MX23RW : Friday, February 7 08:05:44| >> :120:28676:28676:

Who could Tottenham Hotspur, Swansea City face in Europa League playoffs?

Sports Mole takes a look at who Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City could face in the Europa League playoffs.

The Europa League playoff draw doesn't always excite the casual football fan, but for Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City supporters, they will be anticipating the draw with great interest.

Both sides will take their place alongside another 60 European outfits to see who they must face to progress through to the group stage which begins in September.

The good news for both sets of supporters is that Spurs and the Swans have been seeded, leaving them with a selection of weaker teams that they could be drawn with in today's draw.

Below, Sports Mole tells you who your club could be paired with later on Friday.


Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas on the touchline during the match against Southampton on May 4, 2013© PA Photos
Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur are now experienced European campaigners, and they made the quarter-finals of this competition last season.

Heading into the draw, the White Hart Lane outfit hold one of the highest European coefficients and they shouldn't experience too many problems, whomever they face in the playoffs.

Czech Republic side Slovan Liberec are arguably their toughest possible opponents, having won their domestic league title in 2012.

They finished in third position last year, but they haven't made the main stage of a European competition since 2006, earning four points from their four matches in the UEFA Cup.

FC Thun are another of Tottenham's potential opponents, but their lack of pedigree is exposed after losing 5-1 on aggregate to Stoke City at the same stage of this competition two years ago.

Georgian outfit Dinamo Tbilisi won the UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1981, but 32 years on, they are a shadow of that side, and have not made the main stages in Europe since 2006.

Other possible opposition for Spurs are Austria's FC Pasching, Estonia's JK Nomme Kalju and Romania's FC Astra.


New Swansea signing Wilfried Bony makes his debut against Reading on July 27, 2013© PA Photos
Swansea City

Swansea City are playing in European competition for the first time in over 20 years, and they will be confident of an extended stay this time around.

They impressed in dispatching of Malmo by a 4-0 scoreline last week, before completing the job in Sweden last night.

The Swans have been handed a favourable group of potential opponents, but one team could pose them a few problems.

Greek outfit Atromitos are, by far, the most testing fixture that Swansea could face, with their quality highlighted by a narrow aggregate defeat to Newcastle United last season.

They also finished in third position in the Greece Superleague last season, and the Athens-based side are one to avoid.

The remainder of their selection is made up of weak opposition, with Cyprus club Apollon Limassol the only name that Swans fans may recognise.

They could also face Kazakhstan's FC Aktobe, Iceland's FH Hafnarfjordur or Romania's FC Petrolul Ploiesti.

ID:97602: cacheID:97602:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5083:
Written by
Darren Plant
Restore Data
Share this article now:
New Swansea signing Wilfried Bony makes his debut against Reading on July 27, 2013
Read Next:
Team News: Bony keeps place for Malmo clash
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Chelsea24127547311643
5Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brentford24103114342133
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton248973539-433
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2476112946-1727
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!