained left hamstring.

“It was bothering me before I went on the DL,” Jones said. “I thought the DL stint would help it because I didn’t do any throwing during the DL stint.”

The Braves are 18 games under .500 for the first time since 1990- and manager Bobby Cox said Jones is the least of his worries.

“He’s been pretty healthy lately,” Cox said.

The Colorado Rockies placed catcher Yorvit Torrealba on the 15-day disabled list. Because of a torn ligament in his left knee on Saturday night.

Torrealba has had an ongoing problem with his left knee, according to manager Clint Hurdle. He said Torrealba was working out before the game and was unable to squat in the catching position. Hurdle said the decision was made to put Torrealba on the DL since the injury would prevent him from catching.

The Rockies purchased the contract of Adam Melhuse from Triple-A Colorado Springs. Melhuse was hitting .311 with three homers and 16 RBI in 32 games with the Sky Sox.

Torrealba was hitting .246 with six home runs and 31 RBI in 70 games. He had lost the starting job to Chris Iannetta.

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Athletics place Frank Thomas on 15-day DL.

Athletics designated hitter Frank Thomas was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday after aggravating a strained right quadriceps while taking batting practice.

Thomas was in uniform and scheduled to bat fourth against the Minnesota Twins before the team made the announcement less than two hours before the start of the game.

The 40-year-old slugger had complained about soreness in his leg in recent days and acknowledged he had trouble pushing off with his right foot. He was mired in a career-long 0-for-23 slump before going 8-for-21 (.381) over his last six games.

Thomas left without speaking to reporters but Oakland manager Bob Geren acknowledged the injury could end Thomas’ season. He missed 55 games while on the DL with a similar injury earlier this season.

“He is going to get further tests soon but that is a possibility,” Geren said. “Being that’s a similar feel and in the same spot, it’s a possibility, yes.”

Thomas is tied with Willie McCovey and Ted Williams for 17th place with 521 career home runs.

He began the season with Toronto but batted only .167 with three home runs and 11 RBIs for the Blue Jays. Thomas signed with Oakland on April 24, four days after being released by Toronto. In 55 games with Oakland, Thomas hit .263 with five home runs and 19 RBIs.

The A’s also reinstated right-handed reliever Keith Foulke from the disabled list, called up outfielder Aaron Cunningham from Triple-A Sacramento, optioned left-hander Dan Meyer to Double-A Midland and transferred right-hander Andrew Brown to the 60-day DL.

Saturday National League Capsules.

PHILADELPHIA 5, CHICAGO CUBS 2

CHICAGO To snap their three-game skid, the Philadelphia Phillies had tobeat the hottest - and best - team in baseball. In their thirdtry, the Phillies finally got the job done against the Chicago Cubs.

Jayson Werth homered twice and drove in four runs and Ryan Howard blasted his major league-leading 37th home run as the Phillies snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Cubs.

Brett Myers (8-10) scattered 11 hits over seven strong innings, allowing two runs while striking out eight without a walk. The 6-4, 238-pound righthander won for the fifth time in six decisions since returning from a month-long demotion to the minor leagues, snapping the Cubs seven-game winning streak in the process.

Werth was the offensive catalyst for the Phillies. After homering in the fourth inning to tie the game at 1-1, Werth put Philadelphia on top two innings later.

After Ted Lilly hit Shane Victorino with a pitch to load the bases, Werth made him pay, lining a single to right field to score a pair of runs and put the Phillies on top.

Howard and Werth added solo homers in the eighth inning to give Philadelphia a four-run cushion.

Myers finally ran into trouble in the eighth, giving the Cubs a prime opportunity to stage a late rally. It was not anything unfamiliar to the Phillies, who blew leads in the eighth inning in two of their previous three games.

Myers surrendered three straight singles to start the frame, with Ryan Theriot coming around to score on Aramis Ramirezs base hit.

Philadelphia then went to its bullpen, which imploded in Thursdays loss at Wrigley Field. This time, the relief corps was able to hold on, as J.C. Romero came on and struck out three of the four batters he faced to preserve the three-run lead.

Brad Lidge worked a perfect ninth to record his 32nd save in as many opportunities.

Lilly (13-8) gave up three runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings. The lefthander struck out five without a walk.

Geovany Soto had two hits and an RBI and Derrek Lee went 3-for-4 for the Cubs, who have lost just seven times this month.

CINCINNATI 7, SAN FRANCISCO 6

CINCINNATI Corey Patterson drove in two runs, including the go-ahead RBI single in the eighth inning, to lead the Cincinnati Reds past the San Francisco Giants, 7-6.

Giants reliever Jack Taschner (3-2) entered with one out in the eighth and promptly surrendered a single to Jay Bruce and then Pattersons decisive hit.

Reds starter Ramon Ramirez gave up a homer to Randy Winn to lead off the game, but settled down to surrender three runs and five hits while striking out six.

Ramirez was supported by the Reds five-run outburst in the first, but relievers Bill Bray and Mike Lincoln (2-5) coughed up a three-run eighth to tie the game and ruin his chance to notch a win.

HOUSTON 8, ST. LOUIS 5

HOUSTON Hunter Pence and Ty Wigginton both homered to highlight a six-run first inning, powering the Houston Astros to an 8-5 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

After a three-run opening frame by the Cardinals, Pence belted a three-run shot and Wigginton added a two-run blast in the bottom of the frame for the Astros, who pounded out 14 hits.

Geoff Blum added a two-run homer in the fifth in support Brian Moehler (10-5), who settled down after a wild start to allow three runs and seven hits in six innings. The righthander struck out six and walked one.

Rick Ankiel belted a three-run homer and Albert Pujols added a two-run shot to provide the offense for St. Louis (74-62), which fell 5 1/2 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers (79-56) in the National League wild card race. The Brewers trounced the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.

MILWAUKEE 11, PITTSBURGH 3

PITTSBURGH Jeff Suppan tossed seven strong innings and was supported by a five-run sixth as the Milwaukee Brewers rolled to an 11-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Suppan (10-7) surrendered two runs and three hits, striking out two. His lone blemish was a two-run homer by Brandon Moss in the sixth, but an offensive explosion enabled the righthander to notch his fifth straight win.

Mike Cameron belted a three-run homer and Bill Hall doubled, knocking Pirates starter Paul Maholm (8-8) out of the game with one out in the sixth. Reliever Jesse Chavez then allowed RBI doubles to Jason Kendall and Rickie Weeks to cap the rally, which increased the Brewers bulge to 7-0.

Corey Hart connected on his 20th homer in the second and J.J. Hardy hit a one-run triple in the third.

FLORIDA 4, NY METS 3

MIAMI Aaron Heilman walked Josh Willingham with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, forcing in the winning run as the Florida Marlins rallied for a 4-3 triumph over the New York Mets.

Entering with 10 blown saves since the All-Star break, New Yorks bullpen added another in this one as former Met Mike Jacobs belted a leadoff homer off Duaner Sanchez in the eighth inning to tie the game at 3-3. Hanley Ramirez opened the ninth with a walk and moved to second on Alfredo Amezagas sacrifice.

After tossing a wild pitch that sent Ramirez to third, Heilman (3-8) intentionally walked Jorge Cantu and Jacobs to load the bases. The beleaguered righthander then walked Willingham on five pitches to bring in Ramirez with the winning run.

The poor relief pitching spoiled a solid effort from Mike Pelfrey, who allowed two runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings.

David Wright hit a two-run homer for the Mets (75-61), who saw their lead over the Philadelphia Phillies (74-62) in the National League East reduced to one game.

LA DODGERS 6, ARIZONA 2

PHOENIX Manny Ramirez posted his first multi-homer game as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chad Billingsley pitched seven strong innings en route to a 6-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ramirez finished 4-for-5 with three runs scored and a pair of solo homers for the Dodgers (66-70), who snapped an eight-game losing streak and moved within 3 1/2 games of the Diamondbacks (69-66) in the National League West. It was the second multi-homer game of the season and 51st career for Ramirez.

Billingsley (13-10) was charged with two runs and nine hits in seven-plus innings while striking out six and walking two. The 24-year-old righthander has allowed three runs or less in each of his last 10 starts.

Matt Kemp added a two-run homer for Los Angeles, which also ended an 11-game road losing streak.

WASHINGTON 9, ATLANTA 8 (10 INNINGS)

WASHINGTON Elijah Dukes drove in the winning run with a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th inning as the Washington Nationals edged the Atlanta Braves, 9-8.

After the first three batters for the Nationals reached in the 10th, Vladimir Nunez (0-2) retired Lastings Milledge and Ronnie Belliard before issuing an eight-pitch walk to Dukes, forcing in Anderson Hernandez with the winning run.

Hernandez collected three hits and three RBI for the Nationals, who won their season-high fifth straight game. Jesus Flores added a three-run double and Belliard had a pair of hits and two RBI.

Steven Shell (1-1) pitched around a walk and a hit in the 10th to pick up the win.

Chipper Jones, Martin Prado and Brian McCann homered for Atlanta. The blast was the 20th of the season for Jones, who joined Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews as the only players to start a career with at least 20 home runs in 14 consecutive campaigns.

Joba Chamberlain breezed through 35 pitches while facing batters in a simulated game Saturday. Saying he’s ready to rejoin the Yankees for the stretch run.

On the disabled list with rotator cuff tendinitis, Chamberlain said he threw all of his pitches.

“The biggest hurdle is just getting over the fact that you were out a little bit because of stuff going on in your shoulder,” Chamberlain said. “You just have to be smart about your body and how it feels.”

He also threw 45 pitches off a mound on Thursday and reported no lingering problems between sessions.

The 22-year-old right-hander, who was moved from the bullpen to the rotation earlier this year, said he doesn’t know when he’ll be activated but plans to return to relief duty.

“Wherever they need me,” he said. “We’re going to see how it reacts, and the way it has been is good. Hopefully I’ll have an opportunity to get in there soon.”

The Yankees are leaning on their bullpen as they try to keep pace with Boston for the AL wild card. Manager Joe Girardi used five relievers over the final three innings of a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night, with Mariano Rivera getting the final five outs.

It was the first time all season that Rivera had been used for more than one inning on consecutive days, but Girardi said he isn’t concerned about exhausting his All-Star closer or the bullpen.

“That’s the way you have to manage now. If you did this in April and May, you may run the risk of burning people out,” Girardi said. “But they have not been overworked. They’ve been good for us.”

Chamberlain hasn’t pitched since leaving a start Aug. 4 at Texas with discomfort in his right shoulder. He is 4-3 with a 2.63 ERA in 32 games this season, including 12 starts.

“He looked good to me,” said Girardi, who only smiled when asked if Chamberlain could be ready for the makeup of a rained out game Monday at Detroit. “Obviously we’ll see how he feels tomorrow and we’ll discuss it.

“Pitchers always say they’re ready,” Girardi added.

The Yankees also hope to get Dan Giese back from his own bout with shoulder tendinitis.

The rookie right-hander, who is 1-3 with a 2.58 ERA but hasn’t pitched since Aug. 13, will throw a bullpen session on Tuesday.

“I definitely believe we’ll get him back,” Girardi said.

Struggling Florida Marlins closer Kevin Gregg says he’s taking a break to rest a sore left knee. That has bothered him the past three or four weeks.

The ailment wasn’t previously disclosed, and it helps explain why Gregg is 0-4 in his past seven outings with an ERA of 16.20.

“Unfortunately I think I made a bad decision of trying to play through some inflammation in my knee, and it has cost me and cost the team a couple of games,” Gregg said Saturday.

In his absence, manager Fredi Gonzalez said he’ll use Matt Lindstrom or Joe Nelson as the closer. Lindstrom, touted as the Marlins’ closer of the future, has no career saves. Nelson’s most recent save was in 2006.

Gregg is expected to be sidelined only a few days.

“Hopefully it’s just a couple of days, three, four, five days,” Gonzalez said.

Gregg has 29 saves but leads the major leagues with nine blown saves. The latest came when he surrendered a game-winning grand slam to the New York Mets’ Carlos Beltran in the ninth inning Friday.

“When I’m healthy, I’m going to get a lot of people out,” Gregg said. “I don’t want to back down. I want to keep going. But you have to look at the best interests of the team. Right now I don’t think it’s the best thing to go out there, because I am not 100 percent.”

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Reds recall RHP Ramirez, option INF Rosales.

The Cincinnati Reds recalled right-hander Ramon Ramirez from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday to get the start against the San Francisco Giants in his major league debut.

Infielder Adam Rosales was optioned to Louisville for the second time in two weeks.

Ramirez, 25, was a combined 6-8 with a 3.59 ERA and one save in 30 games, including 24 starts, with Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga this season.

Rosales is 1-for-10 in nine games this season. The 25-year-old was sent down on Aug. 16 to make room for first baseman Joey Votto to return from the bereavement list and recalled on Aug 20 when outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. was placed on the disabled list.

The Philadelphia Flyers are planning to pay tribute to their former captains this preseason. Eric Lindros will not be among the honorees.

According to a report by TSN of Canada on Saturday, Lindros declined an invitation to take part in the special ceremony at the Wachovia Spectrum on September 27 due to a previous commitment.

Acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Quebec Nordiques in June 1992, Lindros was named captain of the Flyers as a 21-year-old in 1994. The 6-4, 230-pounder spent eight seasons with Philadelphia, winning the Hart Trophy in 1995, but suffered numerous concussions that limited his playing time and effectiveness as a power forward.

Lindros missed the entire 2000-01 season due to post-concussion syndrome and was traded to the New York Rangers in August 2001 following a lengthy and bitter feud with general manager Bob Clarke. He went on to play for Toronto and Dallas before retiring in November 2007.

Currently an ombudsman for the NHL Players Association, Lindros is one of 15 players who have served as captain for the Flyers. Among those who will attend the ceremony in September are Clarke, Mel Bridgman, Dave Poulin, Bill Barber and Keith Primeau.

After serving as the home of the Flyers from their inaugural season in 1967-68 to 1995-96, the Spectrum currently houses the American Hockey Leagues Philadelphia Phantoms. However, the arena will be shut down and demolished following the 2008-09 campaign.

The Tampa Bay Lightning locked up recently acquired defenseman Andrej Meszaros on Saturday. Signing the 22-year-old to a six-year contract.

Meszaros, entering his fourth NHL season, was acquired from the Ottawa Senators on Friday in exchange for fellow defensemen Filip Kuba and Alexandre Picard and a first-round draft pick.

The Lightning wasted no time securing their newest player long-term. Terms were not immediately disclosed, but according to a report in the Tampa Tribune, the deal is worth $24 million.

Andrej will be a very big part of our hockey club moving forward, said Brian Lawton, Tampa Bays executive vice president of hockey operations. At 22 years of age, he will only continue to improve and mature as a player. NHL defensemen typically dont hit their prime until 25-26 years of age, and we look forward to working with Andrej throughout that time and beyond.

The 6-2, 218-pound Slovakian was a first-round pick by the Senators in 2003 after spending two seasons with HC Dukla Trencin of the Slovak Extraliga, the countrys premier professional hockey league.

He paid immediate dividends for the Senators, becoming a key contributor on what has been one of the most successful teams in the Eastern Conference over the last decade. He led all rookies with a plus/minus of plus-34 and scored 39 points during his rookie campaign in 2005-06. A year later, he had a goal and six assists and registered a plus-5 rating for the Senators as they advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing in five games to the Anaheim Ducks.

In three years in the league, Meszaros has yet to miss any time, playing in all 82 games each season. Thus far in his NHL career, he has 26 goals, 84 assists and a plus-24 rating.

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Kevin Bieksa, fully recovered from injury.

Bieksa is fully recovered from a lacerated calf sustained on Nov. 1 against Nashville and is looking to bounce back from a disappointing injury-riddled season, the Vancouver Sun reports.

Bieksa broke out during the 2006-07 season with 12 goals and 30 assists, but he struggled last season as he tried to return from injury. He only managed two goals and 10 assists in 34 games as the lacerated calf continued to give him problems after his return. The calf shouldnt be an issue this season. I skated it pretty good in the summer time. I tested it out. I did a lot of different things in my workout program to stress that area, and it held up pretty well. Ive got full confidence in it, no worries, said Bieksa. The Canucks shopped Bieksa during the offseason, but other teams were weary of trading for an injured defenseman. With depth on the blue line, Bieksa could still be traded once he proves his health. Injuries were the main culprit to Bieksas down year, so feel free to reach on him if he looks healthy in training camp.

Liverpool plan to replace Anfield with a new stadium has been delayed again.

Liverpool previously said the stadium, to be built near Anfield in Stanley Park, would open for the 2011-12 season. No new timetable was given Friday.

“Like many other major development projects in the UK and overseas, we are affected by global market conditions, and as such work on the project will be delayed in the short term,” the team said in a statement.

The announcement likely will increase speculation that co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. , who bought the team in March 2007, might be having cash-flow problems.

The Liverpool City Council granted permission on June 19 for a 60,000-seat stadium, which is expected to cost more than $730 million, and preliminary work began five days later. Liverpool said in its statement that it will propose increasing capacity to 73,000 seats.

Anfield, which opened in 1884 and has been extensively rebuilt, seats about 45,300.

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Aston Villa signs Milner from Newcastle.

James Milner has returned to Aston Villa after signing a four-year deal with the club Friday to complete his move from Newcastle.

Milner transferred for a reported 10 million pounds (US$18.3 million; ?12.4 million) after passing a medical at Villa’s training ground on Thursday.

“James has got a great spirit about him and I definitely think his best years are in front of him,” Villa manager Martin O’Neill said. “It was disappointing two years ago not to sign him when we thought the deal was done and dusted but it is nice to have got it all sorted this time.”

The 22-year-old midfielder scored for Newcastle in a 3-2 win over Coventry in the League Cup on Tuesday, but the club said Wednesday that Milner had handed in a transfer request and that it had reluctantly agreed to let him leave.

“It’s not ideal in the short term, but Villa are the buying club and they have paid a lot of money for him,” Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan said, and indicated the money would be used in the transfer market before the window closes at midnight Monday.

“At the end of the day it was my decision to sell him,” he said. “We got an offer which I felt was good value. It might not look a positive move to fans at the moment, but what will happen in the next two to three days will be positive. I would not have sold him if it did not move the club forward.”

Milner made his Premier League debut for Leeds when he was 16 and broke Wayne Rooney’s record as the league’s youngest scorer with a goal against Sunderland, aged 16 years and 357 days.

Leeds was relegated in 2004 and Milner joined Newcastle, but was sent to Aston Villa on loan for the 2005-06 season.

Milner has made six appearances for the England under-21 side.

Zenit St Petersburg won the European Super Cup for the first time. Upsetting Manchester United 2-1 Friday night on goals by Pavel Pogrebnyak and Danny.

Pogrebnyak scored in the 44th minute from close range after Igor Denisov flicked on a corner kick from Alejandro Dominguez. Danny made it 2-0 in the 59th when he drifted past two defenders and beat goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar with a low shot.

Nemanja Vidic scored in the 73rd for United when his shot went past three Zenit players and into the net. Paul Scholes was ejected in the 90th after leaping and slapping the ball into the net.

Manchester United is the defending Champions League winner and Zenit won last season’s UEFA Cup.

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AC Milan draws FC Zurich in UEFA Cup.

AC Milan will face FC Zurich in the first round of the UEFA Cup, its first match in Europe’s second-tier club tournament since the 2001-2 season.

Milan is in the competition after finishing fifth in Italy’s Serie A last season and missing out on a place in the more prestigious Champions League, a competition it has won seven times.

Belgium’s Standard Liege, the club of American defender Oguchi Onyewu, was drawn to play Everton, two days after it lost to its neighbor, Liverpool, 1-0 in a Champions League qualifier.

In other key matchups, Sevilla face Austrian club Salzburg and Valencia takes on Portugal’s Maritimo. Ajax Amsterdam drew Serbian club Borac, while Sampdoria faces Kaunas of Lithuania.

Tottenham faces a tough first match away to Poland’s Wisla Krakow, which was eliminated from the Champions League on Tuesday. Aston Villa meets Bulgaria’s Litex Lovech, Manchester City plays Cyprus’ Omonia Nicosia, and Portsmouth faces Portugal’s Guimaraes.