THE SEVEN BRITISH SIDES surviving in European competition have been handed mixed fortunes in the draws for the continent’s two major competitions.
Tottenham Hotspur, after a scare in the final qualifying round against Young Boys, have been landed in the undoubted Group of Death – facing ties with European champions Inter Milan, Dutchmen FC Twente and German side Werder Bremen in their UEFA Champions League group draw.
The experience of hosting the European champions Inter at White Hart Lane will be “surreal“, according to boss Harry Redknapp.
Manchester United are paired with Rangers – two more ties inevitably dubbed the ‘Battle of Britain‘ – along with Valencia and Turkish team Bursaspor.
Chelsea are given ties with Marseille (France), Spartak Moscow and Slovakians MSK Zilina, while Arsenal will meet Shakhtar Donetsk of the Ukraine, FC Braga of Portugal (who eliminated Celtic in the qualifiers) and Partizan Belgrade.
In the UEFA Europa League, meanwhile, Manchester City have been given two glamour ties with Juventus – fresh from their meetings with Shamrock Rovers – as well as FC Salzburg of Austria and Lech Poznan of Poland.
Liverpool, while disposing of Javier Mascherano, have been given a group with Steaua Bucharest, Italian side Napoli, and FC Utrecht of the Netherlands.
UEFA Champions League group stage draw:
Group A: Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Tottenham, FC Twente.
Group B: Lyon, Benfica, Schalke, Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
Group C: Manchester United,Valencia, Rangers, Bursaspor.
Group D: Barcelona, Panathinaikos, FC Copenhagen, Rubin Kazan.
Group E: Bayern Munich, Roma, FC Basle, Cluj.
Group F: Chelsea, Marseille, Spartak Moscow, MSK Zilina.
Group G: AC Milan, Real Madrid, Ajax, Auxerre.
Group H: Arsenal, Shakhtar Donetsk, FC Braga, FK Partizan.
UEFA Europa League group stage draw:
Group A: Juventus, Manchester City, Salzburg, Lech Poznan
Group B: Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Rosenborg, Aris Salonika
Group C: Sporting Lisbon, Lille, Levski Sofia, AA Gent
Group D: Villarreal, Club Brugge, Dinamo Zagreb, PAOK Salonika
Group E: AZ Alkmaar, Dynamo Kiev, BATE Borisov, Sheriff Tiraspol
Group F: CSKA Moscow, Palermo, Sparta Prague, Lausanne
Group G: Zenit St. Petersburg, Anderlecht, AEK Athens, Hajduk Split
Group H: VfB Stuttgart, Getafe, Odense BK, Young Boys Berne
Group I: PSV Eindhoven, Sampdoria, FC Metalist Kharkiv, Debrecen
Group J: Sevilla, PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Karpaty Lviv
Group K: Liverpool, Steaua Bucharest, Napoli, FC Utrecht
Group L: FC Porto, Besiktas, CSKA Sofia, Rapid Vienna
