Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae avoid each other in Champions League group stage

Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min, left, and Napoli's Kim Min-jae [EPA/YONHAP; NAPOLI]

Tottenham Hotspur will face Eintracht Frankfurt, Sporting CP and Marseille in the group stage of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League, while Napoli were drawn against Ajax, Liverpool and Rangers.

The draw means that Tottenham’s Son Heung-min and Napoli’s Kim Min-jae, the only two Korean players in the top European tournament, will not face off any time soon. Kim and Napoli are in Group A, while Son and Spurs are in Group D. If both sides pass through the group stage, they could meet at some point in the knockout stage.

Of the two clubs, Spurs face a far easier path through the group stage.

Frankfurt are yet to win a game in the Bundesliga this season, and were arguably the best possible option from Pot 1, which included Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City. Sporting have won one, drawn one and lost one of their opening league matches and were a far safer option that the alternatives, which included Napoli.

Marseille are the one team that could be a serious concern for Spurs. The French club finished second in Ligue 2 last season and were the worst pick of a Pot 4 that included the likes of Copenhagen and Viktoria Plzen.

Kim and Napoli face a far tougher route through the group stage, with last year’s runner-up Liverpool obviously offering the biggest challenge. Ajax are also always a serious contender and reached the round of 16 last year, while Rangers finished runner-up in the Europa League last year.

Champions League games will start in the second week of September, when the schedule will get increasingly hectic for European clubs.

Six Champions League games will be played before leagues break for the World Cup in the middle of November, as well as league games, local cups games and an international break at the end of September.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]