The further the Champions League progresses, the less predictable it becomes.
The vetting begins early as teams with the slimmest of odds for European glory gradually bow out once the group stage concludes.
Surprises aren’t uncommon at that point, but sustained success is much tougher to achieve over the duration of a six-match qualifying period.
However, the Round of 16 offers a greater chance for a handful of the continent’s unlikely contenders to jolt the competition and pull off a giant slaying over the span of two matches.
Here are three teams poised to shock the world and make a deep run in the Champions League:
Sevilla
There’s no other team over the last 40 years that’s enjoyed quite as much success against continental foes like Sevilla.
On the heels of another Europa League triumph, there’s literally nowhere Sevilla would rather be at this point of the season than in the knockout stage competing with the world’s best teams for a chance to win a ludicrous fourth consecutive European title.
This season, the Spanish side – which became the first team since Bayern Munich in 1973 to claim three straight European trophies – was rewarded for its latest Europa League title with a place in the Champions League, where Sevilla’s impressive performances continued despite being lumped in a difficult group.
Jorge Sampaoli’s men now look poised for a deep run as they get set to clash with a Leicester City outfit in the midst of a goalless drought of epic proportions for a defending English champion.
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Perhaps the confidence associated with a presumably painless two-legged triumph will propel Sevilla to further success, and potentially see Los Rojiblanco become the first team since Chelsea in 2013 to win consecutive European titles in separate tournaments.
AS Monaco
With one of Europe’s most potent attacking units, there were likely no shortage of teams happy to avoid Monaco during the Round of 16 draw.
In contrast to the past two seasons, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about Monaco’s chances of producing a deep run. The team’s comfortable progression past the group stage is even more impressive when the club’s domestic success is taken into consideration, as Leonardo Jardim’s side attempts to usurp Paris Saint-Germain as France’s top-flight champion.
The objective in the knockout round, however, is far from comfortable against a Manchester City unit that presents a massive obstacle. Yet, Monaco’s historically impressive away record against English teams – five wins, two draws, two losses – could provide an injection of confidence heading into the first leg at the Etihad Stadium.
A morale-boosting victory over Pep Guardiola and a City side loaded with talent could give Monaco the confidence it needs to carry out bigger upsets as the competition evolves.
Napoli
Napoli has the potential to be one of the biggest banana skins on Real Madrid’s route to a 12th European title
The Italians enter the two-legged affair with little to no pressure against a Real squad predicted to steamroll its way into the quarter-finals.
Yet, betting against Napoli – and its chances of preventing Madrid from becoming the first club during the Champions League era to defend its title – is far from guaranteed.
The Italian side has several players to thank for its success of late, but the scoring rampage that Dries Mertens has produced will likely have Real boss Zinedine Zidane scrambling to contain the gifted Belgian attacker.
With a scoring record (14 goals) over the past 10 games unrivalled by the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Edinson Cavani, and former teammate Gonzalo Higuaín, Mertens could be the driving force behind one of the biggest upsets in Champions League history.
