While most fans’ focus will be on the World Cup in Qatar, club football is right around the corner, with the return of domestic and European football growing ever closer. The Champions League has already sprung a few surprises in 2022-23 – here is a look back at the teams who have raised a few eyebrows so far.
Napoli
Undoubtedly top of most pundits’ lists, even the most optimistic of Napoli fans couldn’t have expected the way this season would pan out for them. After a summer transfer window that saw senior members such as Kalidou Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne and Dries Mertens leave to seek pastures new, Neapolitans would have forgiven a dip from last season’s third-place Serie A finish. Fast forward to the international break and Luciano Spalletti’s side have come on leaps and bounds.
Sitting eight points clear and unbeaten in the league at the turn of the international break, Napoli also topped Group A ahead of 2021-22 finalists Liverpool. As a result, their
football betting odds to go on and win the competition have shrunk to 10/1, the fifth best for the tournament and just behind group stage rivals Liverpool at 9/1. With a new and invigorated team boasting exciting players up and down the pitch, Spalletti’s side both excites and impresses and cannot be discounted to go all the way this season.
Club Brugge
In a group dominated by Porto, Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid, few believed that Club Brugge would have finished in the top two. However, after three wins in three matches – the most memorable of which came in a
0-4 shock at Porto – the Belgium side found themselves unceremoniously top of Group B. An underperforming Atletico and Leverkusen meant a draw against the former on matchday 4 secured Brugge’s last-16 qualification.
The Belgians appeared to take their foot off the gas in the last two matches, with a defeat at home to Porto by the same 4-0 scoreline followed by a bore draw at home to Leverkusen. Nevertheless, a top-two Champions League finish for a club that had
never reached the knockouts before is some feat. Add to that their fourth-placed positioning in the Belgian Pro League at the start of the World Cup, and their qualification for the knockouts is even more surprising.
Eintracht Frankfurt
The last entry on this list comes from Group D, whose four teams
enjoyed a rollercoaster ride on matchday 6, with all of them either facing elimination or qualification at different points on the night. A win for Tottenham against Marseille was enough to see them progress as group winners, however, Frankfurt decided to do it the hard way against Sporting.
With both sides boasting just two wins each, they needed all three points to be sure of qualification to the round of 16. Sporting took an early advantage in the 39th minute, but 72 minutes in the game had been turned on its head in favour of the visitors. The German side clung on in Lisbon for a dramatic three points, finishing second behind Spurs on 10 points. While Frankfurt – the current Europa League holders – didn’t necessarily overperform in the group stages, the nature of their qualification is enough of a surprise to warrant their place on this list
As Napoli take on Frankfurt and Brugge face Benfica in the round of 16, there is ample opportunity for any of the three sides to progress even further in the tournament and spring a few more surprises. Whether they can go all the way to the final in Istanbul is another matter, although some may fancy their chances after their impressive group stage showings.