Tottenham Hotspur have been confirmed in Pot 3 ahead of Thursday’s Champions League group stage draw. Thanks to the reformatting of the Champions League from a series of four-team groups to the so-called “Swiss Model,” being placed in pots no longer really matters that much as they’ll be drawn against two teams from each group, one home and one away. If you want a more detailed look at how it works, you can check out the article I wrote last fall ahead of Spurs’ participation in the Europa League (a competition that Tottenham won. Did you know that? I feel that needs to be emphasized: Tottenham Hotspur won the friggin’ Europa League last season.)
Anyway, here are the confirmed pots, ahead of Thursday’s draw, which will take place at 12:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. BST in Monaco.
Pot 1
Paris Saint-Germain
Real Madrid
Manchester City
Bayern Munich
Liverpool
Internazionale
Chelsea
Borussia Dortmund
Barcelona
Pot 2
Arsenal
Bayer Leverkusen
Atlético Madrid
Benfica
Atalanta
Villarreal
Juventus
Eintracht Frankfurt
Club Brugge
Pot 3
Tottenham Hotspur
PSV Eindhoven
Ajax
Napoli
Sporting CP
Olympiacos
Slavia Prague
Bodo/Glimt
Marseille
Pot 4
F.C. København
AS Monaco
Galatasaray
Union St.-Gilloise
FK Qarabag
Athletic Club
Newcastle United
Pafos
Kairat Almaty
The rules state that clubs cannot be drawn against other clubs from their own federation in the group stage, nor can they draw more than two clubs from any one federation, so Spurs cannot be drawn against Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, or Newcastle. They CAN draw both Madrid and Barcelona out of Group 1, for example, but then would not be able to be drawn against Athletic Club.
But this is the Champions League, not the Europa League — this is the big leagues and there are some real whales in that draw. That said, Spurs have already proven they can go toe-to-toe with PSG and have beaten Manchester City at the Etihad, so I say: bring it on! It’ll be a challenge to get out of the group stage, and I’d be surprised if they finish in the top eight again like they did last season, but that’s why you play the games.
Honestly, I’d love to see a rematch against PSG, maybe a trip to the Nou Camp just for funzies. Club Brugge looks fun and good, and it’s be fun to kick Robert De Zerbi’s teeth in. There are plenty of beatable teams lower in the table, but all of them will bring their best. And oh look — it’s our good friends Bodø/Glimt, also in Pot 3.
Who would you like Spurs to draw in the group stage tomorrow? Have your say in the comments.