Who could Tottenham face in the Champions League group stages? Best and worst case scenarios for Mauricio Pochettino's side

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Sam Long25 August 2016

After years of waiting, Tottenham will rub shoulders with the Champions League elite this season for the second time in their proud history.

Mauricio Pocettino's side secured their place at Europe's top table with a third place finish in the Premier League and are set to find out their group stage opponents in tomorrow's draw.

But, as Spurs supporters around the globe wait with bated breathe to discover who Harry Kane and Co will face, which teams will fans be hoping to avoid?

Tottenham have been confirmed as one of eight sides in Pot Three and a difficult draw will, obviously, mean progression to the next round would be far more difficult.

But should Spurs be eager not to encounter the big boys, or will they be keen to take on all comers as they attempt to leave their mark in the Champions League, with home games set to be played out in front of crowds up to 90,000 at Wembley?

Support is likely be split into two camps with some expected to be determined to take in an away day at one of the continent's most iconic grounds while others will be adamant staying under the radar is the best course of action.

Here, Standard Sport assesses the best and worst case scenarios for Pochettino's side:​

Pot One, as we all know, contains the champions from Europe's leading teams. Real Madrid are the team to avoid, given their status as holders.

CSKA Moscow represent a difficult away trip but it is likely to be looked upon favourably when compared to a visit to the Camp Nou or Allianz Arena.

Pot Two contains a handful of dangerous sides that would, arguably, be at home in the first group of seeds.

One such side is Atletico Madrid. Diego Simeone's side are compact, psychical and difficult to beat away from home but have also made the Vincente Calderon into a fortress.

Spurs will have done well if they are not paired with Atleti, or Borussia Dortmund, who thumped Pochettino's side in the Europa League last term.

The rest of the sides in the Pot will be viewed as beatable by the north Londoners.

Napoli have lost Gonzalo Higuain, Porto do not travel while Bayer Leverkusen's primary threats are Javier Hernandez and reported Spurs target Hakan Calhanoglu.

In Pictures: Tottenham's history at Wembley

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Pot Four, in theory, contains weak links. But there are also a couple of potential banana skins waiting to spring a surprise.

Celtic have been included and although facing Brendan Rodgers' side is likely to be scoffed at, the 'Battle of Britain' narrative would ensure the Scots raise their game.

Monaco may be regarded as a better side than the likes of Legia Warsaw and Ludogrets but the latter two will be cheered on by passionate home crowds in hostile atmospheres.

A jaunt to the principality could be more straightforward for Spurs.

Best case scenario: CSKA Moscow, Bayer Leverkusen, Monaco

Worst case scenario: Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Besiktas

Pot 1: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Leicester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Benfica, Paris St Germain, CSKA Moscow

Pot 2: Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, Sevilla, Porto, Napoli, Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester City

Pot 3: Basel, Tottenham, Dynamo Kiev, Lyon, PSV Eindhoven, Sporting CP, Club Brugge, Borussia Monchengladbach

Pot 4: Celtic, Monaco, Besiktas, Legia Warsaw, Ludogrets, Dinamo Zagreb, Copenhagen, Rostov

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