10 lesser known players to watch out for in the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League

The UEFA Champions League is an opportunity for players who play for the relatively smaller clubs to prove that they can compete with the best. The competition has allowed many players over the past season like Mohamed Salah, Joel Campbell and Konstantinos Mitroglou to come into the limelight.Here is a look at 10 players who we think you should keep an eye on during the group stages of the Champions League.DISCLAIMER: The views expressed here are the author’s. 

#1 Jose Salomon Rondon Zenit Saint Petersburg

Rondon is a Venezuelan international who plays in the Russian Premier League for Zenit St. Petersburg. The 24 year old had a two year spell with Malaga and some Barcelona fans will know him as the player who had scored once each in both the league games against the Catalans in the 2011-12 season. 

Rondon’s performance earned him a move to Rubin Kazan in 2012. He played for Kazan for a year and a half before he was drafted by Zenit in January 2014. He has so far scored 11 goals in 16 league appearances for them and powered them to the top of the table with six wins in as many games.

His goals have also helped his team qualify for the group stages of this year’s Champions League. Zenit have been placed in Group C along with Benifica, Bayer Leverkusen and Monaco, in what could be the most evenly competitive group this season.