Football Manager 2018: 10 Challenging Teams You Will Need To Use

10. Benevento

Benevento Calcio and FC Girona stand as last season’s biggest fairytale promotion stories, with both clubs set to compete in their respective country’s top division for the first time in 2017/18. Both should be fun to play as, but Girona are on the verge of being taken over by Manchester City’s parent company (City Football Group), which will likely diminish their difficulty level.

Thus, Benevento are this year’s most exciting ‘fish out of water’ challenge. They won their Serie A place with a playoff victory over fellow minnows Capri, and after 88 years slumming it in the Italian football pyramid’s lower reaches, they have a huge task ahead.

A city of just 60,000 inhabitants, they’ll have significant improvements to make this summer, with much of their squad comprised of those who served them in Italy’s third tier two seasons ago.

Benevento aren’t going to start with a big budget, and with an average attendance of just over 8,000 last season, they’ll struggle to bring further funds through the door. Star midfielder Amato Ciciretti is expected to depart for Napoli, meanwhile, and loanees George Puscas and Raman Chisbah, so crucial to last year’s promotion, have returned to their parent clubs. Good luck with this one...