The Champions League group stage (or league phase since 2024/25) has split opinion.

To some, it’s too predictable, a procession for the biggest teams to earn more money and set up the standard field in the knockout rounds. 

To others, it’s a chance for smaller clubs to play against Europe’s elite sides and provides drama in the first half of the season before we get into the high stakes of knockout football.

Most seasons in the Champions League era have seen a surprise team or two in the knockout rounds. When looking through the group stages, we found 10 major shocks since 2010: 

Club Brugge – 2024/25

The consensus seemed to be that expanding the Champions League first round to a 36-team league phase would make it easier for the continent’s richest clubs to avoid upsets.

Instead, the first edition saw teams from the Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A fail to reach the knockout playoff. Manchester City, Atalanta, and Juventus then fell in the playoffs. 

Club Brugge, after finishing 24th in the league phase, overcame Atalanta in the playoff round to reach the knockout proper.

The Belgian club needed some luck, but they managed to beat Atalanta in both legs and got results against Aston Villa, Celtic, Sporting, and Juventus in the first round. 

Feyenoord – 2024/25 

Feyenoord weren’t expected to reach the last 16. Wins over Girona, Benfica, and Bayern Munich, and a spectacular draw away to Manchester City, set up a playoff with Milan.

A 2-1 aggregate win over the Rossoneri secured Feyenoord’s place in the round of 16 and another trip to Italy with a tie against Inter.

They hadn’t gone beyond the first round of the Champions League in over 30 years. 

Copenhagen – 2023/24

Copenhagen reached the round of 16 in 2010/11 before losing to Chelsea.

The Danish club didn’t make much noise in the competition between that season and the 2023/24 campaign when they improbably made it out of Group A ahead of Manchester United and Galatasaray.

A 6-2 aggregate defeat to Manchester City ended Copenhagen’s European adventure in the first knockout round. They finished third in the Danish topflight, resulting in a Conference League spot for 2024/25. 

Club Brugge – 2022/23

Can a team be a surprise twice in three seasons? In this case, yes, they can. 

Club Brugge’s success in 2022/23 didn’t make them a favourite for progression in 2024/25. 

While Brugge’s group was more group of underachievers than group of death, it was still a remarkable achievement to progress.

They won three and drew two in a section with Porto, Bayer Leverkusen, and Atletico Madrid to reach the second round of the competition for the first time since 1998/99.

Basel – 2017/18

The Champions League group stage was all a bit predictable between 2018 and 2022.

The outcomes were pretty much as expected in 2017/18, aside from Basel collecting 12 points from a group featuring Manchester United, CSKA Moscow, and Benfica.

Basel beat Benfica twice – the Portuguese club didn’t get a point in the group – and beat United at home. Their reward was a last 16 tie with Manchester City, which was over after a 4-0 home defeat in the first leg. 

Dynamo Kyiv – 2015/16

A home draw with Chelsea, and a win away to Porto set Dynamo Kyiv up to progress from Group G in 2015/16. The Ukrainian club didn’t have the most daunting group, but no one expected them to pip Porto to the runner-up spot. 

Conceding only four goals in six matches left only a handful of teams with a better defensive record. 

Like so many teams to feature on this list, Dynamo’s round of 16 tie was against Manchester City. They lost 3-1 on aggregate. 

Gent – 2015/16

Zenit, Valencia, and Lyon weren’t the scariest group-stage opponents for Gent in 2015/16.

Still, the Belgian club was rank outsiders to progress to the last 16, considering they had never played in the European Cup or Champions League, and hadn’t reached the first round of the Europa League in half a decade.

Seven points from three home matches and a win away to Lyon was enough for Gent to progress to the round of 16.

Basel – 2014/15 

Drawn with Ludogorets, Liverpool, and Real Madrid, Basel were clearly the third-strongest team in Group B. Liverpool were only a few months removed from Steven Gerrard’s infamous slip and a runners-up finish in the Premier League. 

Real Madrid had added Toni Kroos, James Rodriguez, and Keylor Navas to a Champions League-winning squad.

Basel, though, kept three clean sheets in the group, beat Liverpool and Ludogorets at home, and held Liverpool to a draw at Anfield to finish with seven points. 

Olympiacos – 2013/14

Olympiacos weren’t expected to make the knockouts according to the football betting markets in 2013/14.

Drawn with PSG, Benfica, and Anderlecht in Group C, the Greek club didn’t have the toughest draw, but it was still a big ask to snatch a top two spot.

This was Olympiacos’ first Champions League knockout appearance in four years and only their third since 1999. 

APOEL – 2011/12

Group G in 2011/12 wasn’t exactly a group of death. APOEL were joined by Porto, Zenit, and Shakhtar Donetsk. While the draw hadn’t been cruel to the Cypriot outfit, they were still the weakest team in the section on paper.

A high percentage of draws led to a low-scoring group. The teams finished within four points, with APOEL improbably taking top spot after winning only two of their six matches (home to Zenit and home to Porto). 

Six goals scored and six conceded took APOEL to nine points, which has rarely been enough to qualify, let alone win the group. APOEL, however, continued to defy Champions League betting odds by beating Lyon on penalties in the last 16, setting up a glamour tie with Real Madrid in the quarters.

---

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Adobe*

The Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse has seen a great rivalry between the home team of British-trained runners and those coming across the Irish Sea for many years. 

To celebrate this rivalry, an official competition between the two countries was devised in 2014 and titled “The Prestbury Cup”.

The Prestbury Cup runs from the first race of the four-day meeting from the first race on Day One through until either country has 14 winners or more. There are a total of 28 races during the course of The Festival. 

The Prestbury Cup, named after the village close to Cheltenham Racecourse, is presented to jockeys and trainers from Ireland or Britain once the winning country is confirmed.  

Historical Rivalry

Fierce rivalry between British and Irish trainers has always been a feature of the Cheltenham Festival since the days of Cottage Rake who, in 1948, became the first Irish-trained horse to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup and defended his title in 1949 and 1950. 

The duel between Arkle, trained in Ireland, and Mill House, trained in England, in the 60’s stoked up further Irish interest in the Cheltenham Festival. 

The Irish ‘invasion’ of Prestbury Park in March each year has been an annual pilgrimage for many long years. 

Prestbury Park Results

• 2014: Great Britain 15-12 

• 2015: Great Britain 14-13 

• 2016: Ireland 15-13 

• 2017: Ireland 19-9 

• 2018: Ireland 17-11 

• 2019: Tie 14-14 

• 2020: Ireland 17-10 

• 2021: Ireland 23-5 

• 2022: Ireland 18-10 

• 2023: Ireland 18-10 

• 2024: Ireland 18-9 

Prestbury Park Odds

Since tying in 2019, Ireland have won every edition of the Prestbury Cup. Famously, back in 2021, they claimed 23 wins to Great Britain’s 5.

It’s therefore perfectly understandable that Ireland are big favourites to secure the title once again in 2025 with the betting as follows: 

• Ireland - 1/9

• Tie - 12/1

• Great Britain - 15/2 

The reason for Irish dominance in the Prestbury Cup odds is relatively straightforward.  

Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Gavin Cromwell and Henry De Bromhead all have impressive records at the Cheltenham Festival and those trainers are highly likely to have multiple victories this year. 

Great Britain, who will be led by Nicky Henderson, Dan Skelton and Paul Nicholls, to name but a few, will need some mighty impressive performances to even get near doubles figures for the week. Hence the very lopsided betting.  

If you believe Great Britain hold some sort of a chance of dethroning the Irish with a handicap start, then we have the betting market priced up as so: 

• Ireland - (-6.5) 4/7

• Great Britain - (+6.5) 5/4 

There’s definitely some value to be found in our Cheltenham Festival Specials.

---

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Adobe*

Whether they be from the Timeform all-time ranking lists or purely based on popularity, National Hunt racing fans can all agree that there have been some exemplary hurdlers down the years.

Every compilation of this nature is subjective, and it will differ somewhat from person to person, but at the end of the day, we all recognise that these horses were simply the GREATEST!

ISTABRAQ

Istabraq totally transformed hurdle racing over two miles. In all he won 23 of his 29 races over obstacles, most famously becoming the fifth horse to win three Champion Hurdles at the Cheltenham Festival.

He also won the 1997 Royal Sun Alliance Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham as well as four Irish Champion Hurdles, two Hatton’s Grace Hurdles and an Aintree Hurdle over the course of his stellar career.

BULA

Few horses ever won Champion Hurdles as emphatically as Bula. In 1971 he won the hurdling crown by four lengths from the mighty Persian War and the following year doubled the winning margin.

Bula was unbeaten in his first 13 hurdle races, and only lost his 14th start because of an unfortunate error at the last.

SEA PIGEON

As versatile horses go, Sea Pigeon was one of the very best. Winner of 37 of his 85 races on the Flat and over hurdles, he really was a force to be reckoned with.

He twice won the Champion Hurdle, in 1980 and 1981, as well as recording victories in two Chester Cup’s and an Ebor Handicap.

NIGHT NURSE

As well as winning the Champion Hurdle twice, he competed at seven Cheltenham Festivals, the first as a four-year-old and his final one at the age of eleven.

'He was a fine ambassador for jumping and must have made many a convert to the sport’ said Timeform upon his retirement.

MONKSFIELD

Monksfield’s battles with the Peter Easterby-trained pair Night Nurse and Sea Pigeon formed the centrepiece of the ‘golden era of hurdling’ in the late 1970’s.

Monksfield became the Champion Hurdle winner in 1978 and 1979.

SEE YOU THEN

Nicky Henderson's See You Then dominated the Champion Hurdle from 1985 - 1987 to become another three-time winner of the race.

BIG BUCK’S 

Big Buck’s established the longest reign by a top staying hurdler with his unbeaten sequence of 18 victories, which included four Stayers’ Hurdle titles.

He was always a popular pick in the horse racing betting every time he ran.

LIMESTONE LAD

People’s champion and durable winning machine, Limestone Lad was successful in 35 of his 65 races, and famously claimed the scalp of Istabraq in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle in 1999.

PERSIAN WAR

Three-times Champion Hurdle victor, Persian war was a National Hunt legend who is considered one of the best hurdlers of his era.

His rating places him behind only Night Nurse, Monksfield and Istabraq in the hurdles hierarchy.

COMEDY OF ERRORS

Comedy of Errors made history in 1975 when becoming the first horse to regain his Champion Hurdle crown.

His battles with Bula and Lanzarote were defining moments in this era of the sport.

* If these horses of yesterday have sparked your interest in the current crop of horses, then please check out our latest Cheltenham odds here.

---

*Credit for the photos in this article belongs to Adobe*

The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of the National Hunt season and those four days at Prestbury Park are often referred to as the Olympics of the sport.

We see the best of the British pitted against the best of the Irish and - while critics have suggested that the Festival is not as competitive as it once is - it remains the standout jumps meeting on the calendar.

Trainers With Most Cheltenham Festival Winners

1. Willie Mullins - 113 Cheltenham Festival winners
2. Nicky Henderson - 75 Cheltenham Festival winners
3. Paul Nicholls - 50 Cheltenham Festival winners
4. Fulke Walwyn – 40 Cheltenham Festival winners
5. Gordon Elliott - 40 Cheltenham Festival winners
6. Martin Pipe - 34 Cheltenham Festival winners

The following three trainers are always extremely popular in the horse racing betting for Cheltenham every season. Let’s find out why...

Willie Mullins

The Closutton genius has trained an incredible 113 Cheltenham Festival winners so far in his career, including four Gold Cups, courtesy of Al Boum Photo (2019/2020) and Galopin Des Champs (2023/2024).

From his very first Festival winner in 1995 with Tourist Attraction in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle through to Galopin Des Champs in the 2024 Gold Cup, rest assured there will be many more winners to come from Mullins in future years.

The finest Mullins-trained winners in Cheltenham Festival history:

Al Boum Photo

The first Mullins horse to land back-to-back Cheltenham Gold Cups. Al Boum Photo found his best for the Festival as a chaser. He narrowly missed out on a hat-trick of Gold Cups in 2021, finishing a close third.

Galopin Des Champs

Galopin Des Champs won the Martin Pipe in 2021 before going on to win the Gold Cup in 2023 and 2024.

He was fairly short in our 2025 Cheltenham odds to make it three in a row but had to settle for second place behind Gavin Cromwell's Inothewayurthinkin.

Hurricane Fly

Winner of the 2011 and 2013 Champion Hurdle, Hurricane Fly was the first horse to ever win the Champion Hurdle, fail to defend it, and then regain it again.

Nicky Henderson

Thought of by many as Britain’s most talented trainer when preparing horses for the Cheltenham Festival, Nicky Henderson currently sits on a tally of 75 winners at the Cheltenham Festival.

Henderson is a Festival legend, having sent out his first winner at the meeting back in 1985 with See You Then, who went on to win three Champion Hurdles- a record which still stands to this day.

Henderson is Britain's most successful trainer at the Cheltenham Festival and is positioned second in the all-time list only behind Ireland's perennial champion trainer Willie Mullins.

The crème de la crème of Henderson’s Festival winners have been:

• Cheltenham Gold Cup: Long Run (2011), Bobs Worth (2013).

• Champion Hurdle: See You Then (1985, 1986, 1987), Punjabi (2009), Binocular (2010), Buveur d'Air (2017, 2018), Epatante (2020), Constitution Hill (2023).

• Queen Mother Champion Chase: Remittance Man (1992), Finian's Rainbow (2012), Sprinter Sacre (2013, 2016), Altior (2018, 2019).

Paul Nicholls

The name Paul Nicholls is well known in National Hunt racing, due to the sheer size and power of his stable, and Cheltenham Festival has been kind to him down the years. The Somerset-based trainer has totted up a total of 50 winners at the annual Festival so far. 

It was during the 1998/99 season that Nicholls saddled his first Cheltenham Festival winners, namely Flagship Uberalles in the Arkle Challenge Trophy, Call Equiname in the Queen Mother Champion Chase and See More Business in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.

Fast forward to the here and now and Nicholls has saddled at least one winner at the Cheltenham Festival every year since 2003 and his career total of 49 winners makes him the third most successful trainer, behind only Willie Mullins and Nicky Henderson, in the history of the famous March Festival. 

• Training career highlights at the Festival include winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup three more times, with Kauto Star in 2007 and 2009 and Denman in 2008.

---

*Credit for all of the photos in this article belongs to Alamy*