Where does Leicester rank among most unlikely quarter-finalists?

If Leicester City has proven anything over the last few seasons, it's that expecting anything less than the unexpected is a daft enterprise.

A date with the drop was salvaged by Nigel Pearson a year before a shock Premier League title run and subsequent flirtation with the drop prompted Claudio Ranieri's sacking, and now, the Foxes are off to the Champions League quarter-finals courtesy of Tuesday's shocking victory over a surprisingly drab Sevilla.

Related: Leicester books historic quarter-final spot by dumping uninspired Sevilla

In European competition for the first time, everything about the result at the King Power Stadium was improbable.

Wes Morgan, whose form has experienced a colossal decline this year, opened the scoring before Aston Villa reject-cum-Premier League champion Marc Albrighton doubled the Foxes' advantage. Even Craig Shakespeare, who a month ago was a near unknown, becomes only the third English manager to lead a club to the last eight of the continent's marquee tournament.

Considering how formulaic the Champions League has become in recent years, Leicester's progression to the quarter-finals has offered a refreshing change of pace. But is Leicester the most fanciful side to reach this phase?

With Europe's top-tier tournament now favouring the continent's elites after the early incarnations were dotted with runs by the likes of Hajduk Split, Legia Warsaw, and Rosenborg, Leicester City is bucking the trend.

Here's a glance at three other clubs who made it to this stage against all the odds in recent years:

Malaga (2012-13)

Andalusian side Malaga has qualified for the Champions League once, and what a run it was, with the Manuel Pellegrini-led side making the last eight thanks to an unbeaten Group C run with results against AC Milan, Zenit St. Petersburg, and Anderlecht.

Names like Isco, Nacho Monreal, Roque Santa Cruz, and Javier Saviola highlighted a squad carving its niche on the continent, with Malaga dominating the group before advancing to the knockout stage only to draw twice-defending Portuguese champ Porto.

Boosted by the goal-scoring exploits of Jackson Martinez and James Rodriguez and a back-line that featured Danilo, Eliaquim Mangala, Nicolas Otamendi, and Alex Sandro, Porto had tasted defeat only once the prior campaign after going unbeaten in the one before that. Despite Malaga's standing, all bookmakers favoured Vitor Pereira's men during a year where the Portuguese side outscored opponents 69-19.

The first leg took place at Porto's Estadio do Dragao, with Joao Moutinho scoring the lone goal 11 minutes after the interval in a tight affair that gave the Andalusians a chance in the reverse fixture at La Rosaleda.

Pellegrini's side did not spoil that opportunity, with Santa Cruz's 77th-minute winner firing the debutants into the last eight on the heels of a tilt that the gaffer called "a complete game."

"It has been a very special year and you must give credit to what this team have been doing on both the domestic and the European fronts," the Chilean manager added.

That special year would experience its first setback in the quarter-finals, with Malaga stunningly dropping a 3-2 result at eventual finalist Borussia Dortmund after a scoreless first leg in Spain, with Marco Reus and Felipe Santana scoring in extra time to send the Boquerones packing.

"You can call defeats cruel, sure, but I don't agree. It's painful because of the great performance the team put in," Pellegrini said post-match. Hard not to feel for the man who was then driven out of Manchester City despite three trophies in three years.

APOEL Nicosia (2011-12)

A giant relative to the humble standing of the Cypriot top flight, APOEL Nicosia qualified for the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in 2011-12.

Faced with fellow domestic champs Zenit St. Petersburg, Porto, and Shakhtar Donetsk, the odds were stacked against APOEL, though by virtue of a group rife with draws, the club won the group on nine points ahead of the Russians on goal differential.

Led by Brazilian-born journeyman Ailton, who scored seven times in the competition, APOEL notched three draws away from the GSP Stadium to book a last-16 date with French behemoth Lyon. The Ligue 1 side took the first leg thanks to Alexandre Lacazette's 58th-minute winner before Gustavo Manduca's early goal in the reverse fixture forced penalties.

APOEL made all four of its penalties, with Remi Garde's Lyon converting its first three before Lacazette and Michel Bastos missed in front of a jubilant crowd to book the Cypriots a date with Real Madrid in the quarters. That David vs. Goliath battle went exactly as scripted, with Los Blancos taking the tie 8-2 on aggregate.

Regardless of its fate against Real, APOEL had scaled heights previously unknown by a side from Cyprus, with manager Ivan Jovanovic calling the win over Lyon "the most important night in APOEL's history."

"We never believed that we would be where we are today. But when you have players with so much confidence, then it is possible. When you have a stadium filled with fans like ours, then it is possible. This is fantastic for everyone."

Tottenham (2010-11)

Years before Mauricio Pochettino and the likes of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, and Toby Alderweireld brought success to Tottenham, the north London lot was an erratic side that featured emerging stars Gareth Bale and Luka Modric. It also had players the likes of Sebastian Bassong, Alan Hutton, and Roman Pavlyuchenko, displaying just how radically things have improved at White Hart Lane.

Faced with an unenviable Group A draw of Scudetto-holder Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, and Twente, Tottenham shocked its opponents and won the group courtesy of Bale's coming-out party, with a particularly dominant performance at the expense of Inter full-back Maicon.

Despite topping the group, the subsequent draw did Harry Redknapp's side no favours, with AC Milan - Inter's rival and that season's eventual Serie A champ - drawn alongside Tottenham.

Lo and behold, Spurs still had a few tricks up their sleeves, with Peter Crouch's 80th-minute winner at the San Siro the deciding factor in the two-legged clash against a side that featured names like Nesta, Ibrahimovic, Seedorf, and Robinho.

Redknapp was his typically candid self in assessing his side's performance in Italy, telling UEFA's website: "It was a fantastic performance, the lads were brilliant. In the first half we were by far the better team."

Like APOEL a year later, Tottenham's Champions League run ended at the hands of Real Madrid.