Liverpool, Spurs handed tough Europa League groups

Liverpool and Tottenham have been handed tough Italian tests in their Europa League campaigns.

Brendan Rodgers’ Liverpool side were first out of the hat and were given Udinese as their first group opponents, before being joined in Group A by Swiss side Young Boys and Anzhi.

The wealthy Russian side, who have Samuel Eto’o in the squad, will be a tough opponent for the Reds who face a fair bit of travelling in this competition.

Tottenham were also given a tricky challenge as they were drawn alongside Lazio, Maribor from Slovenia and Panathinaikos in Group J.

England’s final entrant in this season’s Europa League are Newcastle and they were drawn in Group D alongside French side Bordeaux, Belgian Pro League’s Club Brugge and Maritimo from the island of Madeira.

Reigning Europa League champions Atletico Madrid will face Hapoel Tel Aviv, Viktoria Plzen and Portugal outfit Academica Coimbra.

“We have never played any of these teams. We could have had tougher rivals but we have these, and we will fight to be champions of the group,” Atletico president Enrique Cerezo said.

Inter Milan will take on Russian team Rubin Kazan, Partizan Belgrade and debutants Nefti from Azerbaijan.

The full groups are:
Group A: Liverpool, Udinese, Young Boys, Anzhi
Group B: Atletico Madrid, H. Tel-Aviv, Plzen, Academia
Group C: Marseille, Fenerbahce, Borussia Monchengladbach, AEL
Group D: Bordeaux, Club Brugge, Newcastle, Martimo
Group E: Stuttgart, Kobenhavn, Steaua Bucharest, Molde
Group F: PSV, Napoli, Dnipro, AIK
Group G: Sporting Lisbon, Basel, Genk, Videoton
Group H: Inter, Rubin Kazan, Partizan Belgrade, Neftci
Group I: Lyon, Athletic Bilbao, Sparta Prague, Hapoel Kiryat Shmona
Group J: Tottenham, Panathinaikos, Lazio, Maribor
Group K: Bayer Leverkusen, Metalist Kharkiv, Rosenborg, Rapid Vienna
Group L: FC Twente, Hannover, Levante, Helsingborg