Monday, July 10, 2023

Who's the Best Underdog Story in UCL?

 Just some quick notes about what's been going on in the UEFA Champions League. The smaller nations get a crack at trying to have a spot at the big table. This will be the last Group Stage format that we have known to roll our eyes at. 

I've been calling for a change for a very long time. Now that it will happen, I wonder if it is too late. Take the 1997 UEFA Champions League season. Rosenborg from Norway, made the Quarterfinals. Now, the representative from Norway will be lucky to get six points in the Group Stage. What the hell has happened?? 

It's frustrating because parity is what makes a great sporting event a must see sporting event. Please do your part in supporting the underdogs! 


Team 1Agg.Team 21st leg2nd leg
BK Häcken SwedenMatch 1Wales The New Saints12 July18 July
Ballkani KosovoMatch 2Bulgaria Ludogorets Razgrad11 July19 July
Shamrock Rovers Republic of IrelandMatch 3Iceland Breiðablik11 July18 July
Žalgiris LithuaniaMatch 4North Macedonia Struga11 July18 July
 Faroe IslandsMatch 5Hungary Ferencváros11 July19 July
Olimpija Ljubljana SloveniaMatch 6Latvia Valmiera11 July19 July
HJK FinlandMatch 7Northern Ireland Larne12 July19 July
Lincoln Red Imps GibraltarMatch 8[A]Azerbaijan Qarabağ11 July19 July
Raków Częstochowa PolandMatch 9[A]Estonia Flora11 July18 July
Slovan Bratislava SlovakiaMatch 10Luxembourg Swift Hesperange12 July19 July
Farul Constanța RomaniaMatch 11Moldova Sheriff Tiraspol12 July18 July
Ħamrun Spartans MaltaMatch 12Israel Maccabi Haifa11 July18 July
Urartu ArmeniaMatch 13Bosnia and Herzegovina Zrinjski Mostar11 July18 July
Partizani AlbaniaMatch 14Belarus BATE Borisov11 July18 July
Astana KazakhstanMatch 15Georgia (country) Dinamo Tbilisi12 July19 July

   Some great matchups for the 2nd round. Hoping to see a underdog come through one of these 30 teams. Should be some big European nights. I like rooting for the countries with the smallest populations. 

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