Which team will create a new Champions League underdog story?

The Champions League is a competition that allows every club to make history.

Often than not, a club will defy the odds and make good progress in the competition and even reach the final.

One interesting case was Jose Mourinho's FC Porto, who knocked out the biggest clubs in the competition to win it in 2004.

Their opponent in the final, AS Monaco, was also not one of the favourites when the competition started, so it was a final between two clubs we could call underdogs.

There have been other finals that way, and in the next campaign, we could see one of the clubs who have earned a surprise spot in the competition do well.

Clubs make the group stage of the Champions League by finishing inside the top spots in their respective leagues or going through a tough qualifying campaign.

The teams who have qualified for the competition at this stage are those who made it happen by finishing in a good spot in their respective league tables.

England, Spain, Germany and Italy automatically get four spots in the group stages, so every club that finishes inside the top four in their league will earn promotion to the Champions League group stage.

France and Portugal have two teams who automatically qualify for the competition, while some other countries have one, and the rest have to make the group stages through the qualifiers.

While the qualifiers are being played now, some clubs have already made the next edition's group stage, and some are not fancied to make a meaningful impact in it.

However, because there is room for upset, some of these teams will be so good that fans will buy Champions League tickets just to watch them play.

They have worked hard to break into the top four in their league or even win the domestic division, so we would be smart not to underestimate what they can achieve in the competition proper.

Newcastle United

The Magpies shocked fans with some outstanding and solid football in the Premier League last season.

They spent several weeks in the top four, and it seemed they would end as one of those clubs that threatened the country's big boys and settle for a Europa League spot or even less.

However, Eddie Howe's men defied the odds and took Liverpool's place among the Champions League flagbearers for England this season.

They are one team we expect will do well in the competition, even though they might be in a very tough group.

The men from Saint James' Park could create a new Champions League underdog story if they remain committed to the style of football that earned them a place in the competition.

Lens

Lens is one of the traditional big boys in France, but they have underachieved for several seasons, so their improved form in the last campaign came as a huge surprise to football fans and followers.

They were rewarded with an automatic spot in the Champions League ahead of the likes of Olympique Marseille and Lille and would now look to take their form to the Champions League.

Franck Haise has been their manager since 2020 and has been given time to build a team that no longer lacks consistency.

They challenged PSG for the league crown last season and would now fancy their chances of causing upsets in the Champions League.

Lens will be in one of the tough groups in the competition and might face ruthless opposition, but we expect them to still make some good progress and probably become the underdog that causes some upsets.

Union Berlin

For several weeks last season, Union Berlin was atop the league standings in Germany, and it seemed they would end the campaign as league champions.

However, by the end of the campaign, it was the traditional two-horse race between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.

But that does not take away the fact that Union Berlin enjoyed one of the spectacular campaigns in their domestic league last season.

They reached the round of 16, where another superb club in Europe, Union Saint Gilloise, exited them from the competition, but the Germans had several memorable performances in the competition, including defeating Ajax and Braga in the group stages.

They are one side many teams will underestimate in the Champions League, and this will make them even stronger. They will be one of the clubs to watch in the competition.

Feyenoord

Feyenoord won the Dutch top flight by playing some superb football under Arne Slot in the last campaign. They also reached the final of the Conference League in the 2021/2022 season.

Their performance last term was so good Tottenham wanted to make Slot their manager at the end of the campaign.

Luckily for them, he remained and signed a new contract instead of taking the offer from the Premier League club.

Feyenoord now has the chance to show the rest of Europe what they can do on the continent and are expected to be in top shape in the competition.

They are not among the most famous names on this list, but after losing just two league games in the whole of last and winning the Dutch League with seven points, it is hard not to see them cause a few upsets in the Champions League.

Real Sociedad

With the help of the now-retired David Silva, Real Sociedad finished the last Spanish league season fourth on the table.

For much of that campaign, they were one of the teams to watch and deliver top performances for their fans to see.

Apart from Silva, the likes of Takefusa Kubo, Martin Zubimendi and Robin Le Normand performed well for the club to make them one of the hardest sides to play against.

They lost Umar Sadiq to a long-term injury at the start of the season, but the Nigerian would be back to become a key player for them in this campaign.

This will bolster their options in the Champions League and other competitions, and we expect to see an even better Sociedad next season.

The loss of Silva will be a big blow, but the Basque country club has more than enough talents to make an impression and shock teams that will underestimate them in games.

Shakhtar Donetsk

The war in Ukraine means most football fans are in love with clubs from that country and their national team.

We mostly want them to succeed and will support them over any other team when they play in competitive games.

The players from that part of the world and their clubs have extra motivation to continue doing well in games against opponents.

This is one reason we believe Shakhtar Donetsk could be the club that causes a major upset in the Champions League next season.

They are the top side in the country's top division and have been used to playing in the Champions League for much of their existence.

Next season, they will get a chance to make an impression in the competition for their country, and if they are at their best, it will be hard for any team to stop them.

As the war rages on, Shakhtar Donetsk will trust in the likes of Lassina Traoré, Anatoliy Trubin, and Mykola Matviyenko to help them win Champions League games and go as far as possible in the competition.

If they reach the latter stages of the UCL, more fans will know about the war in their country and perhaps pressure those involved to end the onslaught.

Some clubs are yet to qualify for the competition next season, and we may find some underdogs in that group that will do well.

However, the teams we have listed are ones to keep an eye on because they will likely reach the latter stages of the competition and cause a few upsets.