Unluckiest teams

Napoli is due a lucky break, and Shakhtar Donetsk is long overdue a home game.

Napoli had the most points – nine – of any team failing to advance after getting drawn in a group with Paris Saint-Germain and Liverpool.

Napoli kicked off at Anfield on top of its group on Tuesday. After a 1-0 loss, Napoli had fallen to third, edged by Liverpool on a head-tohead tie-breaker of goals scored.

Five seasons ago, Napoli had 12 points yet didn’t advance because Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal also had 12 and better tie-breaker statistics.

With 30 minutes to play on Wednesday, Shakhtar was on course

for the round of 16. Lyon tied the game and advanced instead.

The game was moved to Kiev, after Shakhtar’s previous two home games were in Kharkiv, due to martial law being imposed during the latest Russian aggression affecting Ukraine.

Shakhtar has also played in Lviv since last hosting a Champions League in its modern Donbass Arena in November 2013. Weeks later, Russian annexed Crimea and the Donbass region was affected by conflict between government forces and pro-Russia separatists that continues.

Surprise team

They are young. They are fearless. They have a point to prove. It would be some story if Borussia Dortmund manages to go all the way.

Like Liverpool last season and Monaco the year before, the Champions League likes to throw up a surprise story and Dortmund might be the new darling of Europe this time round.

Top of the German league by seven points, Dortmund also won its Champions League group and conceded a competition-low two goals in six matches.

Yet, Lucien Favre’s side is better known for its attacking flair, with players like Paco Alcacer and Jadon Sancho – bought from Barcelona and Man City – particularly standing out.

Dortmund has had to rebuild after selling star players such as Ousmane Dembele and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and it has been done wisely and boldly.

Five years after last reaching the final, Dortmund is a team to fear in the Champions League once again.