Every year in the Champions league, a couple of unfancied outfits usually find a way of sneaking into the latter stages of the competition. Just like Borussia Dortmund last year the following are five teams that have very good chances of upsetting the established order in Europe.
Manchester city
City’s two consecutive misadventures in the Champion’s league can legitimately be blamed on stage-fright and difficult groups.
Most of their players now, however, boast European experience and their coach Manuel Pellegrini has proven himself to be an expert at taking unfancied teams far in the competition.
The sky blues have also been spared another ‘group of death’ this season, and should they, as expected, make it out of their group, they will be a match for anyone in Europe.
Napoli
Even without their massive recruitment drive this summer, Napoli were always going to be a dark horse in this year's edition of the Champions League.
In Rafa Benitez, the Naples club have a manager with European pedigree. The Spaniard famously won the 2005 European cup final with Liverpool against a much-fancied AC Milan team that was probably the best team on the continent at that time. He again guided the reds to another final two years later.
Armed with a squad boasting the talents of Gonzalo HIguain, Pepe Reina, Callejon, and Raul Albiol among others, don’t be surprised if the Spaniard repeats the trick with Napoli.
Athletico Madrid
With the summer acquisitions of Alderweireld and David Villa from Ajax and Barcelona respectively, the capital-based club are arguably a more formidable outfit than last season, where they largely depended on Falcao’s extraordinary exploits in front of goal.
Make no mistake though, Villa still looks the part and with the likes of Arda Turan supplying the ammunition Athletico Madrid might just sneak into the latter stages of the Champions League.
With them having virtually no chance of domestic glory, due to Barcelona's and Real Madrid's duopoly in La Liga, they could so easily focus all their energies on European glory- like Dortmund did last year to great success.
Juventus
Having been among the growing number of sleeping giants of European football in recent times, it is fairly safe to say that the Old Lady is back.
One can even argue that their humiliation at the hands of Bayern Munich in last year's quarterfinal was down to not having played champions league football for a couple of seasons.
However, with most of their squad still intact and the clever additions of Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente, the Italian champions will be no pushovers for Europe's big boys this time around.
Paris Saint Germain
The mere fact that PSG nearly made the semi-finals at the expense of mighty Barcelona last term should send warning bells to the rest of Europe.
Throw in summer signing Edinson Cavani into a strikeforce containing Ibrahimovic, Lavezzi, Lucas Moura et al and you have a frightening prospect for even the very best defences in the world.
And, with Thiago Silva - widely regarded as the best central defender in the world- and the precocious Marquinhos steadying the ship at the back, it is somewhat surprising that PSG aren't among the favorites to lift the Champions League come May.
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