Handy clubs await All Whites

Charlton (August 5)

Lie of the land: The Addicks aren't one of London's glamour clubs but are admired for the prudent way they have steered their ship in the past 20 years. Established in 1905 and FA Cup winners in 1947, Charlton trampolined between the top flight and second division before winning promotion again in 1999-2000.

They're now solid, mid-table Premiership finishers but have lost boss Alan Curbishley after 15 years in charge - replaced by former Oldham and Crystal Palace boss Iain Dowie.

On the books: Charlton aren't a team of stars but it's for this reason they do so well. Darren Bent was their best signing last season, knocking in 22 goals. He is joined by former Chelsea striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink. Also in the squad are Hermann Hreidarsson, Matt Holland and Luke Young.

Home ground: Set in Greenwich in SE London, the Valley holds 27,000 fans.

Blackburn (August 12)

Lie of the land: Formed in 1875, Blackburn's honours board has a respectable number of achievements: Six FA Cups, two league championships and the 2002 League Cup. Perhaps the most impressive of those was the 1994-95 Premiership title picked up on the back of a hatful of goals by Alan Shearer (the only trophy he ever won). They're the only club outside big boys Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal to win the Premiership. Under the guidance of Mark Hughes, and Graeme Souness before him, Blackburn Rovers are back mixing it with the best and have won a Uefa Cup spot three times in the past five seasons.

On the books: Quickly becoming one of the biggest names at Ewood Park is our very own Ryan Nelsen. Nelsen, who is likely to play for Blackburn against the All Whites, was recently a £4 million Portsmouth target and is likely to earn an improved contract to stay with Blackburn. Among his peers are Brad Friedel, Australians Lucas Neill and Brett Emerton, the ever-popular Robbie Savage, Morten Gamst Pedersen and Jason Roberts and, if transfer talk proves right, Egypt's former Tottenham striker Mido.

Home ground: Ewood Park, in NW England, holds 31,300 fans.

Seville (August 15)

Lie of the land: Sevilla Futbol Club are reigning Uefa Cup champions, thrashing Middlesbrough 4-0 in the final to claim their first trophy in 58 years. They also upset champions Barcelona 3-2 and Real Madrid 4-3 in their last two matches of La Liga to finish fifth, two points behind runners-up Real Madrid. The All Whites take on Seville three days after the Spaniards tackle Manchester United at Old Trafford.

On the books: The Sevillistas have an Adriano and Crespo but not the famous ones. They also have Jesus on their side (Jesus of Navas), as well as former Spurs striker Fredi Kanoute.

Home ground: Sevilla FC's stadium has a capacity of 45,500.