UEFA Cup Group Stage

[Auntie Beryl]

The draw's today at 11.00 BST.

POT 1: AC Milan, Sevilla, Valencia, Benfica, Schalke 04, CSKA Moscow, TOTTENHAM, Hamburg.

POT 2: VfB Stuttgart, Ajax, Olympiacos, Deportivo La Coruna, Club Brugge, Spartak Moscow, Paris SG, Heerenveen.

POT 3: Rosenborg, Udinese, Feyenoord, SC Braga, Slavia Prague, MANCHESTER CITY, Galatasaray, Sampdoria.

POT 4: Hertha Berlin, Partizan Belgrade, Nancy, PORTSMOUTH, ASTON VILLA, Racing Santander, FC Copenhagen, Dinamo Zagreb.

POT 5: Saint-Etienne, VfL Wolfsburg, Standard Liege, FC Twente, NEC Nijmegen, Metalist Kharkiv, Lech Poznan, MSK Zilina.

The BBC's capitals, not mine, there.

On form, Tottenham won't get through the group stages, but if I were to wish for any outcome from the selection process, it'd be to get Brugge, Braga, Nancy and MSK Zilina.

Several potential Groups Of Death are possible: how about any of the Pot One teams ending up with Spartak Moscow, Galatasaray, Dinamo Zagreb and Stadard Liege, or somesuch?

[augustwanderers]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Can English teams be drawn together? I don't think so but if they cannot my group of death would be:

Milan
Ajax
Galatasaray
Hertha Berlin
Saint Etienne

[JtS]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

For Spurs I'd like
Pot 2: Either Olympiacos or Paris SG
Pot 3: Udineses or Sampdoria
Pot 4: Nancy
Pot 5: Saint-Etienne

So either French or Italian teams or Greece.

[gt3]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

"Can English teams be drawn together?"

Apparently teams can't be drawn against teams from their own country.

As to preferences, well, I suppose Milan, Olympiacos, Slavia Prague and St Etienne.

[Errorist Sympathiser]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

For Villa i'd like:

Sevilla
Club Brugge
FC Braga
FC Twente

[JtS]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Seville would have been good, shame we're in the same pot

[Mr Beast]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Being in pot 4 it looks like Villa could get an extremely hard draw - almost Champions League Mark 2 which is a marketing concept I'm sure has occured to UEFA. Especially since we can't draw Spurs.

Only joking lads.

[StanBowles]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Top three to go through?

What's the minimum number of points you could get, and still qualify?

[Jimmy Bignutz]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

1, I suppose.

[StanBowles]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Rubbish.
Spurs to go out.

[Mr Beast]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Don't like the look of any of these groups so far! Nice little trip to Moscow for Spurs.

Despite presence of Milan I would prefer that group

[Jimmy Bignutz]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Not necessarily, you only play each team once.

[StanBowles]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

I like the look of Olympiacos - Galatasaray...

[Jimmy Bignutz]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Portsmouth will play Milan.

[Levin]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

I didn't notice that Standard Liege are a nasty surprise for someone, lurking as they are in pot 5.

I can see

Spurs
Spartak Moscow
Galatasaray
Hertha
Standard Liege

From out point of view there aren't many palatable options.

edit: wow, was I late with this post.

[Jimmy Bignutz]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Tottenham's group is relatively weak.

[StanBowles]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Villa with Hamburg and Ajax...

[Jimmy Bignutz]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Shteve McClaren will face Man City.

[StanBowles]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Modric goes home.

[Jimmy Bignutz]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

And Wolfsburg are in with Milan and Portsmouth.

So Portsmouth will face a whole load of Italian World Cup Winners - and Milan.

[Guest]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Villa have got GROUP F: Hamburg, Ajax, Slavia Prague so far.

Is this the Red light district group?

[ad hoc]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

That Sevilla group looks deadly, apart from Partizan.

[Jimmy Bignutz]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

MSK Zilina complete Villa's group. It looks pretty clear who will qualify there.

[StanBowles]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Who are Zilina?
I feel like a novice, I don't know too much about them.

Anyone?

[ursus arctos]

UEFA Cup Group Stage

Local police look forward to overtime (assuming the Pompey tie will be here).