UEFA: Top 10 Surprise Champions League Contenders
All football fans know who the main contenders for the 2010-11 UEFA Champions League title are, Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter and AC Milan.
Those six clubs are always in the mix to win the title and they have taken the last five UCL titles.
What some casual football fans may not know, is that the other 10 teams do pose a threat to the throne of the big clubs in Europe and that is exactly what this list is.
With No.10 being the least surprising team and No. 1 being the most surprising contender in this year's knockout round.
10. Bayern Munich
1 of 10
Last season's runners-up are finally hitting their stride in the Bundesliga and doing it while scoring a lot of goals.
With Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery back in the lineup, Bayern faces a round of 16 matchup with the team they faced in the final last season, Inter Milan.
If they take down Inter, Bayern Munich could be even more of a serious contender than they are now.
9. Arsenal
2 of 10
The Gunners have not reached the Champions League final since 2006 and face a tough test to advance to the quarterfinals.
That tough test comes in the form of their 2006 final opponent, Barcelona.
The struggling Arsenal back line will have a lot of trouble with the Barcelona attack that includes Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and more.
Arsenal really have just a slim chance of advancing past Barca, but if they do, they will replace the Catalans as one of the top contenders for the title.
8. Lyon
3 of 10
It has become routine for Lyon to reach this stage of the Champions League but they have never won the title.
Manager Claude Puel has led another very talented and underrated Lyon squad to the knockout round with veterans like Cris and Jeremy Toulalan and youngsters like Jimmy Briand, Yoann Gourcuff and Miralem Pjanic.
Puel and company will face Spanish giants Real Madrid in the round of 16 in a rematch of last season's match in the same round, when the French club came out on top and advanced to the semifinals.
7. Roma
4 of 10
Roma finished second in Group E and are drawn against a tough Shakhtar Donetsk team.
Francesco Totti, Daniele De Rossi and company have been to this stage before and if was not for a couple of run-ins with Manchester United, Roma could have seen a trip to the final.
With a few matchups in the round of 16 that face big time contenders against each other, Roma could face weaker opponents throughout the knockout round to get to Wembley.
6. Copenhagen
5 of 10
Let's be honest, not many people in Copenhagen even think that their club can take down Chelsea in the round of 16, but upsets can happen.
The Danish club is running away with the SAS Ligaen title again as they sit 19 points ahead of second- place Odense.
The one problem Copenhagen is facing is that their winter break from league play in still in session until next week so they have not played a competitive game since December.
5. Marseille
6 of 10
Marseille may be on a seven-game unbeaten streak in Ligue 1 but they are facing the hottest team in Europe, Manchester United, in the round of 16.
The winners of the 1993 Champions League final will definitely go a step back towards their glory days if they somehow find a way to take down Manchester United.
4. Schalke
7 of 10
Schalke have had their struggles this season in the always wild Bundesliga but they now have to turn their focus to their round of 16 matchup with Valencia.
Sitting 10th in the Bundesliga, Schalke will probably not see Champions League football next year and that means no Champions League football for one of Europe's greats, Raul.
But, if there is one player who can score goals and propel a team to the final it is Raul.
3. Valencia
8 of 10
Once again, Valencia is sitting in the shadow of the two Spanish giants, Barcelona and Real Madrid, and have made the knockout stage for the first time since the 2006-07 season.
As they go into their round of 16 tie with Schalke, it is amazing to think that Valencia have lost David Villa and David Silva and are still succeeding as they are third in the La Liga table.
Players like Aritz Aduriz and Roberto Soldado have picked up the goal scoring where the void of Villa and Silva has affected the club most.
With a favorable draw against Schalke, and then a positive string of results, Valencia could be a huge challenge for whoever they face down the road in the Champions League.
2. Tottenham Hotspur
9 of 10
People said this team would not make the Champions League.
When they made the Champions League, people said they would not make the knockout round, but here they are and Spurs are going to be a tough opponent for AC Milan.
With talented players like Gareth Bale, Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe and others, Harry Redknapp can push Spurs forward to be the first English club outside of the big four to make a run in the Champions League in the last five years.
1. Shakhar Donetsk
10 of 10
If there is one team that will surprise people and go far in the Champions League, it is Shakhtar Donetsk.
The winners of the 2009 UEFA Cup have not played a competitive game since December, but they are well trained and the layoff will not affect them as they head into their round of 16 clash with Roma.
Led by two Croatians, Eduardo and Dario Srna, Donetsk will look make a long run and if they face one of the European giants, do not be shocked if they upset them as they proved they can beat the big clubs by taking down Arsenal in the group stage this year.
