The Champions League group stage gets underway on Tuesday night with Barcelona’s clash against Juventus headlining some glamorous-looking ties from the opening round of fixtures.
Real Madrid are heavy favourites to triumph for a third successive season – Los Blancos are the most successful team in Champions League history with six titles and 142 total victories in the competition.
Arsenal, who have failed to qualify for this season’s Champions League, are the most successful team in terms of their win-draw-loss record never to lift the trophy. However their English domestic rivals have won four titles, shared between Manchester United (twice), Liverpool and Chelsea.
But while teams from Spain, England, Italy, Germany, France, Holland and Portugal have won the Champions League, who are the sides with the best win-draw-loss records from the countries never to have lifted the trophy?
Sportsmail has listed the ten most successful teams from Europe’s winless countries based on UEFA’s ranking system of two points for a win and one for a draw.
Dynamo Kiev celebrate scoring against Chelsea during the Champions League group stages
10. Anderlecht
44 points: 12 wins and 20 draws from 72 matches (-70 goal difference)
Anderlecht are dominant in Belgium with 34 league titles but despite two semi-final appearances in the competition’s old format, the European Cup, they have failed to make much of an impact in their 11 Champions League group stage appearances.
The Brussels-based outfit’s best run came in 1995 when they advanced to the second group stage (the last eight), managing two goalless draws against eventual winners Fabio Capello’s AC Milan.
Since then they have mostly provided cannon fodder for group stage opponents, though they notably came from three goals down to draw with Arsenal at the Emirates in 2014 with Newcastle’s Aleksandar Mitrovic scoring a last-gasp equaliser.
Full record: 12 wins, 20 draws and 40 losses from 72 matches. Furthest stage reached: second group stages 1993-94. Champions League group stage appearances: 11
Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates after scoring Anderlecht’s late equaliser at Arsenal in 2014
9. Celtic
44 points: 17 wins and 10 draws from 60 matches played (-42 goal difference)
Above Anderlecht in the UEFA rankings by virtue of a better goal difference, Celtic are giants in Scotland but relative minnows in Europe.
They may have won the European Cup in 1967 but since the inception of the Champions League in 1992 they have made it to the round of 16 just three times.
There have been some famous European nights at Celtic Park over the years. They managed a shock 2-1 win over Barcelona in 2012, secured despite enjoying just 19 per cent possession, and they beat Manchester United 1-0 in 2006 with an iconic free-kick from Shunsuke Nakamura.
Celtic face a fearsome-looking Paris Saint-Germain side on Tuesday in their opening group stage game this season, hoping for a better result than their 7-0 mauling at the hands of Barcelona which kicked off their last campaign.
Full record: 17 wins, 10 draws and 33 losses from 94 matches. Furthest stage reached: last 16 (three occassions). Champions League group stage appearances: 9
Shunsuke Nakamura scored a famous winner against Manchester United at Celtic Park in 2006
8. Rangers
47 points: 12 wins and 23 draws from 62 matches played.
Coming in just ahead of their Old Firm rivals Celtic, Rangers have won the Scottish top flight an incredible 54 times but have qualified for the Champions League knockout stages just once in the competition’s 26-year history.
That was a run to the last 16 against Villarreal in 2006, when they were dumped out on away goals under Alex McLeish.
Rangers have not been back on Europe’s elite stage since their infamous demotion to the Scottish fourth tier in 2012.
Full record: 12 wins, 23 draws and 27 losses. Furthest stage reached: last 16 (lost on away goals to Villarreal 3-3). Champions League group stage appearances: 10
Peter Lovenkrands scored against Villarreal but Rangers were dumped out on away goals
7. Rosenborg
56 points: 19 wins and 18 draws from 74 matches
Another side who are dominant domestically but struggle among the very best in Europe. Rosenborg have been absent from the group stages since 2007-08.
The furthest the Norwegians have managed to advance is the last eight of the competition. Rosenborg were defeated in the quarter-finals by Juventus in 1996-97 and failed to qualify from a second group stage featuring Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Dynamo Kiev.
Probably their most famous result came during their run to the quarter-finals, when they shocked Arrigo Sacchi’s AC Milan 2-1 at the San Siro.
Full record: 19 wins, 18 draws and 37 losses. Furthest stage reached: last eight (two occasions). Champions League group stage appearances: 11.
Rosenborg’s Jan-Derek Sorensen celebrates his goal against Borussia Dortmund in 1999
6. Spartak Moscow
57 points: 21 wins and 15 draws from 74 matches.
The most successful Russian team in the history of the Champions League, Spartak Moscow made it to the group stages eight times in the first decade of the competition.
Spartak have made it to the last eight twice – advancing to the quarter-finals in 1996 where they lost to French side Nantes befoe reaching the second group stages five seasons later.
They have enjoyed less success in recent seasons, qualifying for the group stages just twice since 2007 and consistently overshadowed by domestic rivals CSKA Moscow and Zenit St Petersburg.
Full record: 21 wins from 74 games. Furthest stage reached: last eight (two occasions). Champions League group stage appearances: 11
Spartak Moscow celebrate Romulo’s goal at Barcelona – they would eventually lose 3-2
5. Panathinaikos
64 points: 23 wins, 18 draws from 74 matches
Panathinaikos have managed 23 Champions League victories across their nine appearances in the group stages of the competition.
The Greek giants’ most famous contribution to the Champions League was in 1996 when advanced to the semi-finals before falling to eventual champions Ajax 3-1 on aggregate despite winning the first leg in Amsterdam.
Panathinaikos advanced to the quarters in 2002, clinching a famous 1-0 victory over Barcelona in Athens with a goal from club legend Angelos Basinas before losing 3-1 at the Nou Camp to crash out on aggregate.
Full record: 23 wins, 18 draws, 33 losses. Furthest stage reached: semi-finals (lost to Ajax 3-1 on aggregate). Champions League group stage appearances: 9
Angelos Basinas (right) celebrates his famous winner against Real Madrid in Athens
4. Shakhtar Donetsk
65 points: 26 wins, 13 draws from 74 matches played
Dynamo Kiev’s Ukrainian rivals Shakhtar Donestsk are relative latecomers to the competition having made their group stage debut during the 2000-01 season – clocking up 11 appearances since.
Shakhtar have been consistent competitors in Europe’s elite competition over the past decade, failing to qualify for the group stages in just two of the last 10 Champions League seasons.
They have made the quarter-finals once, when they were dismantled 6-1 on aggregate by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona in 2010-11.
Full record: 26 wins, 13 draws and 35 losses from 94 matches. Furthest stage reached: quarter-finals 2010-11 (lost to Barcelona 6-1 on aggregate). Champions League group stage appearances: 11
Shakhtar Donetsk reached 2010-11 quarter-finals before falling to Lionel Messi and Barcelona
3. Galatasaray
80 points: 27 wins, 26 draws from 104 matches played
Galatasaray are the most successful Turkish team in Champions League history ahead of Istanbul rivals Fenerbahce and Besiktas. They have taken part in the group stages 14 times, reaching the quarter-finals in 2012-13 and the second group (in the old format) on two occasions.
Legendary striker Hakan Sukur is their record scorer in the competition, with 22 goals across his three separate spells with Galatasaray. Sukur scored during one of Galatasaray’s most famous Champions League wins, as his penalty sparked a late comeback from a goal down to beat Romario, Hristo Stoichkov and Ronald Koeman’s Barcelona in 1994-95.
Full record: 27 wins, 26 draws and 51 losses from 104 matches. Furthest stage reached: quarter-finals 2012-13 (lost to Real Madrid 5-3 on aggregate). Champions League group stage appearances: 14
Galatasaray’s all-time Champions League scorer Hakan Sukur holds off Juventus’ Edgar Davids
2. Dynamo Kiev
85 points: 29 wins, 27 draws from 109 matches played
Dominant in Ukraine with a record 15 domestic league titles, Dynamo Kiev have qualified for the Champions League group stages on 16 occasions.
Similarly to Olympiacos, Dynamo’s best run came during the 1998-99 season when a team featuring a young Andriy Shevchenko beat Real Madrid en route to the semi-finals where they eventually fell to Bayern Munich.
Full record: 29 wins, 27 draws and 53 losses from 109 matches. Furthest stage reached: semi-finals 1998-99 (lost to Bayern Munich 4-3 on aggregate. Champions League group stage appearances: 16
Andriy Shevchenko and Dynamo Kiev advanced to the semi-finals before losing to Bayern
1. Olympiacos
96 points: 38 wins and 20 draws from 110 matches played
Olympiacos are the most successful team in Champions League history who hail from a country never to have won the competition, ranking 17th overall in UEFA’s full rankings.
The furthest they have made it in Europe’s elite competition is the quarter-finals during the 1998-99 season when they were knocked out 3-2 on aggregate by Juventus.
The Athens club, who have won a remarkable 44 domestic league titles, have claimed some huge Champions League scalps over the years with group stage wins over Real Madrid, Juventus and Arsenal.
Most English fans will recall Olympiacos as Liverpool’s opponents in 2004-05 when Steven Gerrard thundered home a last-gasp strike to send his side through to the knockout stages en route to winning the trophy.
Full record: 38 wins, 20 draws and 52 losses from 110 matches. Furthest stage reached: quarter-finals 1998-99 (lost to Juventus 3-2 agg). Champions League group stage appearances: 17
Yaya Toure of Olympiacos competes for possession against Real Madrid’s Julio Baptista