Tottenham Hotspur will face CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco in the Group E of the Champions League, as revealed in the draw earlier this evening.
The Lilywhites were in pot three for the draw and were expecting a much harder draw, with the likes of holders Real Madrid, as well as big giants such as FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich in the pots above them. However, Spurs fans will be very happy with the draw, the only regret for some will not be having a bigger team for the prestige of the completion.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men earned their spot in the competition thanks to their third place finish in the Premier League last season.
Tottenham agreed a deal with the FA to play their Champions League games at Wembley, due to the decreased capacity of White Hart Lane. Spurs lost a corner of their stadium to make way for the foundations of their new ground, meaning their new capacity of 32,00 is below UEFA standards for the Champions League. This could see them play in front of 90,000 people as they look on track to sell out the venue.
Their first match will take place on the either September 14 at Wembley against Monaco.
How are their records against these teams?
Spurs have only appeared in the Champions League once before in the 2010/11 season. That year they drew Young Boys, Bremen, FC Twente and Internazional as they finished top of the group. The run saw them reach the quarter final stages, with memorable wins over both AC Milan and Internazionale, before losing to Real Madrid.
Last season saw Tottenham face Monaco in the Europa League group stages. Spurs smashed Monaco 4-1 at home while suffered a disappointing 1-1 draw away. The North London club have only faced Bayer Leverkusen once, in which Tottenham secured a 1-0 win. The game took place in Germany in the UEFA Cup. Meanwhile the Lilywhites have never faced CSKA Moscow.