The next team that we have been drawn against is Spanish outfit Getafe who are managed by Danish legend Michael Laudrup and, like Tottenham, are struggling in their domestic league this season with just two draws to their name. Few of the clubs players will be instantly recogniseable to those who don't avidly play football manager but some fans may recognise striker Kepa Blanco who had a spell on loan at West Ham last season. They are, however, better than their current league position suggests, having had the best defensive record in the La Liga last season, and will represent a difficult obstacle to negotiate if we are to proceed into the next round.
The third team in Group G is the Israeli side Hapoel Tel-Aviv who finished fourth in the Israeli Premier League last season. Like several of the sides in the group they have struggled in the early stages of this campaign, failing to win in their first five league games. Their progression through to the group stages of this years competition was marred, however, when fans threw burning torches at fans of NK Široki Brijeg during their tie in the qualifying round. The final team we will face in Group G are Aalborg who are currently fourth in the Danish league and advanced to this stage of the competition after an impressive away goals victory against Sampdoria.
Overall Martin Jol will be fairly encouraged by the teams we have been drawn against. Whilst none of the fixtures shouts walkover, he can be confident that we possess enough strength to advance to the next round and considering the opposition we should be aiming to top the group. Strong performances away from home against Leverkusen and Besiktas should prove to have given the squad vital experience for this year's competition and I fully expect the club to continue their impressive European form to secure a place in the knock-out stages.