Tottenham Hotspur will have the advantage of being a top seed for Friday afternoon’s Europa League Group Stage draw.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are the fifth-best team in this year’s competition – according to UEFA’s coefficient ranking – and so will be picked out of Pot One when the groups are decided in Monaco.
Ahead of what is always an eagerly-anticipated date on the calendar of many European football fans, Read Tottenham head editor Ashley Thornton-Jones previews EVERYTHING you need to know about tomorrow’s draw.
Who have we avoided?
Spurs fans will take comfort from the fact that their elite seeding means a lot of tricky teams will be avoided. They will not have to worry about facing Champions League regulars Napoli or Borussia Dortmund, nor will they have to contemplate matches against Spanish duo Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal. Tricky visits to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and Rubin Kazan are also off the cards, as are showdowns with last year’s Champions League surprise package Basel, and German outfit Schalke 04. Ajax, Sporting Lisbon and Marseille will also be avoided.
What about Pot Two? Any tough teams?
The stand-out teams that will need to be avoided are Italian duo Fiorentina and Lazio, and nobody will be too keen on the thought of revisiting Besiktas so soon after getting tipped to top spot by them in last year’s group stages. Besides those, Spurs will fancy their chances and are unlikely to be fazed by Braga, Anderlecht or AZ Alkmaar, nor will they be put off by the prospect of facing Club Brugge or APOEL Nicosia. Trips to Viktoria Plzen and PAOK could prove hostile, as would a visit north of the border to Celtic, but Spurs’ quality should see them through against either of the those teams.
And Pot Three? Does it get easier?
Generally, yes, but there are still a few teams that could pose us a few problems. Fenerbahce are the stand-out team that everyone will want to avoid having added Robin van Persie and Nani to their arsenal this summer, whilst Monaco could also trouble us. Those aside, we should fancy our chances against the majority of teams from this pot and Pochettino is likely to be hoping for a short trip to nearby Rapid Vienna, Augsburg or Slovan Liberec, although a journey across the channel to play Bordeaux or Saint-Etienne would be even more advantageous if he wants a a quick trip. Lengthy treks to eastern Europe where we would face Legia Warsaw, Lokomotiv Moscow or Kuban Krasnador could prove difficult, but again, Spurs’ quality should prevail.
And what about Pot Four? Surely nobody that will trouble us?
You wouldn’t think so. Long trips will be our biggest concern here, and there is a few that we could be forced into. Azerbaijan duo Qarabag and Gabala won’t be too pleasent to visit, nor will Albania’s Skenderbeu Korce or Belarus’ Dinamo Minsk. Revisiting Astereas Tripolis or Partizan Belgrade would be lengthy too but we came through both tests last year and so shouldn’t worry about getting paired with either this time round. Likewise, visiting Holland’s Groningen shouldn’t pose too many problems, nor would a visit to Scandanavia to face Rosenborg, Molde or Midtjylland. Getting paired with Swiss outfit FC Sion would be a good outcome too.
So considering all that, what’s our toughest possible draw?
If we’re talking quality, getting paired with Fiorentina, Fenerbahce and Partizan Belgrade would probably be most the most problematic group.
And what about the easiest?
Again, if we’re talking quality, competing in a group with APOEL Nicosia, Rapid Vienna and Gabala should give us a very good chance of qualifying.
What about in terms of travel? How bad could the group be in terms of that?
There are a number of combinations that could result in a lot of air miles, but stastically, getting paired with APOEL Nicosia, Krasnador and Qarabag would rack up the most travelling time.
And what about the shortest, for those wanting a group close to home?
Getting paired with Celtic, Monaco and Groningen would be as pleasent as it could come in terms of minimal time on the roads (or in the air).
For all the latest developments on tomorrow’s draw, visit Read Tottenham’s Twitter feed from 12pm tomorrow.
