5 Sleeper Teams That Could Win the Champions League

In general, the same teams win the Champions League every year. In fact, since 1992, the first year of the current format, only 12 teams have won and six others have made the finals. That means that in 20 tournaments, the same 18 teams have featured in the final. This year likely will be no different, but I still hold out hope that someone can come out of the ashes and steal the title.

These are my five most likely sleeper teams to accomplish such a feat.

A sleeper is defined by three rules.

1. A team that has not been in the semifinals the last two years, therefore Bayer, Munich, Lyon, Inter, Barcelona, Schalke, Manchester United and Real Madrid are out. 
2. Nor are they one of the consensus “new” favorites...
3. ...or a team that is successful almost every year, removing: Manchester City, AC Milan, Arsenal and Chelsea.

That leaves 22 teams to choose from, and here are the ones with best chance.

5. Shakhtar Donetsk

Donetsk are in Group E, which happens to be the only group that consists solely of sleepers, and they have to be considered one of the favorites to get out of the group. They have a manager in Mircea Lucescu, who has a great history in European competition and is a chairman that has put tons of money into developing a continental contender.

They are shaky at the back, however, and the Ukrainian Premier League is hardly a great stepping stone to the Champions League. They have Eduardo and Luiz Adriano up top, but the player to watch is Yevhen Seleznyov.

4. Borussia Dortmund

Dortmund also has a fairly straightforward group and once a team makes it to the knockout stage, anything can happen. They may struggle with Marseille and Arsenal, but I think Dortmund wins Group F with their good strike force and solid defending.

They have a weak midfield, however, and that could cost them in future rounds. Coming off the heels of a first-place finish in Bundesliga last year, Dortmund has the class, and if they put it together we may see them in Munich for the final.

3. Valencia

In arguably the most wide-open group, Valencia will have to face Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen and Racing Genk, and they will win Group E.

Gone are the days of Ruben Baraja, Pablo Aimar, David Silva and David Villa, yet this team remains intriguing. While they struggle to keep up with Real Madrid and Barcelona domestically, with players like Roberto Soldado, David Albelda, Dani Parejo, Miguel and Sergio Canales this team is poised for a continental run.

I see this team making huge waves and possibly stealing some hardware.

2. Benfica

Speaking of Pablo Aimar, he heads a solid midfield at the Portuguese powerhouse. Yet, Benfica remain one of the more intriguing teams, if only because of their inconsistency. However, they find themselves in a very favorable group—Manchester United, Basel, and Otelul Galati—that will probably see them come out runners-up.

This is a team that has plenty of internationals and numerous recognizable stars, but it won’t be Joan Capdevilla or Luisao, but Oscar Cardozo has got to be the man for Benfica. I think he shows up to play and Benfica makes a run at the final.

1. FC Porto

Granted they are probably the obvious choice, but everything looks in their favor. They have a group, which may provide some hiccups, but there is no way they don’t get past Group G with Shakhtar, St. Petersburg and APOEL.

They failed to qualify for the Champions League last year, but the Europa League winners are retooled and look like a force to be reckoned with. They were able to hold onto their outstanding Brazilian striker Hulk and when paired with countryman Kleber up top they will provide goals. Cristian Rodriguez is a playmaker and with Joao Moutinho or Fernando Belluschi on the opposite wing they are a matchup nightmare.

They are one of the few teams who could really put pressure on the defenders and midfielders of Barcelona or either Manchester team or I predict that they will. Porto will hoist the cup May 19.