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Ole Gunnar Solskjaer manages Molde's first team. Danny Lawson
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UCD face first round European tie with Solskjaer's club Molde FK

The Students will take on Norwegian opposition in this season’s Uefa Youth League.

UCD’S U19S WILL meet Norwegian outfit Molde FK in the first round of the Uefa Youth League.

Last week, it was confirmed that the Students would be entering the competition along with some of Europe’s top clubs thanks to their success in the SSE Airtricity League U19 League.

They follow on from Cork City, who became the first League of Ireland side to compete in the tournament a year ago.

While the dates have yet to be confirmed, the sides will play at the UCD Bowl next month before a return leg in Norway. The winners of the tie are set to take on either Zimbru Chișinău of Moldova or KF Vllaznla of Albania in the second round.

Molde’s senior team are currently managed by former Manchester United striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

“It’s great to know who the opposition is now so we can begin to do our homework on them,” said UCD boss Maciej Tarnogrodzki.

“There were going to be no easy teams in the draw and we know Scandinavian teams will always be tough to play against. It is a great moment in the club’s history to be in the competition and we want to make sure we take full advantage of it.

“It’s a great reward for the players who’ve done so well over recent years and they’re going to get a great experience in European competition now.”

inpho_00924488 UCD U19s boss Maciej Tarnogrodzki. 20 / 4/2015 20 / 4/2015 / 4/2015

He added: “We’re confident. We saw how well Cork did last season in the competition and I said to the players that it shows we can compete at this level. We’ve reached another national cup final this season and I’ve seen plenty of positives from the players so far.

It is going to be difficult to pick the squad as we can only pick three players who were born in 1998 and the rest of the players will be from 1999 and younger.

“All the players are eager to take part in the competition but we’ve also got to consider the first-team players as well. It is a discussion we will have as coaching staff as we need to select the squad which gives us the best chance of progressing.”

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