Introduction
The Champions League group phase is only halfway over and already and already we are seeing teams overperforming and underperforming. While some world beaters are being cut down to size, some sleeping giants are waking up and making their presence known. Here are three underdogs rising to the occasion and three goliaths being slain.
Surprises
Sporting CP
Sporting CP is becoming more of a European Powerhouse by the year and the 2024/25 season may be their best season yet.
They might have lost their manager Ruben Amorim to Manchester United because of their dominance, but they have been on a war path in the Portuguese League. They won their first eleven matches, leading in the goals scored (39), goal against (5), and plus/minus (+34).
Sporting’s reign of terror extends to the Champions League. They are second in the league phase, only trailing Liverpool with three wins and their own draw to PSV Eindhoven on the road. One of their wins is against the dominant Manchester City four goals to one.
Their star player is Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres, who has scored sixteen goals in the Portuguese League (more than double of second place) and five goals in the Champions League (tied for first). Their goalie Franco Isarel only allowed five goals in thousand minutes of action while stopping ninety percent of shots he faced, while saving all but one of his thirteen shots against in the Champions League.
Brest
Brest might be punching above their weight in the Champions League, considering their mid-table status in Ligue 1.
Their form in League is average at best, due their offense but the defense is a lot to be desired. They scored fourteen goals (around average in Ligue 1) and surrounded nineteen (fifth most in Ligue 1). Brest lost six out of their eleven matches in Ligue 1, including their losses to Nice and last place Montpellier.
Despite their Ligue 1 struggles, they have been a force in the Champions League, going unbeaten in their campaign. They went unbeaten in their four matchups, only drawing to Leversken at home.
Their goalkeeper Marco Bizot is a Jackyll and Hyde keeper this season. The Jackyll is in the Champions League, stopping eleven out of thirteen shots. The Hyde is his Ligue 1 performance, stopping under sixty percent of his shots and giving up nineteen goals in eleven games. Both are in the bottom third of Ligue 1. He might have decent defenders in front of him in Niakhate Ndiaye, Massadio Haidara, and Tolikpaley Luc Evrad Zogde, but that still is not preventing goals from leaking past Bizot.
Celtic
Celtic has reigned over Scotland for as long as the league existed. However, their success is starting to bleed into the Champions League this year.
Their dominance in the Premiership is business as usual. Scoring thirty-one goals, and allowing only three during the season, leading in both statistics.
The surprise is their Champions League performance. Celtic is ranked fifteen with two wins, one draw, and one loss. Their one loss was a seven to one beatdown of last year’s Champions League runners-up Borussia Dortmund. Outside of that beatdown, Celtic scored eight goals and gave up two.
The big offense weapon is Nikolas Gerrit Kuhn, scoring ten goals and eleven assists in all competitions and Adam Uche Idah adding five goals.
Their top defender is Cameron Carter-Vickers, who is yet to allow a goal in the Scottish League this season and allowed two goals in two games in the Champions League. Anthony Ralston is yet to allow a goal in either the Premiership or Champions League this season. Their goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is having his best statistical season at age thirty-eight. He has only allowed three goals on twenty-shots in the premiership and outside of the seven goal game against Dortmund, he allowed two goals on ten shots.
Disappointments
Real Madrid
Real Madrid has picked up Kylian Mbappe after winning the Champions League and dominating La Liga last season. However, despite their run of form in La Liga this season, the Champions League has been a rough ride for them.
Real Madrid is currently second in La Liga, six points behind their hated rivals Barcelona and one point ahead of their inner city foe Atletico Madrid. While their offense is popping off at over two goals a game, their defense has been mid-tier giving up just under a goal a match.
Things have not been smooth sailing in the Champions for Los Blancos as they won two out of their four matches in the Champions League and lost the other two matchups to Lille on the road and AC Milan at home as they are currently eighteenth in the Champions League
While Ballon d’Or runner-up Vinicius Junior has played up to his potential and scored a dozen goals and five assists in all competitions, new signee Kylian Mbappe was not been as advertised scoring eight goals (three off penalties), in all competitions. Bellingham and Camavinga have also been underperforming with one goal and four assists combined in the La Liga and Champions League. Carvajal and Gracia have been decent on the defensive side of the ball, Eder Milito and Antonio Rudiger are inconsistent at best. Courtois is above average at best in terms of save percentage of around seventy percent in all competitions. As for Lunin, he has made six saves on eleven shots in all competitions.
RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig has been a force to be reckoned with in the Bundesliga as they are currently second in the league. However, the Champions League has been a nightmare for them.
Their defense carried them in the Bundesliga, as they are second behind Bayern Munich and they have the best defense in the league averaging a goal against in every other game. However, their offense has been mid as they averaged a goal and a half a match.
The Champions League has been nothing short of misery for Leipzig as they lost all four games in the competition, losing three of them by one goal. These losses are in painful fashion as well. They lost to Atletico Madrid two goals to one after giving up a last minute goal, three goals to two at home to Juventus despite the Italian side losing a player to a red card, one goal to nil to a strong Liverpool side, and three to one to Celtic after scoring the first goal and giving up two goals to Kuhn before the first half expired.
While RB Leipzig’s goalkeeper Peter Gulasci has been lights out in the Bundesliga, only allowing five goals on thirty-six shots and earning seven clean sheets, his Champions League form has been costly. He allowed six goals on sixteen shots, placing him in the bottom fifth among goalkeepers in save percentage. Lois Openda has scored five goals and two assists in the German League, but only one assist against the elite of Europe. Benjamin Sasko has been their main goal scorer in the Champions League, scoring three out of Leipzig’s four goals in competition. Their only other goal scorer is Antonio Nusa who has only three assists outside of his Champions League goal. Xavi Simons has been a nonfactor, with two goals and an assist in the Bundesliga plus no goals or assists in the Champions League. David Raum has allowed two goals in six games in Germany, but he surrendered four goals in two games in the Champions League. Will Orban has similar stats, but he has two goals as well.
Atletico Madrid
Much like their inner city rival, Atletico Madrid has been strong in their league but has hit some roadblocks in the Champions League.
Much like RB Leipzig, their defense has carried them through their league, allowing seven goals through thirteen games. Unlike RB Leipzig, their offense has been solid, scoring nineteen goals this season. They are third in La Liga, one point behind their nemesis Real Madrid.
Their Champions League campaign has been underwhelming, winning two and losing two. One of their losses is a four goal to nothing beatdown by Benfica. They did beat Paris Saint-Germain two goals to one, but that says more about PSG than Atletico.
Jan Oblak has shown his talent in La Liga, stopping twenty-nine out of thirty-six shots, but things have not been as smooth in the Champions League as he only stopped half of this sixteen shots against. Alexander Sorloth scored four goals and two assists in La Liga, but nothing in the Champions League. Angel Correa has two goals and no assists in La Liga, but zero goals and one assist in Europe. Manchester City transfer Julian Alvarez has struggled in the Champions League scoring only one goal.
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