The German side were drawn alongside Tottenham Hotspur, CSKA Moscow and Monaco in Group E.
The Champions League trophy
Bayer Leverkusen, one of Tottenham Hotspur’s upcoming Champions League opponents have responded to the draw for the group stages in a variety of ways, including taking a light-hearted pop at the London club on their official Twitter account.
With Spurs fans happy to have avoided the traditional powerhouses such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, Leverkusen were quick to urge their White Hart Lane/Wembley support not to get too far ahead of themselves.
The account did go on to emphasise that the tweet was merely friendly rivalry.
The German outfit may fancy their chances of going into the group as favourites themselves, having once again impressed in the Bundesliga last season.
Considering the strong displays of the German sides over the last few years, Leverkusen are certainly not a team to be taken lightly after registering their fourth straight top-four finish in the 2015-16 campaign.
Tottenham’s Heung Min Son in action with Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez
A number of officials for the club, who Spurs signed Heung-Min Son from last summer, gave a more measured response to the draw in Monaco.
Leverkusen CEO Michael Schade felt the group was open: “It’s an interesting group and there are no clear favourites,” he is quoted as saying by the German club’s website.
“Tottenham is probably the most attractive draw for our fans. The quality of all the opponents presents us with a great challenge. But one thing is clear: the Round of 16 is the target for all of us.”
German legend Rudi Voeller, the club’s sporting director, reiterated those thoughts, again on the Leverkusen website.
“It’s definitely the most evenly balanced of all the groups and anything’s possible,” the former striker said. “In Monaco from pot four we’ve been drawn against one of the toughest opponents.
“Tottenham are very strong, and Moscow are the Russian champions. But we go into the group stage in optimistic mood. We want to go through.”
Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is taking the North Londoners into the Champions League for the first time in six seasons.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
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