Rise Of The Underdog

by Joel Abraham

This week's round of Champions League fixtures has given us plenty to think about. Michel Platini's crusade to flood the competition with obscure teams from remote countries seems to have made some progress at least, with the likes of Anderlecht, Rangers, Olympiacos and Galatasaray dumped out at the expense of relative minnows Cluj, Anorthosis, BATE and Aalborg. Yet, far from being the whipping boys most of us would've anticipated, these teams are holding their own amidst the European heavyweights.

Cluj

Five years ago, Cluj were in the regional third division of Romanian football. They are now reigning champions. With the aim of breaking the stranglehold of the Bucharest big three, Cluj already seem likely to better Steaua's recent European achievements. The side is packed with foreign signings from Portugal, Argentina, Sweden and Brazil, and their relative lack of experience has done little to hinder their chances. A stunning 2-1 win against Roma at the Olimpico was followed by a 0-0 home draw with Chelsea, and you would fancy their chances of toppling a Bordeaux team that has yet to impress. Cluj are capable of goals from any area of the pitch, with the talented Eugen Trica creating the chances and Argentine winger Juan Culio having left his mark on the Italian capital. Manager Ioan Andone has a promising career ahead of him, and for Cluj, the knockout stages beckon.

Aalborg

The Danish Champions have not appeared in the competition since 1996, and enjoyed an impressive campaign last year that included knocking Sampdoria out of the UEFA Cup. Ex-Arsenal boss Bruce Rioch took over this year, as they comfortably beat Rangers' conquerors Kaunus in the final qualifying round. Although they are unlikely to disrupt Man United and Villarreal's progress to the last 16, they look sure to provide Celtic with some stiff competition for the UEFA Cup spot after holding the Scottish Champions to a stalemate at Parkhead on Matchday One. Their central defensive pairing of Michael Beauchamp and Michael Jakobsen were excellent that night, and Moroccan keeper Karim Zaza was key to their title win last season. Celtic will be approaching the return fixture at the Energi Nord Arena on Matchday Five with some trepidation. 

Anorthosis

After an excellent qualifying campaign that overcame a supposedly superior Rapid Wien and a historic win over Greek title-holders Olympiacos, Anorthosis have approached the current campaign with nothing to fear. This is in part down to the motivating tactics of manager Temuri Ketsbaia, as well as an increase in top-tier experience in the squad. The colossal Traianos Dellas has bolstered the defence, and ex-Real Madrid midfielder Savio was a CL winner back in 2000. Ketsbaia switches between a conservative 4-5-1 and a 4-4-2 for home games, with an aggressive, physical approach that has so far yielded an impressive point at Bremen and a comfortable 3-1 home win over Panathinaikos. They are level at the summit of Group B, and if they can salvage points from their two encounters with Inter then qualification would be well within their grasp.

BATE

The dominant force in Belarus, BATE reached the Group Stage with unexpected wins over Anderlecht and Levski Sofia. The team are physically fitter than most others and are tactically astute, as well as possessing an impressive youth academy. Most of their best players are poached by Russian teams, so the emphasis is very much upon youth. 31-year-old manager Viktor Goncharenko has blended this youth with a few experienced older heads and the side is built around the talents of holding midfielder Dmitry Likhtarovich. BATE lost 2-0 at the Bernabeu but held Juventus to a 2-2 draw at home, and look set to battle it out with Zenit for the UEFA Cup spot.