7 most intimidating stadiums in the Champions League this season

As the Champions League 15/16 season unravels in the coming months, the main factor for some clubs could be the turf and surroundings they play in. Stadiums with hostile crowds and a tough atmosphere are always difficult to play in for opposing sides.With the best clubs from Europe participating in the competition, we look at such stadiums which are daunting in terms of structure and where the distance between crowd and pitch might give opposition players a nightmare.Around the world, football fans can be relentlessly intimidating. It’s not just all the stadium paraphernalia that visually exhibits their love for their team and the game. It’s also the vigor and bottomless passion that you can hear from the earth shattering uproar that they effortlessly create to intimidate the opponent as exemplified by these top stadiums.Even though one top club with an impressive home support is missing from the Champions League this season, in the form of Borussia Dortmund and their Signal Iduna Park, we look at seven stadiums in the continent which can help the home team win.

#7 Estadio do Dragao: FC Porto

Estadio Do Dragao was reconstructed before the 2004 Euro in Portugal

Estadio do Dragao is the home of FC Porto. The stadium's name is derived from the presence of a dragon on the club's crest, which is composed of an old stitched leather football under the city's coat of arms. It is also the nickname of the club's football team.

The awarding of the UEFA Euro 2004 hosting rights to Portugal in 1999 was the perfect opportunity for Porto to move into a more modern, functional and comfortable stadium, in line with the demands of high-level international football. The club decided to build an entirely new ground and chose a site located a few hundreds of meters southeast of their previous home, the Estádio das Antas.

The construction took two years to complete at a cost of €98 million. The stadium was officially inaugurated on 16 November 2003 with a match against Barcelona. Porto won 2–0 in front of a record 52,000 spectators, which also witnessed the professional debut of Lionel Messi. For safety reasons, its current capacity is limited to 50,000 spectators.

Statistically speaking, this is the most difficult stadium in Europe to play at. While it doesn’t seem physically imposing, but the unique features of this stadium has some effect. Either way it’s been years since Porto has lost a league match here.

In the Champions League though, Porto have been relentless in qualifying, but their team lets them down. Winning at home is a habit that has been inhabited by their fans in them. Over the years, the Estadio do Dragao has been considered a dangerous ground for opposing teams and even top European sides have witnessed it. The crowd is always roaring for the home side in support and does not give much to cheer about for the visitors.

#6 Stadion Maksimir: Dinamo Zagreb

Stadion Maksimir is a stadium in the Croatian capital of Zagreb. It takes its name from the surrounding neighbourhood of Maksimir. The venue is primarily the home of Dinamo Zagreb, the top football team in the country. First opened in 1912, it has undergone many facelifts, and its current layout dates from a 1997 rebuilding.

In the summer of 2011, a little, but much needed "face-lifting" was made on the stadium. All seats were replaced, a new drainage system, under-soil heating and automatic watering were installed along with a new turf, the athletic track was covered with blue artificial grass and all brick surfaces were covered in blue cloth.

Stadion Maksimir has been in business for nearly a century. Though its attendance limit of just fewer than 40,000 is small by soccer standards, the mass of passionate supporters makes this stadium seem as though it’s seating twice its limit. The stands include a separate, segregated area for opposing fans.

Like many international stadiums, Maksimir’s history will forever be tarnished by an incredible riot in 1990 between Croatian fans and supporters of rival Red Star Belgrade. The brawl got so nasty that the Dinamo team captain attacked a police officer who was beating a home team fan.

You would think that an open roof would help distill sound, but when it comes to the Maksimir stadium, you would be wrong. In spite of its low seating capacity, the fans have managed to turn this stadium into a caged nightmare for whatever opponent steps onto the field.

Arsenal saw the crowd’s effect when they lost last midweek to a Dinamo Zagreb side who are looking to do well in the Champions League this campaign.

#5 Vicente Calderon: Atletico Madrid

Calderon has a total seating capacity of 55,000

On a normal match day, Atletico Madrid’s stadium, the Vicente Calderon, is one of the loudest and most intimidating grounds in European football. The stadium was inaugurated in 1966 when it was called the Estadio Manzanares – will have its foundation shaken to the core by 55,000 supporters as Atletico Madrid attempt to finally win the elusive Champions League title.

But opposing teams will have little to prepare themselves for the noise they will encounter at Atletico's red-hot Vicente Calderon stadium. Atletico fans are utterly buoyant and determined to play their part to help their team in having a fairy-tale season by creating an intimidating wall of noise.

The contribution from the crowd comes in waves: a deceptively quiet few minutes will be shattered by an explosion of noise when the home crowd start to sense that the Rojiblancos are getting on top.

When opposing teams start stitching their passes, they have to withstand the ear-splitting noise of 50,000 Atletico fans simultaneously screaming and whistling in defiance. Their manager, Diego Simeone, has nurtured a culture in Madrid where the coaches, players and supporters are all one collective unit.

Each feeds off the energy of the other in order to push the squad to greater performance levels. If one of the components isn’t matching the expectations of the manager, Simeone will scream and wave his arms with encouragement to provoke the necessary reaction.

Over the past three years, what the Argentine boss has fostered in Madrid has been perhaps one the greatest footballing renaissances in the history of the sport. Simeone can often be seen playing the role of cheerleader, turning dramatically towards the stands and frantically raising his arms to request more noise - and those exhortations are never declined.

So Atletico’s Champions League ambition has taken on even greater significance with its manager and players leaving the opposing teams clueless about getting a win at their home stadium.

#4 Allianz Arena: Bayern Munich

Allianz Arena is the home of Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. It boasts of an incredibly vocal fans base which helps place this stadium on our list. The stadium seats 66,000 people, but when standing room is allowed, the attendance can reach 70,000.

Opened in 2005, the Arena was ready for the 2006 World Cup and is one of the most impressive stadiums in all of world football. But although it boasts modern facilities and a maximum capacity of over 70,000, it's let down by the surrounding area. Just around the corner from the home of Bayern Munich is a major sewage works and also a giant landfill.

But what makes up for the letdown is the crowd present for the Champions League to support Bayern. The Munich side, who were crowned champions in the 2012/13 season, have been unable to win the title for two seasons now. The crowd at the Allianz Arena will be looking to keep the opposing teams under pressure with their continuous roar and ear-bursting support for the home side.

It is difficult to play at the Arena, the home of the German champions, as the intensity of the crowd goes higher as the game progresses. The last quarter of the game is always nervy for the visitors. When a total of 70000 people are screaming and singing for your opposition, the visiting sides are destined to come under pressure and crack.

Wolfsburg experienced the pressure first hand when Robert Lewandowski scored an incredible five goals in nine minutes to down the Wolfs 5-1 last weekend.

#3 Estadio Santiago Bernabeu: Real Madrid

90 minutes can be long at the Santiago Bernabeu

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu is the home of Real Madrid. El Bernabeu, renamed in honour of their former chairman Santiago Bernabeu Yeste, is one of the world's most famous and prestigious football venues.

It has hosted the European Cup final on four occasions: in 1957, 1969, 1980, and the UEFA Champions League Final in 2010. The finals for the 1964 European Nations' Cup and the 1982 FIFA World Cup have also been held at the home of the capital club.

The Bernabeu is both the second-largest stadium in Spain and the second-largest stadium home to a top-flight European club, behind only Camp Nou, home to rivals Barcelona. It has been a fortress for Real Madrid in the past, with the Los Blancos winning the Champions League in 2014, making it their record tenth European title. There was a period for Real Madrid where they did not lose a single game at home for around 2 years.

With a team that boasts of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez, Real will be looking to use the 80000 people crowd to their advantage.

For a club with a history such as Real’s, the Bernabeu is a perfect place to play football. Opposing teams in the Champions League have found it difficult to defeat the home team for a long time now. With a steep structure and not much distance between the playing pitch and the crowd, the opposition players have faced problems while adapting.

Ronaldo and co. will be hoping to lead their club to glory again this campaign after a trophyless last season.

#2 Turk Telekom Arena: Galatasaray

Champions League nights at the Turk Telecom Arena have been daunting for opposition teams

Galatasaray’s fairly new Turk Telekom Arena is called "Hell" for a reason. Opened in 2011, with a capacity of 52,650, the ground cost a reported $250 million. The fans at the stadium are extremely aggressive and usually light up the field with flares, lending a fiery red appearance to the stadium which matches the team’s crest and jersey.

After moving to Turk Telekom Arena from Ali Sami Yen Stadium, the Galatasaray fans greeted their opponents with a “Welcome to Hell” roar to scare the living daylights out of them. Armed with red and orange flares; and their delirious cheers for their team, these fans make it difficult for the opposing team to enjoy the game let alone focus.

Galatasaray won the Süper Lig in the first season at Türk Telekom Arena, providing fans a new venue for their feverish excitement and uproar. Talking about intimidation, In 2011, the Arena recorded a roar of 131.76 decibels which was considered to be the world record for "loudest crowd roar at a sport stadium" in Guinness World Records at that time.

Even though Galatasaray have been unable to produce anything magical in the Champions League so far, the crowd support never lets them down. This isn't the place you would want to go wearing the wrong colours.

#1 Camp Nou: Barcelona

The total capacity of Nou Camp is 99,000

Camp Nou, which is often referred to as The Nou Camp in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, which has been the home of FC Barcelona since 1957. With a seating capacity of around 99,000 it is also the largest stadium in Europe and the 2nd largest association football stadium in the world in terms of capacity.

It has hosted numerous international football matches , including a 1982 FIFA World Cup semi-final, two UEFA Champions League finals and the football competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics.

But the last thing any opposition player would want to experience while playing Lionel Messi and co. is thousands of voices screaming their lungs out in unison and making life miserable. The sheer size of the Camp Nou takes a mental toll on the opposition like no other. Barcelona have been on the winning side on most occasions at the Camp Nou in the Champions League. The crowd support the team gets there can be credited for their treble winning last season.

For the visiting teams, it is too daunting a task to come back from the Camp Nou with all the three points. Those massive tiers make it terrifying for any team and player to play well there. The support combined with the attractive tiki-taka play, make it almost impossible for teams to win against the Blaugranas. But to play in front of the Barcelona fans against their team is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the opposition players.

It will be interesting to see if the Catalans can again use their stadium to good effect in the coming season to defend their crown.