Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel is excited about their looming UEFA Cup clash with Ajax.

"It's going to be fantastic. We are all really looking forward to it,'' he said. "This year, for some reason, when you saw the teams in the UEFA Cup, it mirrors some of the Champions League fixtures.

"You look at the likes of AC Milan, Deportivo, Valencia and Seville and then in our group, with having Hamburg and Ajax, they have both won the competition in the past and both play in the Champions League quite often.

"Zilina are a good side too and Slavia Prague are consistently in the Champions League as well. So it is a very good group and a very exciting group."