Europa League group stage draw, complete results: Tottenham gets Anderlecht, Monaco

The wait is over.

The Europa League group stage draw took place in Monaco on Friday, dividing the competition's 48 hopefuls into 12 groups of four.

It was Tottenham Hotspur of the competition's larger teams that fell victim to a brutal draw, finding itself alongside Anderlecht, AS Monaco, and Qarabag - a side from Baku, Azerbaijan, which necessitates a 5,000-mile round trip from London.

Liverpool received a more favourable draw, landing Rubin Kazan, Girondins de Bordeaux, and Sion.

Here are the complete results:

Group A

Ajax, Celtic, Fenerbahce, Molde

In a group that features four clubs who missed out on this season's Champions League, there will be a shortage of quality. Ajax should reign supreme while Celtic and Fenerbahce fight over a place in the knockout phase. Molde, on the other hand, will be in tough.

Group B

Rubin Kazan, Liverpool, Bordeaux, Sion

It's always hard to tell just how much Liverpool actually cares about the Europa League. However, assuming the Merseyside club wants to progress, it'll fancy a group with Girondins de Bordeaux and Sion. The lengthy journey to Rubin Kazan, though, is something Brendan Rodgers' side would most likely have preferred to avoid.

Group C

Borussia Dortmund, PAOK, Krasnodar, Qabala

The Europa League is unfamiliar ground for Borussia Dortmund, which was in the Champions League final just over two years ago. The club should have no issues progressing from a group that includes PAOK, Krasnador, and Qabala.

Group D

Napoli, Club Brugge, Legia Warsaw, Midtjylland

Supporters of Napoli will be looking to see their club go one step further than last season's Europa League and reach the final of the competition. That might be asking a lot of the team, but it should have no trouble clearing a first hurdle that includes Club Brugge, Legia Warsaw, and Midtjylland, a side that implements a sports philosophy seen in the film "Moneyball."

Group E

Villarreal, Viktoria Plzen, Rapid Wien, Dinamo Minsk

A run to the Round of 16 in last season's Europa League means nothing less will be expected from Villarreal. But while the club is undoubtedly the strongest team in the group, Viktoria Plzen and Rapid Wien, unlike Dinamo Minsk, are far from pushovers.

Group F

Marseille, Braga, Slovan Liberec, Groningen

Normally a staple of the Champions League, Olympique Marseille will have a chance to bounce back from a forgettable Ligue 1 season by making a solid push in the Europa League. There really shouldn't be any reason the club can't dispose of Braga, Slovan Liberec, and Groningen.

Group G

Dnipro, Lazio, Saint-Etienne, Rosenborg

Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk and its insane supporters were the talk of Europe last season as the club reached the final of the Europa League, where it fell 3-2 to Sevilla. Another phenomenal run seems improbable, and the Ukrainian side is surely groaning, having drawn two giants in Lazio and AS Saint-Etienne and a respectable squad in Rosenborg.

Group H

Sporting CP, Besiktas, Lokomotiv Moscow, Skenderbeu

Having missed out on the Champions League, Sporting Clube de Portugal must now settle for a group that includes Besiktas, Lokomotiv Moscow, and Skenderbeu, three clubs that are all capable of advancing and that are nowhere near Lisbon.

Group I

Basel, Fiorentina, Lech Poznan, OS Belenenses

It would be a surprise if Basel and Fiorentina were unable to advance to the knockout stage. Not only did the Swiss club reach the Round of 16 in last year's Champions League while the Italian side made it to the semifinals of the Europa League, but Lech Poznan and OS Belenenses are widely viewed as favourable group-stage opponents.

Group J

Tottenham, Anderlecht, Monaco, Qarabag

This isn't the draw Tottenham wanted. In what's arguably the "Group of Death," Mauricio Pochettino's side will be forced to take the pitch against Anderlecht, one of Belgium's best, and Monaco, which reached the quarterfinals of last year's Champions League and is surely a favourite to win the Europa League. Even the arduous trip to Qarabag is exhausting.

Group K

Schalke, APOEL, Sparta Prague, Asteras

In what's one of the weaker-looking quartets, expect Schalke to sit atop the other the group when all is said and done. APOEL, meanwhile, with its wealth of experience in the Champions League, should grab the runner-up spot ahead of Sparta Prague and Asteras.

Group L

Athletic Bilbao, AZ Alkmaar, Augsburg, Partizan

This group is far tougher than it looks. Athletic Bilbao is looking better than ever, AZ Alkmaar knows the ins and outs of the Europa League all too well, Augsburg is one of the Bundesliga's most improved clubs, and Partizan will make life hell for its three opponents.