GRANTED, THEY WERE missing talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic among others, but it’s doubtful the enigmatic Swede would have made a big difference to their feeble performance against Barca last night — their first home loss in Europe since 2006. The 3-1 outcome means they need little short of a miracle to turn the situation around in the Nou Camp.
7. Monaco
Monaco have impressed sporadically in this competition, particularly in their first-leg away to Arsenal in the round of 16, however for all their good work, there is a lingering suspicion that they are short of the quality that Europe’s truly top sides possess. Their 1-0 loss away to Juve puts Leonardo Jardim’s men in a difficult position as they prepare to host the reigning Serie A champions. The likes of Joao Moutinho and Dimitar Berbatov may yet work their magic, but it seems increasingly unlikely against a notoriously stubborn backline.
6. Bayern Munich
If this list were based on pure talent, Bayern would place much higher than sixth, but yesterday’s 3-1 loss to Porto puts them in a very difficult position. Of course, they were missing a couple of key players, but that’s still no excuse for the high proportion of individual errors evident in the Germans’ defensive display. They will probably still fancy their chances of progressing as they prepare for next week’s second leg in the Allianz Arena, but history and statistics are against them — since the Champions League began, only seven teams have managed to overturn a two-goal deficit or worse.
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5. Porto
Adam Davy
Adam Davy
(Porto will be hoping to repeat their Champions League success of 2004)
Like their last Champions League triumph in 2004, Porto are rank outsiders in this year’s competition, despite an impressive 3-1 defeat of one of the favourites to lift the trophy, Bayern Munich. Yet perhaps critics have underestimated Julen Lopetegui’s side. They may be three points behind Benfica in Portugal, but in Europe, they have consistently convinced. Porto comfortably progressed from their group with four wins and two draws, before beating Liverpool’s conquerors, Basel, 5-1 on aggregate in the last-16. And their win over Bayern, despite only having 31% possession over the 90 minutes, is further evidence of their considerable prowess.
4. Atletico Madrid
0-0 is by no means a terrible result for Atletico as they prepare to face Real again at the Bernabeu in a week’s time. They demonstrated their resilience in an at times frenetic affair and in Jan Oblak, they appear to have found a worthy successor to Thibaut Courtois in nets. Moreover, unlike other sides in the competition, they are effectively out of their domestic title race, which could work in their favour, as has been the case for the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in Europe in the past.
3. Juventus
Seldom mentioned as potential winners of this competition, the Italians have been quietly impressing under the radar. A 1-0 win over Monaco courtesy of an Arturo Vidal penalty consequently puts them in a good position to reach their first Champions League semi-final since 2003. Furthermore, they have a good balance to their side, with the defensive nous of Giorgio Chiellini, the experience of Andrea Pirlo, the vibrancy of Arturo Vidal and the potency of Carlos Tevez up front.
2. Real Madrid
For all their reported internal problems, Real Madrid still have talent to match any other side in Europe. While they weren’t as clinical as they would have liked to be against Atletico on Tuesday night, they are still well placed to prevail going to the Bernabéu on level terms. No team has ever won back-to-back Champions League, but Real, with their coterie of high-profile stars, are unlikely to be intimidated by this statistic.
1. Barcelona
Even against a side of PSG’s calibre, Barcelona looked a class apart on Wednesday night. What makes the Catalan team seem particularly formidable is the fact that when one of their stars isn’t at the top of their game, another invariably seems to be able to step up, as Luis Suarez did yesterday evening, with a virtuoso match-winning display, leaving David Luiz and other PSG defenders red-faced in the process.
Power ranking the 8 teams left in the Champions League*
8. PSG
GRANTED, THEY WERE missing talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic among others, but it’s doubtful the enigmatic Swede would have made a big difference to their feeble performance against Barca last night — their first home loss in Europe since 2006. The 3-1 outcome means they need little short of a miracle to turn the situation around in the Nou Camp.
7. Monaco
Monaco have impressed sporadically in this competition, particularly in their first-leg away to Arsenal in the round of 16, however for all their good work, there is a lingering suspicion that they are short of the quality that Europe’s truly top sides possess. Their 1-0 loss away to Juve puts Leonardo Jardim’s men in a difficult position as they prepare to host the reigning Serie A champions. The likes of Joao Moutinho and Dimitar Berbatov may yet work their magic, but it seems increasingly unlikely against a notoriously stubborn backline.
6. Bayern Munich
If this list were based on pure talent, Bayern would place much higher than sixth, but yesterday’s 3-1 loss to Porto puts them in a very difficult position. Of course, they were missing a couple of key players, but that’s still no excuse for the high proportion of individual errors evident in the Germans’ defensive display. They will probably still fancy their chances of progressing as they prepare for next week’s second leg in the Allianz Arena, but history and statistics are against them — since the Champions League began, only seven teams have managed to overturn a two-goal deficit or worse.
5. Porto
(Porto will be hoping to repeat their Champions League success of 2004)
Like their last Champions League triumph in 2004, Porto are rank outsiders in this year’s competition, despite an impressive 3-1 defeat of one of the favourites to lift the trophy, Bayern Munich. Yet perhaps critics have underestimated Julen Lopetegui’s side. They may be three points behind Benfica in Portugal, but in Europe, they have consistently convinced. Porto comfortably progressed from their group with four wins and two draws, before beating Liverpool’s conquerors, Basel, 5-1 on aggregate in the last-16. And their win over Bayern, despite only having 31% possession over the 90 minutes, is further evidence of their considerable prowess.
4. Atletico Madrid
0-0 is by no means a terrible result for Atletico as they prepare to face Real again at the Bernabeu in a week’s time. They demonstrated their resilience in an at times frenetic affair and in Jan Oblak, they appear to have found a worthy successor to Thibaut Courtois in nets. Moreover, unlike other sides in the competition, they are effectively out of their domestic title race, which could work in their favour, as has been the case for the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea in Europe in the past.
3. Juventus
Seldom mentioned as potential winners of this competition, the Italians have been quietly impressing under the radar. A 1-0 win over Monaco courtesy of an Arturo Vidal penalty consequently puts them in a good position to reach their first Champions League semi-final since 2003. Furthermore, they have a good balance to their side, with the defensive nous of Giorgio Chiellini, the experience of Andrea Pirlo, the vibrancy of Arturo Vidal and the potency of Carlos Tevez up front.
2. Real Madrid
For all their reported internal problems, Real Madrid still have talent to match any other side in Europe. While they weren’t as clinical as they would have liked to be against Atletico on Tuesday night, they are still well placed to prevail going to the Bernabéu on level terms. No team has ever won back-to-back Champions League, but Real, with their coterie of high-profile stars, are unlikely to be intimidated by this statistic.
1. Barcelona
Even against a side of PSG’s calibre, Barcelona looked a class apart on Wednesday night. What makes the Catalan team seem particularly formidable is the fact that when one of their stars isn’t at the top of their game, another invariably seems to be able to step up, as Luis Suarez did yesterday evening, with a virtuoso match-winning display, leaving David Luiz and other PSG defenders red-faced in the process.
Do you agree with our Champions League team of the week?>
Carvajal a lucky boy and more talking points from this week’s Champions League action>
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UEFA Champions League Contenders Power Ranking Atlético Madrid Barcelona Bayern Munich Real Madrid