Shamrock eye mouthwatering Spurs showdown

26 August 2011 15:30

Shamrock Rovers have been rewarded for becoming the first Irish club to reach the group stages of a UEFA competition by being drawn alongside Tottenham Hotspur in Group A of the Europa League.

The Dublin club stunned former European Cup finalists Partizan Belgrade with an extra-time victory in the play-off round on Thursday, and as well as facing the Premier League giants, they will come up against Rubin Kazan and PAOK Salonika.

Russians Rubin were in the Champions League group stages in each of the last two years but their bid to return to Europe's elite club competition this year ended in defeat to Lyon in the play-offs.

Tottenham are one of four English sides in the group stages, and it is Stoke City that appear to have the toughest draw.

Among their opponents in Group E are Dynamo Kyiv of Ukraine and Turkey's Besiktas, both clubs with considerable Champions League experience.

Fulham will face three teams who dropped out of the Champions League qualifiers in the shape of Steve McClaren's former charges FC Twente, Odense of Denmark and Polish champions Wisla Krakow.

Birmingham City will play last season's Europa League runners-up Braga as well as Club Brugge and Rangers' conquerors Maribor in Group H.

There are mouthwatering draws elsewhere with Paris Saint-Germain, with Manchester City Europe's biggest-spending club this summer, set to meet Spanish giants Athletic Bilbao in Group F.

Athletic made it through to the group stage after their play-off round opponents Trabzonspor were promoted to the Champions League as the result of a match-fixing investigation in Turkey.

However, Athletic are a formidable side, with Argentine coach Marcelo Bielsa able to call upon the likes of World Cup winners Fernando Llorente and Javi Martinez.

Group I is arguably the pick of the groups as Atletico Madrid, who won the inaugural Europa League in 2010, meet Udinese, Rennes and Sion.

A cloud hangs over Sion's future in the competition, however, with UEFA investigating claims that the Swiss side fielded ineligible players in their play-off win over Celtic.

That could mean a reprieve for Celtic, and for Scottish clubs in general, after Rangers, Hearts and Dundee United also having failed in their bids to make the group stages.

Source: AFP