Europa League

Every now and then, in European competitions a surprise team wins it. There is the potential of that happening again this season, as the competition is full of dark horses who can go all the way this season. In this tournament, you need hard work, belief you can win, and no doubt a slice of luck if you want to go all the way. The following 3 teams are my main dark horses who I believe can win the tournament next May.

Stoke

Stoke are new to the European stage, but their specific style of football has got the right results in the Premier League, and they are now transforming that onto the European stage. No team in the world will want to go the Britannia. It’s a small hostile ground, and suits Stoke style of play perfectly. So far this season they have performed well in the group stage and one more point will see them through. They have added players like Woodgate, Crouch and Palacios who have some European experience, to add to their already strong group of players, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Stoke go a long way in the competition.

FC Twente

FC Twente is having a couple of great seasons in quick succession. They won their first ever league title a few years ago, and played in the Champions League last season. This year though, their realistic ambitions is to win this competition, and I believe they can do. They have picked up 10 points so far in the group stage, having already qualified and look an impressive outfit. They will face teams in the latter stages who are better, but I can see FC Twente getting past most teams if they play to their potential best. A lot of people would suggest if a Dutch team would win it, it will be PSV, but I am going for FC Twente as a dark horse.

Sporting Lisbon

Portuguese teams did well last season, as they had 3 teams in the semi finals. If a Portuguese team were to win it this year, then you’d go for Sporting Lisbon (that’s if Porto don’t finish 3rd in their Champions’ League group). Sporting Lisbon have looked one of the better sides so far in this tournament and have almost qualified from a tough group involving Lazio. Sporting Lisbon has had better teams in the past, but this may mean less expectation, and therefore they are another one of my dark horses for this season.