BLACKBURN Rovers manager Mark Hughes was expecting a tough UEFA Cup draw today - but he admitted he couldn't wait to pit his wits against Europe's finest.

Rovers' reward for dumping Red Bull Salzburg out of the competition is a place in the lucrative group stages.

And in the draw in Switzerland they were drawn against Feyenoord of Holland, FC Basel of Switzerland, Nancy of France and Polish side Wisla Krakow.

The dates for the fixtures are as follows:

Oct 19: Wisla Krakow (a)
Nov 2: FC Basel (h)
Nov 23: Feyenoord (a)
Dec 13: Nancy (h)

But Hughes said that no matter whose name came out of the hat, Rovers would be expecting four very difficult matches.

He said: "I have said from the outset that the UEFA Cup is a major priority for us this season.

"We worked very hard to get the chance to compete in the tournament and we want to make the journey last as long as possible.

"It's a very strong competition this year. We could say we're hoping for an easy group but there are no easy teams.

"We're all just excited by the prospect of playing more European games."

Rovers are expected to make up to £4 million from the group stages of the competition, with two matches set for Ewood Park and two away from home.