Real Sociedad and Galatasaray: UCL dark horses for 2024 knockout rounds

AS Monaco famously reached the semi-finals in 2016/17 after knocking out Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund">Borussia Dortmund along the way. Since that memorable campaign, four-time winners Ajax, AS Roma, and Atalanta have made runs to the final four, despite the odds being against them throughout.
The 2023/24 competition groups are almost at their completion, and the knockout round picture is slowly presenting itself.
Several teams could potentially make deep runs this year and could shock much of the European elite in the process. UCL dark horses are renowned for shattering glass ceilings - it's perhaps no surprise that their successes resonate with other underdog teams and fan bases.
Real Sociedad have shot out of the blocks in the group stage this year. They secured their route to the last 16 after just four games played. Many of the best sports betting apps for soccer offer La Real as likely winners of Group D. For example, FanDuel offers them at a price of 17/10 to top their group and secure a more favourable round of 16 tie.
Sociedad could already make a remarkable statement by finishing ahead of last year's finalists Inter Milan in their group this December. That would of course secure them a round of 16 tie against one of the group stage runner-ups, which would likely make them favourites to progress to the last eight.



If star man Mikel Oyarzabal can remain fit and continue his strong form in the UCL for La Real, then we could be treated to yet another European outfit soaring to unexpected heights.
Brais Mendez is another midfield orchestrator who has been hugely significant for Sociedad this season: he's their top goalscorer with three goals in the competition. The Spanish team has already impressed massively with their European exploits of 2023/24 so far. But following the turn of the year their performances could well earn them a place in UCL folklore for many years to come.
Galatasaray hasn't expressed the dominance that La Real has in the UCL so far, but they still stand a strong chance of making the knockout stage.
Their standout result came at Old Trafford, where they secured an incredible 3-2 victory over Manchester United. Overall they recorded four points from their opening four fixtures - but they included back-to-back ties with German giants Bayern Munich.



The Istanbul-based team has proven they have the mentality and talent to go head-to-head with European giants. As it stands, they're now the favourites to qualify from Group A, offered at 11/10 at FanDuel, and from there, the cauldron of Rams Park could provide them with the edge to upset tough opponents in two-legged ties.
The Turkish club has a wide range of former Premier League stars including Hakim Ziyech, Wilfried Zaha, and Lucas Torreira. They also have several top forwards they signed from a host of European giants, such as Mauro Icardi and Dries Mertens.
Galatasaray undoubtedly has a wide range of quality in the form of highly recognizable names. They have proven that they can handle trips to famous European grounds, and they could potentially have more to come in the new year if they continue their impressive UCL form.
Much of the talk surrounding the UCL this year is about the potential winner. However, teams on much smaller budgets reaching the latter stages would arguably be much more impressive than a giant club capturing the trophy.
Sociedad and Galatasaray have both beaten top teams in the competition so far and laid the foundations to perhaps achieve something spectacular in 2024.