Rising force RB Leipzig lie in wait for Tottenham in Champions League last-16

This season's Champions League last-16 draw has thrown up some tricky ties for English clubs, with Manchester City needing to overcome Real Madrid and Chelsea facing Bayern Munich in a rematch of the 2012 final.

While Liverpool may fancy their chances of beating Atletico Madrid, Tottenham must defeat Bundesliga leaders RB Leipzig to progress.

The German side, who only took on their current guise in 2009, are the crown jewel in the empire of energy drink giants Red Bull having risen from the fifth division to within touching distance of a first major trophy.

STAR PLAYERS

Throughout their rise into Europe's elite, Leipzig have earned praise for their exciting football and the young stars they have moulded. Unsurprisingly, the club have the youngest team in the Bundesliga this season, packed with some of Europe's most in-demand stars

The name that has attracted most attention is Timo Werner, with 16 league goals this season behind only Robert Lewandowski in the scoring charts.

The Germany international has combined lethal pace and clever movement with an unerring eye for goal, but despite signing a new deal with Leipzig he is still a target for numerous clubs in Europe including Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

Behind him, Swedish winger Emil Forsberg has registered 50 assists and 36 goals across 1,359 games since joining the club in 2015 while Yussuf Poulsen has climbed with Leipzig from the fifth division and remains a lethal presence up top.

In Ethan Ampadu and Ademola Lookman, both recruited in the summer, on loan from Chelsea and for £20million from Everton respectively, there are also two bright young British prospects to watch for.

There is also a strong French core at the club - young defenders Dayot Upamecano, Nordi Mukiele and Ibrahima Konate, plus attacker Christopher Nkunku are widely seen as the future of their country and may soon be the subject of big-money offers.

THE MANAGER

Since taking over as Hoffenheim boss in 2015 at the age of just 27, Nagelsmann has carved out a reputation as one of the finest young coaches in Germany and was named German Football Manager of the Year in 2017.

After taking his club to the Champions League in 2017, Nagelsmann was poached by Leipzig from under the noses of Bayern Munich. Having inherited a highly talented side, Nagelsmann has been quick to mould the team according to his own philosophy.

Already he is attracting interest from Europe's elite, particularly from Barcelona.

He told German TV channel ZDF: 'I have said it many times. Barcelona is a beautiful city, a beautiful club. But this is not the only club that is attractive.

'It is true that there was an interest (from Borussia Dortmund). In football, time and form are always the key, and that did not fit, so I was not going to join Dortmund. The timing was not appropriate, and Borussia did not want to wait.'

THE BUNDESLIGA

Having first reached the Bundesliga under coach Ralph Rangnick in 2016, the three years since then have seen constant progress. Ralph Hasenhuttl immediately led the newly-promoted RB Leipzig into  the Champions League and then the Europa League a year later.

With finishes of second, sixth and third in their three top-flight seasons to date, this current campaign has been all about a title challenge.

Nagelsmann made a fine start as boss, going unbeaten for his first six games before a sticky patch of one win in five. That has been comprehensively put behind them, with six straight victories - starting with an 8-0 thumping of Mainz - sending the club to the summit of the table.

RISING THREAT IN EUROPE

Progress from Group G was relatively serene for Nagelsmann's men, finishing top ahead of runners-up Lyon, Benfica and Zenit St Petersburg.

Benfica were beaten first up thanks to Werner's brace, while defeat away to Lyon was followed by beating Zenit St Petersburg home and away.

The group stage was ended with draws against Benfica and Lyon to secure progress to the kncockout rounds for the first time in their history.

When they last competed, in 2017/18, they fell at the group stage and suffered quarter-final elimination in the Europa League.

Last season's Europa League campaign was also ended before the knockout rounds.

RED BULL OWNERSHIP

RB Leipzig's biggest asset is their owner, the Austrian energy drink giant Red Bull.

More specifically, Red Bull's involvement has given the German club the clout and infrastructure to establish itself at the top table.

A £30million training centre was opened in 2015 and is considered to be the finest in Germany, housing an academy and state-of-art facilities for the play.

Leipzig also have access to a constant stream of bright young talents from across the globe, specifically from unofficial sister club Red Bull Salzburg.

Since 2009, 18 players have moved from Austria to Germany, including in-demand centre-back Upamecano, Liverpool star Naby Keita and current Bundesliga regulars Peter Gulacsi and Marcel Sabitzer.

The next to make the journey could be Salzburg's prolific teenage hitman Erling Braut Haaland, who has an incredible 29 goals in 27 games since joining in January.

While Manchester United remain keen, he has already met with Julian Nagelsmann and an easy path across the border awaits him if he chooses to take it.

Nagelsmann revealed the discussions in an interview with Kicker: 'I tried to explain to him in good English what my idea of football is. I think it went quite well', he said.

'You can say relatively little after such conversations, because they are usually very one-sided. You say a lot as a coach while the agent and the player mostly listen.'

The link with MLS side New York Red Bulls has already paid dividends - coach Jesse Marsch was assistant at Leipzig last season and took the reins at Salzburg this summer, while midfielder Tyler Adams was sent to Germany in January.

There have been reservations about Leipzig's club structure and concerns it breaks the democratic 50+1 ownership rule in Germany - that clubs must effectively own their club.

All 17 of Leipzig's members are employees of Red Bull. This has led to protests and demonstrations, but the club has yet to face any sanctions.

Also, with Salzburg also regular contenders in Europe, the Austrian side were separated from the main group in 2016 and the behest of UEFA in an attempt to avoid any conflicts of interest and, legally, Red Bull are now just sponsors.

THE FUTURE

For all their success across their three major clubs, Red Bull are still awaiting a first major trophy. Salzburg have claimed 10 Austrian Bundesliga titles since 2006, but RB Leipzig lifting their domestic trophy would be a true statement.

Champions League success is also on the agenda, but having qualified for the knockout rounds for the first time this season, there is an acceptance that may have to wait.

For all their investment and increasing amounts of star quality, 2019 finalists Tottenham may just prove to have too much experience and quality for a team whose time will surely come soon.