5 clubs that have surprised us this season

#1 Besiktas

Besiktas fans cheering their team on

When the Champions League draw for the last 16 is made on Monday, one of the surprise names among the first seeds will be Turkish champions Besiktas. And they thoroughly deserve to be among exclusive company like Manchester United, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona, having excelled so far in Europe.

Having been placed in a group with more established European names such as Porto and Monaco, as well as the up-and-coming RB Leipzig, they might have faded, yet they went through the entire group stage campaign undefeated, conceding a mere five goals.

In striker Cenk Tosun, they boast a formidable offensive weapon, who already has four goals for the season, while the performances of Anderson Talisca in the midfield have also been excellent.

Meanwhile, while the support they receive at the Vodafone Arena is sure to catch the eye when one of Europe’s biggest sides visits in the early spring.

They may not be the best-known side in the draw, but anyone who has watched them this term will know that a trip to Turkey will be a formidable task.

Their domestic form, however, has suffered for this run and they currently find themselves fourth in the Super Lig – a position that they will wish to remedy over the winter months when there is no distraction of European football