All eyes are on the world’s biggest clubs ahead of the new competitive phase of the 2024-25 Champions League, but there are a few crafty outsiders who could surprise the world and secure a place in the knockout stages.

The updated Champions League format split the 36 qualifying teams into four seeding pots, which provided a comprehensive ranking of all participating clubs ahead of the draw for the league stage. The best teams, based on the previous season’s performance, were in Pot 1, with the next tier of clubs settling for Pot 2, and so on.

On paper, the top 18 clubs in the league are superior to the bottom 18 clubs. The favourites to progress beyond the league stage are therefore those in Pots 1 and 2, such as Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal.

However, favourable draws and current winning form give several teams in Pots 3 and 4 a good chance of securing a ticket to the round of 16.

PSV Eindhoven – Pot 3

PSV stand out as one of the bottom 18 teams that can reach the knockout rounds. The reigning Dutch champions started their title defense with five consecutive victories and scored a total of 20 goals in their opening games.

The competition PSV will face in the league phase will be tougher than the domestic games, but the club proved last year that it can rise to the challenge against Premier League, Ligue 1 and La Liga talent. In the 2023-24 Champions League season, PSV finished second in its group, with Arsenal, Sevilla and Lens, having lost just one game in the six matches.

A year later, Peter Bosz’s men will once again face teams from the top five European leagues they can beat, including Girona without Savinho and Artem Dovbyk, Brest and Crvena Zvezda, who are struggling.

Of course Liverpool, PSG and Juventus will be tougher tests, but as long as PSV beats the teams it already has, should defeat, then even a draw against one of the top clubs could be the positive result needed to progress to the knockout stages.

Celtic – Pot 3

In recent years, Celtic have had the unfortunate pleasure of coming up against some of the best teams in the world in the Champions League group stages, including Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and RB Leipzig. The Scottish giants have not reached the knockout stages of the UCL for over a decade, but Brendan Rodgers’ side could finally end their poor European run after earning a respectable draw for the 2024-25 competition stage.

Celtic avoided many of the most threatening teams in Pots 1 and 2 and will instead face Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge and Atalanta. Even if they stumble against their four toughest opponents, Celtic can make up the points against Young Boys, Dinamo Zagreb, SK Slovan Bratislava and Aston Villa.

The reigning Scottish Premiership champions have yet to concede a goal in their opening five league games, even recording pre-season victories over Manchester City and Chelsea. If Callum McGregor can continue to command the midfield and Kasper Schmeichel holds his own behind his solid defensive line, Celtic can certainly push themselves into the last 16.

Aston Villa – Pot 4

Aston Villa secured their return to European football after finishing fourth in the Premier League last season. With four-time Europa League-winning manager Unai Emery at the helm, Aston Villa are set to make a statement in their first Champions League match since 1982.

The club may not have had a great end to the 2023-24 Premier League season, but this season they bounced back, only dropping points against Arsenal in a game that could have gone either way.

Unlike other Pot 4 teams, Aston Villa play in what is arguably the most competitive league in the world and their weekly Premier League games provide all the preparation the team needs to achieve success in the UCL, especially against the ‘easier’ teams in the draw such as Young Boys, Bologna and Monaco.

Aston Villa may not be a match for Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig, but Emery’s men stand a good chance as long as Emiliano Martínez, who just won the Golden Glove at the 2024 Copa América, starts between the posts.