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The 58th edition of football’s most awaited club competition got underway last night. Every year around 32 teams from different nations across Europe fight it out with each other to earn the right to be crowned the next champions of Europe; a status that gives bragging rights not just to the club, but also to its fans all over the world.
Starting out as a rebel club competition in the 1950s, the UEFA Champions League has elevated its status to such a state that winning it is now considered to be a top priority on the list of achievements for any player or a club. The amount of competition within the participating teams is evident from the fact that 22 different clubs have won the tournament since its inception.
We might agree that clubs like Barcelona, Manchester United or Real Madrid attract the maximum attention on a European night, but lately the emergence of new forces in European football has seen these clubs lose some of the limelight in recent years. The shift in power caused due to the financial muscle or the fan base of a club is evident and is bound to shake things up in this edition of the Champions League.
There are clubs who have been resurrected from their dark days and are now ready to challenge the top clubs across Europe. These clubs on a given day can cause major upsets and change the dynamics of the competition this year. The pundits are wary of their chances and have advised the top teams to not take for granted qualification to the knock-out stage.
We take a look at four such clubs which are capable of turning the tables on the favourites in this edition of the UEFA Champions League.
Galatasaray
Galatasaray have added Champions League winning experience to their squad (Getty Images)
The Turkish giants from the city of Istanbul have quietly built a squad comprising of many former Champions League winners and world class players. Individuals such as Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder have tasted Champions League success with other clubs, and are ready to have a shot at it once again. The team proved its mettle by winning this year’s Emirates cup against world class opposition and is now prepared to fight it out in the UCL.
Galatasaray reached the quarter-finals of the last edition where they were defeated 3-5 on aggregate by Real Madrid; a second leg win for the hosts could not overturn the first leg deficit of 3 goals conceded at the Bernabeu, and they bowed out of the tournament in style.
This year, they have a fair chance to have their revenge against the Spaniards. They are placed alongside Real Madrid and Juventus in Group B and is sure to give a tough fight for knock out stage qualification. The players in the team are experienced and they possess a fan base that is spread out throughout the country. Their home stadium is rated as the worst place to visit for a European club and they have caused some major upsets in recent years at that ground.
The start of the new season in Turkey has been a tough one for the club and they have 6 points from 4 games in the league this season. The manager, Fatih Terim, must have set his sights on the first group stage game against Real Madrid to bring this season back on track.
Qualification to the knock out stage depends on how well they play away from home. The players bought in the January transfer window have gelled well and should be looking forward to a successful campaign.
Opponents: Real Madrid , Juventus, FC København
Players to watch out: Didier Drogba, Wesley Sneijder, Fernando Muslera.
Zenit St. Petersburg
Experienced striker Roman Shirokov will lead the line for Zenit (Getty Images)
The Russian team might not enjoy celebrity status in Champions League circles, but no one can deny them their European presence after their UEFA Cup win in 2008 and subsequent defeat of Manchester United in the Super Cup. The team came second in the Russian Premier League last season and were knocked out of the Europa League by FC Basel. They had defeated Liverpool in the process, but that can hardly be counted as an achievement.
The team is financed by a major oil company “Gazprom” and they are steadily building a strong squad to compete in Europe. They might not have spent millions and millions on wasteful signings, but have shown enough intent in the transfer market after the capture of Hulk and Axel Witsel on the same day for a staggering total of £64 million. The two of them have enough talent amongst them to take on the big boys of Europe.
The more recent capture of Andrey Arshavin on a free transfer from Arsenal looks to be a sensible piece of business and his experience might be handful in crunch games.
The team is placed with FC Porto and Athletico Madrid as their main competitors for the knock out place. They have talented players, but lack consistency on the big stage. Hulk has been accused of trying to do too much on the field and his frustrated often gets the better of him.
They have enjoyed decent success under manager Luciano Spalleti, winning the Russian league in 2011 and 2012. The team had reached the knock out stage for the first time in the 2011-12 season of the UCL and would definitely try to better that record this year.
Opponents: Athletico Madrid, FC Porto, FK Austria Wien
Players to watch out: Hulk, Arshavin, Alex Witsel.
Napoli
Marek Hamsik has made a sensational start to the new season (Getty Images)
Many of us had predicted the end of good times at Napoli after Edinson Cavani left for PSG in this year’s summer transfer window. The club management reinvested that money intelligently and brought in valuable replacements for the Uruguayan international. When Rafa Benitez left his previous club Chelsea to make way for the “Special One”, Napoli’s president acted quickly and signed him up as the new manager for his team.
The Spaniard has made some smart signings in the form of Gonzalo Higuain, Raul Albiol and Jose Callejon – all from Real Madrid – and also managed a loan move for his old faithful Pepe Reina from Liverpool. Benitez brings a vast European experience with him and we hope that his second stint in Italy does not end in the same fashion as it did with Inter Milan.
Napoli are top of Serie A at the moment and much of their success can be credited to one player – Marek Hamsik.
He has been their most important player in the last few seasons and more importantly he has chosen to stay at Napoli and earned the tag of fan favourite. Apart from Hamsik, Merlen Mertens and Higuain will be a major threat while going forward. Pepe Reina is hungry to challenge for a place at next year’s World Cup and this loan move might turn out to be a good opportunity for him.
Napoli, unfortunately, are placed in this year’s ‘Group of Death’ in the Champions League alongside Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund and Olympique de Marseille.
Napoli will still retain hopes of qualifying ahead of Arsenal and Dortmund, having performed reasonably well in the last few seasons.
Opponents: Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Olympique de Marseille
Players to watch out: Marek Hamsik, Gonzalo Higuain, Merlen Mertens
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)
PSG have one of the strongest squads on paper (Getty Images)
If the game of football were to be played on paper and not on the field, then Paris St. Germain would have been in the same league as Barcelona and Bayern Munich. The mega rich Parisian club has a squad which, on a given day, is capable of beating any of the biggest clubs across Europe. They might just be the next challenger to the coveted trophy alongside big names such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and the English clubs.
PSG undisputedly won the French Ligue 1 last year, but they are behind new money bags – AS Monaco – at the start of this season. The addition of Cavani, to an already star studded lineup, will be a major threat for the opponents in Europe and he would be expected to live up to his hefty price tag. Unpredictably awesome, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is also an important asset to the team, and has shown leadership qualities in times of crisis.
The new coach Laurent Blanc’s inexperience in the competition is a cause of worry to the supporters and he has to seize the opportunity and prove his worth to the footballing world.
PSG have their task cut out as they are placed alongside weaker European sides and Benfica is the only team that might give them a little trouble in their path to knock out stages. They were edged out by Barcelona in the quarter-finals last year on goal difference after an aggregate score of 3-3, a disappointment for the fans after their team had outplayed Barcelona on several fronts. The French champions would want to improve on that record and at least reach the semis this time.
I pick them to go be a serious contender in the Champions League and cause a few upsets in the knock-out stages.
Opposition: SL Benfica, RSC Anderlecht, Olympiacos FCPlayers to watch out : Edinson Cavani, Thiago Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
