'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#3. Southampton (Premier League)
After a few years lost in the wilderness, Southampton are looking back to their best. The cyclical loss of key players, plus a crushing 9-0 defeat to both Leicester City and Manchester United, threatened to derail Ralph Hasenhüttl's excellent work. It forced them into the brackets of mid-table mediocrity.
They finished 15th last season and are currently in 11th place. They can look to enter the first half of the table by the end of the season.
This summer saw three more big departures in Danny Ings (Aston Villa), Jannick Vestergaard (Leicester) and Ryan Bertrand (Leicester). However, Southampton were prepared.
Romain Perraud and Adam Armstrong signed from Brest and Blackburn Rovers, respectively. The talented but untested pair of Armando Broja and Valentino Livramento joined from Chelsea's U-23s. With Vestergaard gone, Mohammed Salisu was handed a more prominent role in the starting XI.
On paper, the team looked weaker but the results on the pitch have told a completely different story. From the month of December to February, Southampton lost just twice in 15 matches in the league.
However, they've endured a tough last couple of weeks as they lost all three of their last Premier League fixtures. They were also knocked out of the FA Cup quarter-finals by Manchester City.
Southampton's attack might have scored 20 goals from open play but in James Ward-Prowse, they have a set-piece specialist in the form of his life. Well-coached and full of belief, the Saints are proving to be a match for anyone they face.
Moreover, Hasenhüttl will be confident of putting the side's recent struggles aside when they face Leeds after the international break.
#2. SC Freiburg (Bundesliga)
Any football purist would love the sight of Christian Streich guiding Freiburg to new heights. The 50-year-old manager has been involved at the Europa Park Stadion for over a quarter of a century. He is the longest serving manager in Europe's elite division, beating Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid by three days.
The ongoing season will take Streich to 400 games in charge, holding down a very respectable 38% win rate. However, it looked like it was time for a change after Freiburg coasted to uneventful mid-table finishes in the past three seasons.
However, the Black forest outfit stuck with the enigmatic German and are now threatening to reach the Champions League. They sit in fifth place in the league, level on points with fourth-placed RB Leipzig who have a better goal difference.
They've done it courtesy of one of the best defensive efforts in Germany, conceding just 29 goals compared to Bayern Munich's 28. So far, Freiburg's goalie Mark Flekken has the best save rate in the Bundesliga at a massive 80 percent. Their 22-year-old centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck is a star for the future and has recently broken into the German national side.
Freiburg have a DFB Pokal Pokal semi-final against Hamburg on the cards on April 19. If they emerge victorious, the Breisgau Brazilians will be within touching distance of their first ever major trophy.
#1. Real Betis (La Liga)
What a season this could be for Real Betis! The club from Andalusia are on course for their best campaign in decades. They are riding high not just in La Liga but in the Copa del Rey as well.
Currently fifth in the league, Betis still have time to finish higher in the table. THey are four points behind fourth-placed Atletico Madrid. The vastly experienced manager Manuel Pelligrini has created an attack-heavy side that takes more shots in the league than anyone but Real Madrid.
Nabil Fekir is purring again with six goals and as many assists. Meanwhile, Juami scored 12 and William Jose and Borja Iglesias hit seven apiece.
Apart from setting up their sites on to qualify for the Champions League, Betis have a Copa del Rey final against Valencia in April. It's a competition that they haven't won in 17 years.
If that wasn't enough, this is Juaquin's final season before retirement. What better way to honor the Spaniard's legendary career by bringing silverware back to the Benito Villamarin.
