Shock Stars and Miserable Masters - The Under and Over Performers of The Champions League

Shock Stars and Miserable Masters - The Under- and Over-Performers of The Champions League

As we head into the penultimate game week of the Champions League, we can start to see the table form and see who will finish where in the league phase of the competition. We will see some teams finish in the top 8 or top half of the table who we didn’t expect to see and see some who failed to reach these parts of the table. So, who have been the biggest over- and underachievers of the Champions League so far this season?

Overachiever – Qarabag FK

Who at the start of the season knew who Qarabag were before the UCL campaign kicked off? A team that currently sits in second place in the Azerbaijan league in a spot that wouldn’t even get into the second tier of European football.

To put it simply, they have been having very much an underdog season in Europe after qualifying in August, as they currently sit in 22nd place, something that, if they keep a hold of, will be a massive achievement, as it will see them move on in the competition. They have seen some amazing results, especially in the first 2 game weeks, where they saw victories against Portuguese giants Benfica and Danish side FC Kobenhavn.

However, these two victories aren’t the height of their upsets this campaign, as they managed to get a draw against 2-time Champions League winners and, at the time, red-hot Chelsea. While they have seen their form drop a bit, all they need is one good result in their next 2 games, and they will likely see themselves move onto the next phase, where they will dream of a victory to go deeper into the competition.

Chelsea drop points to Qarabağ in the UCL.

They previously led the Azerbaijani side 10 goals to 0 after two previous meetings 😅 pic.twitter.com/yTwbnTbC6I

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 5, 2025

They have absolutely been an overachiever, going from a team that very few people have heard of to a team that can actually push into the playoff phase of the Champions League.

Underachiever – Villarreal

The team that is currently challenging Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of La Liga is having a nightmare of a Champions League run. They currently sit at the bottom of the league, having only managed to pick up a single point in their first 6 matches. To make it worse for them, they have struggled to really cause much issue for any team they have played, having only scored 4 goals in those 6 games, and those 4 goals came in just 2 of those 6 matches, including the game where they picked up their only point.

They have really struggled this season, losing to teams that they would have been the heavy favourites to win against going into the game, such as a 1-0 loss to Pafos. Overall, it looks like they are focusing more on the league than the Champions League, and that has seemed to pay off domestically, but overall, they would’ve expected to be at least fighting for those top 24 spots to move on rather than being sat towards the bottom.

Ultimately, they have been the biggest underachievers this season in the Champions League, especially when comparing it to how they are doing in the league currently.

Overachievers – Atalanta

For a team that sits in 7th in the Serie A, you wouldn’t expect them to have only picked up a single loss in the Champions League this season, but that is what they have done. With 13 points they are comfortable in the top 24, and with 2 easier fixtures as their last 2 games, they are very likely to get automatic qualification to the quarterfinals.

After starting off their Champions League run with a heavy defeat, losing 4-0 to the current champions of Europe, PSG, they have bounced back excellently, only dropping points a single time in a 0-0 draw against Slavia Prague.

They have managed to get wins against teams such as Chelsea, Marseille and Frankfurt. They will be hoping that they can finish off the last 2 games with at least 4 more points, if not a perfect 6, and if they do, they will be comfortable in the top 8.

After finishing 9th last season in this stage, it isn’t the most unexpected overperformance, but based on their league form, seeing them so comfortable in the top 8, it only makes sense to say that they have overperformed what people would’ve expected at the start.

Underperformers – Napoli

Going into this Champions League campaign as Italian champions and currently sitting 3rd in the Serie A, a lot of people would’ve expected or hoped for more from Napoli. However, that has not happened. They currently sit in 23rd place and are equal on points with 25th place. With 2 difficult games in their last 2 fixtures, including an away trip to Denmark to face Kobenhavn and then a game against Chelsea, they could see a very early exit.

However, the main issue hasn’t just been results, but overall performances. Having only scored 6 goals and conceding 11, they have been poor at both ends of the pitch. This was shown most in their 3rd match where they faced PSV away and lost 6-2 something that a League winner from the top 5 leagues shouldn’t see especially one that only conceded 27 goals last season and 17 this season.

They have been very disappointing, especially when considering they were coming into this campaign as the champions of Italy with a very strong squad and elite league format manager. Overall, very disappointing.