The Dark horses of this season’s Champions League

The Champions League proper starts tonight and obviously everyone would be talking about the usual suspects who could be crowned the champion come May 2014. The heavyweights of European football like defending champions Bayern Munich, the tiki-taka experts Barcelona, the Galacticos Real Madrid or the indomitable Manchester United will be expected to win the prestigious event. But everybody likes an underdog; every sports fan wants to see and rejoice the unexpected. Last season, Borussia Dortmund left everyone feeling proved it was possible for an unexpected side to go a long way in the Champions League, enthralling the football fans at the same time with their incredible work-rate and their brand of attractive playing style known as “Gegen-pressing”.

Let us look below at five teams who could follow in the footsteps of Borussia Dortmund and possibly go one better this time.

1. Juventus:
Obviously it would be an understatement to call the Old Lady an underdog given their history as one of the greatest European teams but the team is on a growth phase after the 2006 Calciopoli scandal which battered and bruised the team. But like a phoenix, Juventus have rose again and their back to back Serie A titles as well as last year’s run to the Champions League quarter-finals are enough to prove that they are the strongest and the best-equipped team among the underdogs who could win the title.

2. Atletico Madrid:
Last season’s Copa Del Rey winners Atletico Madrid are in blistering form this La-Liga season, winning all four of their opening games and scoring 14 goals in the process. At long last this might be the season when the Big Two hegemony will end in La Liga as Atletico Madrid have grown a lot stronger. In the Champions League it is usual that everyone’s attention will on Real Madrid and Barcelona, but Atletico Madrid have the ability to defeat any team and go all the way.

3. Napoli:
Napoli really means business this season. Having spent heavily this summer window, they are the form team of Serie A winning all three of their opening matches. Napoli may be in a tough group alongside Dortmund and Arsenal but they have a manager in Rafael Benitez who is somewhat of a specialist of European football. This combined with the lethal attacking strength of the team, Napoli are one of the dangerous teams of this year’s Champions League and everybody needs to watch out for them.

4. Schalke 04:
Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund hog all the headlines in German football but there is one team which can surprise everyone at this season’s Champions League. I am talking about Schalke. Having starting off the season slowly with just one point from three league games and a home draw against Greek side PAOK in the 4th qualifying round of Champions League, their season was turning out to be a nightmare. But they came back strongly and now the resurgent team look set to give every team a horrid time.

5. Shakhter Donetsk:
Last season Shakhtar Donetsk impressed everyone with their free flowing and attacking football and knocked out the defending champions Chelsea in the group stage. They were touted as the team who could win it but their journey was cut short by fellow underdogs Borussia Dortmund. This season they have another opportunity to impress in Europe despite being weakened by the loss of last season’s stars Willian, Fernandinho and Henrik Mkhitaryan. But they have been ably replaced with Brazilians Fred, Wellington Nem, Fernando and Bernard joining this summer.