Ten football minnows punching above their weight
With the season across major European leagues entering the homestretch, we have seen some giant clubs fail to live up to their expectations. However, we have had the delight to watch lower-rated clubs play some beautiful football and punch above their weight and here are some of them
1. RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig were founded on May 19, 2009. A decade and four promotions later, the club reached their first DFB Cup final, have not once finished outside of the Bundesliga’s top six and are a permanent fixture in the Champions League.
Die Roten Bullen won promotion to the Bundesliga in 2016 and since then, they have strived to make a mark.
More importantly though, they are challenging the established order in the Bundesliga where they are second just a point behind mighty Bayern Munich, having been on a good run of form due to the tactical astuteness of 33-year-old coach Julian Nagelsmann.
That, combined with quality young players with an appetite to win, Leipzig are confounding both friends and foes, to whom they have in plenty.
2. Getafe
The last time Getafe were in La Liga was during the 2015-16 campaign, where they only won nine league games and picked up 36 points, which saw them get relegated at the end of the season.
However, in 2016-17, the club immediately returned to La Liga and has never looked back. In the 2017-18 season, Getafe finished eighth before missing out on the Champions League by just one point to finish fifth last season.
Even that was still a huge achievement for the Madrid-based minnows who were formed in 1983. Keen to avoid the disappointment of last season, Getafe have gone one better this season, sitting in unfamiliar third ahead of established names like Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Sevilla.
3. Sheffield United
Sheffield United have been a revelation this season. Many tipped them for an immediate return to the Championship following promotion but the club’s first top-flight campaign for 12 years has been a resounding success so far.
Chris Wilder’s team are fifth in the table and just two points shy of the Champions League places. Wilder has been credited with putting together a tough defensive unit that starts attacks from the back, coupled with the outstanding form of goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
They confidence and fidelity to the system has seen them reap handsomely and Sheffield find themselves in a better position to qualify for the Champions League than giants such as Arsenal and Manchester United.
4. İstanbul
Başakşehir
Their meteoric rise did not start this season. In 2017, Turkish giants Besiktas were pushed all the way in the battle for domestic glory by Istanbul Basaksehir, a side who have never won a major trophy in their short history, having only been formed in 1990. 
Similarly last season, while Besiktas stumbled, it was Basaksehir who strode forward eventually finishing second in the Super Lig. While Besiktas have fallen off this campaign, Basaksehir have maintained their charge and have a realistic chance of winning the title given they are just a point behind leaders Trabzonspor.
5. Wolves
Wolverhampton Wanderers have only sporadically enjoyed European football since their golden era in the 1950s, but a controversial connection with Portuguese super-agent Jorge Mendes has made them a force to be reckoned with again.
Sixty years on, Wolves could be back in the Champions League next season via a top-four finish in the Premier League or by winning the Europa League. Nuno Espirito Santo’s men sit just five points off the Champions League places in the Premier League. It is a remarkable rise for club that just six years ago, were a sleeping giant, rooted in England’s third tier.
6. Famalicão
It is perhaps difficult to believe that Famalicão were playing in the fifth tier of Portuguese football as recently as 2009, relegated to the regional league alongside little-known Nogueirense FC the season before.
Having last played in the Primeira Divisao 25 years ago, they were promoted this season and hit the ground running, topping the table at some point for a team many tipped for a relegation scrap.
While their run has slowed, they are still compounding foes as they are right in the mix for Europa League qualification, sitting sixth just three points off fourth that will secure European football.
7. Atalanta
Champions League football returned to the San Siro last week but neither Inter Milan nor AC Milan played any part in it. 
Instead, the iconic Milan stadium hosted Atalanta’s last-16 tie against Valencia, the Bergamo club’s first Champions League campaign in their history.
Competing for the Champions League quarter-finals is the latest chapter in a stark rise up Italian football for the club. Five years ago, Atalanta survived relegation from Serie A by the skin of their teeth after a 17th place finish. Now, they have become a force, sitting fourth in Serie A already this season.
8. Rennes
Another side compounding both friends and foes, Rennes have been on a remarkable run of form in the French League this season, which leaves them in pole position to secure the final Champions League place behind PSG and Marseille.
The Ligue 1 minnows have won 12 of their 25 games so far, to sit in the unfamiliar territory ahead of recent Champions League regulars such as Lille, Monaco and Lyon. For a club that deemed a top 10 finish a world class achievement, this is beyond imagination.
9. Hellas Verona
Italian champions Juventus have only lost thrice this season. One of those was a shock 2-1 reverse at Hellas Verona early this month, sending shockwaves across the footballing world.
That was no fluke given the Serie A minnows sit in sixth place on the table, the final qualification slot for the Europa.
However, when they won promotion to the Italian top flight via the play-offs last season, the target was to avoid relegation but they have done more than that, recording impressive results to sit ahead of big names such as AC Milan, Napoli and Fiorentina.
10. Granada
They had just returned to the top flight when they stormed to the top of La Liga last October, leaving everyone surprised in Spain.
At the time, Granada had stormed to the summit ahead of mainstays Real Madrid and Barcelona and although they were not expected to stay there, everyone took a notice.
While they have since been replaced at the top, Granada are still over achieving, sitting an impressive ninth in the league just five points off the Europa League place.
