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Champions League rookies Tottenham face Swiss obstacle

Tottenham finished fourth in England's Premier League last season to earn a place in the Champions League play-off round.
Tottenham finished fourth in England's Premier League last season to earn a place in the Champions League play-off round.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Tottenham Hotspur are drawn to play Swiss club Young Boys
  • Four-time European champions Ajax are pitted against Dynamo Kiev
  • Liverpool face a tough trip to Turkey for their Europa League play-off match

(CNN) -- The draw was relatively kind to UEFA Champions League debutants Tottenham Hotspur Friday, after they were drawn to play Swiss club Young Boys for a place in the coveted group stage of Europe's top club competition.

The English Premier League side could have faced a number of teams with a considerable European pedigree in the play-off round, including Italy's Sampdoria and Champions League ever-presents Dynamo Kiev from the Ukraine.

However, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp insisted his side will be treating their Swiss opponents, whom they will meet in a two-legged play-off, with the "utmost respect."

"They beat Fenerbahce in the last round and we watched the first leg on DVD and they could have won four or five, they hammered them at home," he told the club's website.

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"They then went away and won in Turkey and that's a fantastic result. There are no easy games at this level. They also have an astro-turf pitch at their stadium and they play well on it, so it will be a tough game for us."

Other eye-catching ties in the draw include four-time European champions Ajax being pitted against Dynamo Kiev, German giants Werder Bremen against Sampdoria, and Spain's Sevilla against Braga of Portugal.

The first-leg ties will take place on August 17-18, with the return legs a week later. The 10 winners will join the 22 automatic entrants in the group stage, the draw for which is held in Monaco on August 26.

There are no easy games at this level ... It will be a tough game for us
--Tottenham's Harry Redknapp
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Friday's draw in Nyon, Switzerland also included the line-up for the play-off round of the Europa League, the continent's second-tier club competition.

English giants Liverpool face tricky opposition in Trabzonspor. Roy Hodgson's side will have to endure a daunting 2,000-mile trek to northeastern Turkey for the second leg.

Elsewhere, big-spending Manchester City travel to Romania to face Timisoara, Italian giants Juventus will play Austria's Sturm Graz, and Scottish giants Celtic, who lost their Champions League qualifying tie against Braga, will face Dutch side Utrecht.

The first legs will be played on August 19, with the returns to follow a week later. The 37 play-off winners will join holders Atletico Madrid and the 10 defeated sides from the Champions League play-offs in the group stage, which kicks off on September 16.

The group stage draw takes place in Monaco on August 27.