UEFA Champions League: The Underdogs and Dark Horses To Win.
Contents
UEFA Champions League: Who is the top team remaining?
We are down to the last eight sides in this season’s Champions League. Some of Europe’s most prestigious clubs have already been put to the sword and now there are only a select few battling it out to be called Europe’s top team for this year. Amongst them, there are a couple of underdogs, but for the most part, the teams involved have experienced this level of the tournament before.
Thus, without further ado, here’s a rundown of the eight sides left in this season’s tournament.
The underdogs
SL Benfica
Benfica withstood serious pressure in their round of 16 tie against Ajax, but an away 0-1 victory was enough to secure a space in the final eight for the Portuguese side. Considering what they are up against in terms of budget, it is an incredible achievement for Nélson Veríssimo and his side to reach this stage of the tournament. Unfortunately for them, they have been drawn with Liverpool in the quarters and Jurgen Klopp’s side don’t often slipup against lesser teams.
Villareal
Villareal took out a struggling Juventus in the round of 16. Of course, this was an incredible achievement for the Spanish club. However, The Old Lady isn’t the team it once was, so getting by them isn’t the feat it would have been once deemed to be. They face Bayern in the last eight and even their most optimistic fan would admit that their chances are slim.
Dark Horses
Atlético Madrid
Diego Simeone’s side are nowhere near where they were a few years ago in terms of talent and form. What they do have is a club identity and a way of playing which can cause upsets.
Their last 16 victory over Manchester United could not be deemed one of those, as The Red Devils are a mess right now. However, Simeone is a manager who has taught his team how to get the better of more talented opponents and it would take a fool to bet against him doing so again. They are in Manchester again for their quarter-final, this time with a much sterner test, against City.
Chelsea
The Blues turned the form books upside down winning last year’s trophy. They defeated Manchester City in the final of that tournament and will be looking to emulate that success in their quarter-final against Real Madrid. Of course, the club has some off-field problems at the moment and with that, it is likely some of their players are looking towards the exit door. There are few better ways to put yourself in the shop window outside of a strong run in the Champions League.
To be at the final in the Parc Des Princes stadium in Paris, find, compare and buy 2024 Champions League Final tickets here on SafeTicketCompare.com, the football ticket specialists.
Top Teams
Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp has been to the Champions League final twice with his Liverpool side, winning one of those games and losing the other. It is hard to ignore his pedigree in this tournament, having also reached the final with Borussia Dortmund. His side has a favourable draw for the quarters and will fancy their chances of getting by Benfica.
After that, very few sides will look forward to playing a side that has some of the best attacking talent on the planet. At Anfield, any European home game is electric with Liverpool Champions League tickets often reaching high prices.
Bayern Munich
Bayern is a team full of experienced professionals who know how to get the job done. For instance, they have Robert Lewandowski, who is a goalscoring machine. He already has 12 goals in this year’s tournament and is easily one of the most feared strikers in world football.
Real Madrid
This could be Madrid’s version of ‘The Last Dance’, with a number of their aging stars unlikely to play for Los Blancos next season. They overcame PSG in the last round and with that, they knocked out the likes of Messi, Neymar and Mbappe. If they can defeat them, they can defeat any side.
Manchester City
It is the one criticism that sticks to Pep Guardiola; he hasn’t won the Champions League with Manchester City. This year, with his star-studded side, he may just do that. They face Atletico in the quarters, and they will fancy their chances of pushing them aside to reach yet another semi-final.
