Tottenham to take on Inter
442 Staff - Thursday 26 August 2010, 19:00
MONACO - European champions Inter Milan
were grouped with Werder Bremen, Tottenham Hotspur and Twente
Enschede in the draw for the Group Stage of the Champions League
on Thursday.
Jose Mourinho, who left Inter Milan for Real Madrid after
leading Inter to their first European Cup success for 45 years
in May, returns to the San Siro to face AC Milan with Real in a
group that also includes Ajax Amsterdam and Auxerre.
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Bayern Munich, who lost May's final to Inter in Madrid, will
face AS Roma, Basel and CFR Cluj in their opening matches.
Chelsea, who lost an all-English final in Moscow to
Manchester United in 2008, will return to the Russian capital to
face Spartak Moscow in their group, which also includes
Olympique Marseille and Zilina.
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, who once played for
Rangers and has strong links with Glasgow will return to his
home city after United were grouped with Rangers, Valencia and
Bursaspor.
LIVE: Champions League draw as it happened
Spanish giants Barcelona, European champions in 2009, face
Panathinaikos, FC Copenhagen and Russians Rubin Kazan, who
scored a shock win over Barca at the Nou Camp last season in the
group stage.
STADIUMS ROCKING
Auxerre's task in Group G looks so tough, with matches
against the competition's two most successful sides in Real
Madrid and AC Milan, not to mention four-times champions Ajax,
that coach Jean Fernandez was resigned to an early exit.
"I could feel it," Fernandez told Canal Plus television.
"We'll finish third and play the Europe League because it will
be very complicated against Milan and Real."
New Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri agreed the group would
be tough and predicted two great occasions against Real Madrid.
"Certainly we will be pumped up to face Real," Allegri told
the club website. "The San Siro and Bernabeu
will be rocking. A spectacle is assured.
"Ajax and Auxerre have brilliantly got through the playoffs
and they are two opponents to really fear."
Full draw:
GROUP A
Inter Milan
Werder Bremen
Tottenham Hotspur
Twente Enschede
GROUP B
Olympique Lyon
Benfica
Schalke 04
Hapoel Tel-Aviv
GROUP C
Manchester United
Valencia
Rangers
Bursaspor
GROUP D
Barcelona
Panathinaikos
FC Copenhagen
Rubin Kazan
GROUP E
Bayern Munich
AS Roma
Basel
CFR Cluj
GROUP F
Chelsea
Olympique Marseille
Spartak Moscow
Zilina
GROUP G
AC Milan
Real Madrid
Ajax Amsterdam
Auxerre
GROUP H
Arsenal
Shakhtar Donetsk
Braga
Partizan Belgrade
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