 For the original professional tournament in the 1970s , the English entrants were either First Division or Second Division sides . ( The First Division sides had generally finished in the lower half of the table , while the Second Division sides were generally mid @-@ table or better . ) With the exception of Bari and Como in 1973 , all Italian teams playing in the 1970s tournament had just competed in the previous Serie A season . The Italian clubs were often mid @-@ table or higher finishers who had sometimes also qualified for the European competitions . 
