Copa Libertadores qualifiers usually a launchpad for unfancied sides

The big guns of Europe are fighting for places in the closing rounds of the Champions League. Across the Atlantic, the South American equivalent is at a very different stage.

The Copa Libertadores is currently halfway through the third and final qualifying round. Eight teams are vying for the four remaining slots in the group phase, which kicks off in 10 days with a full complement of 32 clubs from the continent's 10 countries.

In Europe, these early stages are largely irrelevant to the destiny...