As the Champions League knockout stages get into full flow, it’s beginning to become clear which sides could well mount a strong challenge and go deep in the competition. Of course, it’s not all about the likes of Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid — there are some slightly less fancied teams that may well have their sights set on a deep run this season.
As fans eagerly examine the football betting odds, let’s take a look at three teams that might just fancy their chances in this season’s Champions League.
Napoli
When you consider Napoli’s stunning form in Serie A, it’s perhaps difficult to class them as an underdog in the Champions League. But for a side that has never gone beyond the round of 16 in Europe’s premier club competition, it would be a huge achievement if Luciano Spalletti’s side could go deep, and possibly even win it.
Napoli are playing some rip-roaring football this season, with the form of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen making waves across Europe. If those two can bring their best form to the knockout rounds of the Champions League, no one will want to draw Napoli.
The only question will be whether this inexperienced side has the required skill to go far in the competition, but given their momentum, it’s difficult to envisage many opponents being able to live with them.
Benfica
After pipping Paris Saint-Germain to top spot in a group that also contained Juventus, you could forgive Benfica for being quietly confident that they could enjoy a successful Champions League knockout campaign. They reached the quarter-finals last season, and after defeating Club Brugge 2-0 in the first leg of their last 16 tie, it’s looking likely they’ll reach that stage again despite losing Enzo Fernandez in January.
Eventual runners-up Liverpool denied Benfica last season in the last eight, but you feel they would be better prepared this time around. The Portuguese outfit are five points clear of Porto at the top of the Primeira Liga, and it’s clear that there is confidence running through the club. If they were to finish the job against Club Brugge and get a favorable quarter-final draw, who’s to say Benfica couldn’t enjoy a memorable Champions League campaign?
Borussia Dortmund
1997 Champions League winners Borussia Dortmund are often there or thereabouts in the knockout stages of the competition, but they haven’t progressed beyond the quarter-finals since finishing as runners up to Bayern Munich in 2013.
This could well be the year they go further, although they’ll need to deliver a strong performance at Stamford Bridge to ensure their 1-0 first-leg advantage remains intact. With Jude Bellingham in the form of his life and likely to be on the move in the summer transfer window, there may never be a better time for Dortmund to mount a challenge in the Champions League.
With a team that is well balanced and a passionate support base at Signal Iduna Park, no one will fancy taking on Dortmund in this year’s Champions League knockout stages.
