Tottenham Hotspur have returned to the Champions League after winning the Europa League last spring over Manchester United. Now, they know who they will be playing. The draw just completed in Monaco, and as per the new Swiss Method rules, Spurs were drawn against eight teams, four home and four away, from each of the four pots.
Here are their opponents:
Borussia Dortmund (H) - Pot 1
Paris Saint-Germain (A) - Pot 1
Villarreal (H) - Pot 2
Eintracht Frankfurt (A) - Pot 2
Slavia Praha (H) - Pot 3
Bodø/Glimt (A) - Pot 3
Copenhagen (H) - Pot 4
Monaco (A) - Pot 4
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Well, this is a manageable draw if nothing less. It’s pretty middle-of-the-road — Spurs avoided most of the really big fish in Pot 1, though drawing PSG away is never an easy match. Tottenham got a decent draw from Pot 1, a good draw from Pot 2, a decent draw from Pot 3, and a tough draw from Pot 4.
Spurs should take some reassurance that they already know they can hang with PSG as evidence by their preseason friendly in Asia this summer. Playing at the Parc des Princes is a little different, but that’s one I’ll have circled on my calendar.
I’m encouraged by the Pot 2 draws - Villarreal at home is solid, and away to Frankfurt, whom Spurs also played last season in the Europa League, isn’t quite as scary now that they no longer have Omar Marmoush and Hugo Ekitike.
Hey look — another trip to the Arctic Circle! A lot was written about Bodø/Glimt’s home form last season when Spurs played them in the knockout rounds of the Europa League, and we pretty much played them off the (frozen) park. Now Spurs will have a chance to prove that wasn’t a fluke, on a bigger stage. I’m a little disappointed — we just did this — but a trip to Norway is much better than a trip to Kazakhstan or Azerbaijan.
Spurs did pull two of the toughest teams in Pot 4, though. Copenhagen will be a tough matchup, and Spurs then have to travel to Monaco in the Eric Dier Derby. Either of these matches could be banana peels.
Overall — I’m okay with this! If I had my druthers I’d have taken an away trip to, say, the Nou Camp or another tasty home draw against a bigger club, but we avoided teams like Atletico Madrid and Napoli for now, and there are plenty of matches to look forward to this season.
If last season’s predictions hold, Spurs need probably four wins to ensure progression to the knockout round. That feels reasonable with this draw.
Tottenham will find out their match schedule on Saturday when they are released by UEFA. You can view the full Champions League draw at UEFA’s website.