IT was difficult to gauge just who was the happier, Motherwell or Panathinaikos, following yesterday's draw for the third qualifying round of the Champions League.

Manager Stuart McCall had not been too bothered which of the four seeded clubs his side were paired with, his only wish that Motherwell played the first leg at home.

Panathinaikos, eschewing the usual diplomacy that surrounds these events, had kept their fingers crossed they would be sent to Scotland. In the end, both parties got their wish.

There was an admission from McCall that playing at home first meant they would have a better chance of keeping the tie alive ahead of the return leg. It should also guarantee a bumper crowd at Fir Park for what will be Motherwell's first competitive game of the season, something that might not have happened had the team returned from Athens substantially in deficit.

"The main thing for me was that we were at home first, so I'm really pleased with that," said McCall. "That certainly lifted me when I heard the news. I didn't even ask who we got – I just asked if it was home or away first – and about 10 minutes later, I asked who we would be playing. Panathinai-kos are a team steeped in history, a big name. Whoever we got, we'd have been underdogs so getting the first game at home was key."

Panathinaikos, who have never lost a match to Scottish opposition although were knocked out the UEFA Cup by Rangers on away goals four years ago, were turning cartwheels in Nyon when their name came out the hat immediately after Motherwell's."

"Everybody at our club was hoping for a draw like this," admitted Vangelis Pestos, the Greek side's operations director. "I had been ordered to return to Greece with Motherwell as our opponents.

Panathinaikos finished second in the Greek cham-pionship last season but have lost several key players over the summer including Sotiris Ninis, Damien Plessis, Cleyton, Mattias Bjarsmyr, and Quincy Owusu-Abeyie, the one-time Arsenal prospect, due to ongoing financial problems.

They can, however, still call on Jean-Alain Boumsong, the former Rangers defender, as well as Giorgos Karagounis and Kostas Katsouranis, the experienced Greek internationalists.

Their youth academy is run by Ioannis Samaras, father of the Celtic player, Georgios, while a supporters group has just bought the club from the Vardinogiannis family, ending their 33-year ownership.

McCall, whose side take on Everton this afternoon in Steven Hammell's testi-monial, hopes to be able to sign at least one new player before Wednesday's transfer deadline. He is particularly light in central defence – Steven Saunders, Jonathan Page and Shaun Hutchinson are all injured – but is waiting for clarification on whether Sky will continue to broadcast Scottish games next season before he can move.

"Against Everton, we've got three out – Saunders, Page and Hutchinson – and then you consider [Tim] Clancy and [Stephen] Craigan are away," added McCall. "So, hopefully, when we get to the Panathin-aikos game our problems won't be as bad as they are at the moment defensively.

"We'd like to get someone in before the deadline but we're still waiting to see what happens with the TV deal. We're hopeful we'll hear something soon but we're in limbo in terms of our budget. So it isn't ideal preparation going into a game such as this."

The weather could be a major factor in the tie – and not just Motherwell sweltering in the 100˚F heat of Athens. "I was joking with the boys, saying I hope it's windy, raining, sleeting, whatever on the day they come," said Chris Humphrey, the Motherwell winger. "I'm sure we won't mind but they are used to the heat and won't want to come over here in a gale."