Ranking the most unlikely Champions League winners: Chelsea and Liverpool make the list

Nobody expects Borussia Dortmund to reach the final of the Champions League, where they will compete against each other Real Madrid on Saturday. In a true David-Goliath match, the Black and Yellows would become one of the most unlikely winners of a Champions League title ever if they can beat Real Madrid at Wembley Stadium in the biggest game of the year.

Ahead of that final, let’s take a look at some of the most unlikely teams to win a title over the years:

5. Nottingham forest 1978-79, 1979-80

We take a time machine back to the European Cup days Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest were promoted from the Second Division in 1976-77 and won the First Division the following season before going on to win the Europan Cup against Malmö. Scoring just one goal in that match in the first half was enough to see the Tricky Trees to victory. But they weren’t done there yet with three titles in a row, they followed it up with another, as in the 1979-80 season Forest managed to beat Hamburg in the final with another 1-0. Although this was a respected team with the second title, Forest should be on our list coming straight from the second division to this kind of glory.

4. Liverpool 2004-05

Liverpool had to get past it Bayern Munich, JuventusAnd Chelsea to even reach the final Rafa Benitez vs Milan. The journey there is one of the reasons Liverpool made this list, but it’s also how the final itself went. Trailing 3-0 at the end of the first half, the Reds stormed back with goals Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Vladimir Spicer. They still needed a penalty shootout win to secure the Champions League title, but after storming back like that, all the momentum was on their side. Qualifying for this Champions League, after finishing fourth in the Premier League the season before, is in terms of strength where Dortmund would be considered today.

3. PSV Eindhoven, 1987-88

Here comes another deep cut like Guus Hiddink oversaw one of the strangest European Cup wins we’ve ever seen. After the quarter-finals, PSV did not win any more matches on away goals Bordeaux and Real Madrid. Although that rule has now disappeared from the Champions League, the Dutch team used it to their advantage to avoid penalty shootouts, but even if they did against them in the final Benficait turned out to be no problem as they won 6-5 Stuttgart.

2. postage 2002-03

While it is difficult to determine which Jose Mourinho title should be on the list, his first at Porto was a work of art. Porto come with an underdog side and are one of the teams on this list who absolutely dominated their final. Confronted Monaco in the final after he passed Manchester UnitedOlympic Lyon and Deportivo La Coruna coming up, it would be a Porto party. By winning 3-0, Poerto would announce themselves as one of the best teams in football, while Mourinho would also announce himself as one of the best managers in all of football.

1. Chelsea 2011-2012

It’s another Premier League side on the list, but for Chelsea, a team in shambles following the mid-season move from Andre-Vilas Boas to Roberto di Matteo, the Blues then went on an unreal run. A deficit in the first stage against Naples Chelsea passed in the knockout stages Barcelona surviving the second stage with only 10 men. Chelsea then played against Bayern Munich in the final and then seemed to be left for dead Thomas Müller scored in the 83rd minute but an equalizer from none other than Didier Drogba managed to force penalties before Chelsea won the shootout.

How to watch the Champions League final and odds

• Date: Saturday June 1 | Time: 3:00 PM ET
• Place: Wembley Stadium – London, England
• TV: CBS | Live stream: Biggest+
• Chances: Borussia Dortmund +420; Sign +330; Real Madrid-165

Champions League final broadcast schedule

Always US/East

• Morning Footy, 11am (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
• We need to talk, 12:30 (CBS, Biggest+)
• UEFA Champions League Today, 1:00 PM (CBS Sports Golazo Network, Biggest+)
• UEFA Champions League Today pre-match, 1.30pm (CBS, Biggest+)
• CBS Sports Golazo Match Day, 1:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
• Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid, 3 p.m. (CBS, Biggest+)
• UEFA Champions League Today after the match, 5.30pm (CBS Sports Network, Biggest+)
• Result, 5:30 PM (CBS Sports Golazo Network)
• The Champions Club, 6:30 p.m. (CBS Sports Golazo Network)