Ayew brothers lead Ghanaian assault on Europa League

Fresh from combining for Jordan to strike the only goal as Marseille beat Nancy away to maintain their 100% start in Ligue 1 after 5 games, the Ayew brothers are leading a host of Ghanaian players set to feature in the Europa League when the 2012/13 season gets underway on Thursday. Emmanuel Agyemang Badu (Udinese), John Paintsil (Hapoel Tel-Aviv), David Accam (Helsingborg), Kwame Amponsah-Karikari (AIK), Mohammed Awal Issa (Rosenborg), Quincy Owusu Abeyie (Panathnaikos) as well as Derek Boateng and Samuel Inkoom for Dnipro are other Ghanaians also playing in UEFA's second tier club tournament.

Marseille, the club of Andre and Jordan Ayew open their campaign in Instabul on Thursday when they play as guests of Turkey giants Fenerbahce in Group C where Germany's Borussia Monchengladbach and AEL Limmassol of Cyprus are also housed. Emmanuel Agyemang Badu's Udinese who got knocked out of the Champions' League's qualifying round for the second straight season, have been drawn in group A with Liverpool, Young Boys of Switzerland and big spending Russia side Anzhi Michachkala. The injured Ghanaian midfielder is however not expected to feature as Udinese host Anzhi at the Friuli this week.


John Paintsil's Hapoel host defending champions Atletico Madrid on match day one in a group that also includes Viktoria Plezn and Academica with young striker Amonsah Karikari's AIK Stockholm battling  PSV Eindhoven, Napoli and compatriots Boateng and Inkoom's FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, the team with the longest name in the tournament. AIK are away at Napoli tomorrow whilst Dnipro host PSV with both Ghanaians struggling to win the favour of coach Juande Ramos.

Striker Accamâ's Helsingborg host Levante tomorrow in a Group L that also includes FC Twente and Hannover 96, Awal Issa's Rosenborg are away in Austria to Rapid Vienna in Group K where Bayer Leverkusen and Metalist are the other teams and Owusu-Abeyie's Panathnaikos starting away to Maribor in a group also containing Tottenham Hotspurs and, Lazio.