UEFA Champions League 2015/16: 5 teams who return after a gap
Playing in the Champions League, Europe's premier club competition, is a dream that every player plying their trade in the continent vouches for. It's a tournament that brings us some of the top guns of Europe under the same shade of UEFA, vying for the coveted prize while also providing some tantalising entertainment.Teams across the European association consider the billing as one of the top most and only 32-clubs from across the continent get the privelege to participate in one edition. This leavessome outfits away from the spotlight of one of the grandest stages staged in European football and when it comes to some really high-profile clubs, missing out for even a year is bordering dangerously on blasphemy.Here across theslideshows, we look at the some of the clubs that were away from the famous night lights of Champions League for a certain period and have now clawed their way back into contention.
#5 Maccabi Tel Aviv
A club from any subaltern league are always considered to be a slam dunk to the bigger clubs. But this Israeli club have got into the elite 32 in some style. Having crowned the champions of Israel back in May, the capital club successfully passed through the qualifying rounds, before driving out last season’s pre-quarter finalists FC Basel on away goals.
Maccabi Tel Aviv were last seen in the Champions League back in 2004, when they exited in the group stage as the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus were too powerful for them. 11 years later, they enter the scenario again and are the only club from Palestine to do so during that period.
Their return will be marked with fixtures versus Dynamo Kiev, last season's quarter-finalists FC Porto and a daunting prospect in Premier League holders Chelsea, in group F. As some really big challenges lie in waiting for The Yellows, prolific striker Eran Zahavi will be heavily relied upon as the outlet in the attack.