Ranking the Top 25 European Clubs After Weekend of May 16-17
Welcome to the latest edition of our European club rankings (previous edition here), where we rank the top teams on the continent based on seasonal form and squad strength.
The Champions League semi-finals were settled last week, with Juventus and Barcelona prospering and moving to the final. They'll square off in Berlin in June. We're also witnessing the culmination of every major European division, with several teams crowned champions this week.
Remember: Form over the past six weeks or so is taken into account, with the most recent result being the biggest factor in changes of placement. It's also cumulative, so teams such as Lyon and Arsenal have been floating in reasonably stable positions due to up-and-down form.
Disagree with our order? Join the conversation in the comments section below!
Note: Rankings consider results completed prior to May 19.
25. Zenit St. Petersburg
1 of 25
Last Week: 24
Differential: -1
Zenit St. Petersburg have been confirmed as Russian Premier League champions with a 1-1 draw at Ufa, though they are not without their critics.
Per BBC Sport, Boris Chukhlov, a former title winner with Zenit in the 1980s, has described Andre Villas-Boas' tactics as "nauseating" and "anti-football." But considering Zenit scored the second-most goals in the league with 57 in 28 games, per WhoScored.com, the criticism doesn't feel as though it stacks up.
24. Marseille
2 of 25
Last Week: Unranked
Differential: New!
Over to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"A thumping 4-0 win away at Lille OSC over the weekend has kept Marseille's hopes of Champions League qualification alive. Marcelo Bielsa's men now need a home win over SC Bastia and results elsewhere to go their way if they are to return to the top continental stage after one season away.
"Saint-Etienne are level on points with OM and could finish that way if they also win their final game. However, Les Phoceens' goal difference is far greater, so a win would be enough to keep Les Verts away from a potential third-place finish."
Replaced: PSV Eindhoven
23. Napoli
3 of 25
Last Week: 22
Differential: -1
Dries Mertens put in the performance of a lifetime, bagging two goals and one assist, as Napoli overcame the challenge of Cesena at the San Paolo on Monday.
The problem is, the Partenopei are now relying on Lazio to lose or be held by Roma next week, and to then be able to beat Lazio on the final matchday to ensure they finish in the top three.
Why? Because they were dumped from the Europa League semi-finals by Dnipro, ensuring Serie A is the only way they can qualify for next season's elite competition.
22. Sporting
4 of 25
Last Week: 23
Differential: +1
Sporting underlined just how clear the line is between third and fourth place in the Liga NOS this weekend, defeating Braga—the closest challengers to the top three—4-1.
Islam Slimani and Adrien Silva scored a brace each, and with one game remaining, they have the chance to move an astonishing 21 points clear of Braga if they win their final match.
21. Saint-Etienne
5 of 25
Last Week: 21
Differential: None
Over to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"Following a 2-1 win away at Evian Thonon Gaillard last Saturday, Christophe Galtier and his AS Saint-Etienne side remain the least likely of the three remaining candidates to qualify for the UEFA Champions League. All Les Verts can do is beat EA Guingamp at home this weekend and hope for Olympique de Marseille and AS Monaco to lose their games.
"ASSE need to finish with a greater number of points than Marseille because of their inferior goal difference, while Monaco lead by two points and four goals. If Galtier's men are to finish third ahead of Monaco, they will need Les Monegasques to lose by enough goals to create at least a foul-goal swing when coupled with their own winning margin."
20. Monaco
6 of 25
Last Week: 20
Differential: None
Over to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"A 2-0 home win over already relegated FC Metz keeps Monaco in the lead for the third and final Champions League qualification place coming into the final round of games. All Leonardo Jardim's men now need to do in order to confirm a return to Europe's top table for next season is to win away at FC Lorient this coming weekend.
19. Lyon
7 of 25
Last Week: 15
Differential: -4
Over to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"After pushing Paris Saint-Germain close for so long during the season, Olympique Lyonnais' campaign is finishing in underwhelming fashion. Beaten 3-0 away at Stade Malherbe Caen previously, Hubert Fournier's men were held 1-1 at home by Girondins de Bordeaux over the weekend.
"Alexandre Lacazette and Nabil Fekir deservedly won the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards, respectively, but an eight-point gap between OL and PSG does not reflect how close the Lacazette and Fekir-inspired Gones pushed the capital outfit this season.
"Champions League football is now guaranteed for next season, and Lyon can look forward to it with optimism, despite a disappointing finish to this campaign."
18. Dynamo Kiev
8 of 25
Last Week: 19
Differential: +1
Dynamo Kiev are celebrating a Ukrainian Premier League title, breaking the five-year Shakhtar Donetsk stronghold on it and doing so in style.
With two games to go they are seven points clear at the top. The 1-0 victory over Europa League finalists Dnipro this weekend sealed it, with Domagoj Vida netting the crucial goal at the death.
17. FC Porto
9 of 25
Last Week: 13
Differential: -4
Heartbreak. Absolute heartbreak.
FC Porto were on course to take the Liga NOS title race into the final weekend of matches, but a late equaliser from Belenenses, levelling the score at 1-1, destroyed any chance of the Dragons usurping Benfica and moving into first place.
What's worse, their title rivals only mustered a 0-0 draw with Vitoria de Guimaraes, marking a rare occasion on which they dropped points and presented a chance for Porto to take advantage.
They failed.
16. Benfica
10 of 25
Last Week: 14
Differential: -2
Benfica fans will be breathing a sigh of relief. The Eagles finally dropped points this weekend, drawing 0-0 with Vitoria de Guimaraes, and FC Porto failed to take advantage.
It means the Lisbon club have been crowned champions of the Liga NOS for the second consecutive year, given that they have a better head-to-head record and cannot be caught, even if they lose next week.
Congratulations, Benfica!
15. Wolfsburg
11 of 25
Last Week: 18
Differential: +3
Wolfsburg notched a big win this week, overcoming the challenge of Borussia Dortmund 2-1 at home to take a giant step toward finishing second in the Bundesliga.
Die Wolfe have one last game—an away match with all-but-relegated Paderborn, who sit at the foot of the table—and they'll want to win it to stave off the challenge of Borussia Monchengladbach. They should see this out.
14. Bayern Munich
12 of 25
Last Week: 10
Differential: -4
Bayern Munich's season is crumbling around them, but it's easy to forget they secured the Bundesliga title weeks ago and have been battling injuries for months.
Their 3-2 win over Barcelona wasn't enough to override the 3-0 away defeat, dumping them out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage again. A 2-1 loss to Freiburg this weekend made it four defeats in six games.
13. Bayer Leverkusen
13 of 25
Last Week: 16
Differential: +3
Bayer Leverkusen's 2-0 victory over Hoffenheim this weekend combined steely defensive solidity with attacking prowess, sending the world a sharp reminder of what they can achieve.
They will settle for fourth place in the Bundesliga and go through the rigmarole of a Champions League qualifier early next season, with Borussia Monchengladbach stealing the last automatic qualifying spot in the Bundesliga (third).
It will be intriguing to see how Roger Schmidt adds to his specifically built squad this summer.
12. Manchester City
14 of 25
Last Week: 17
Differential: +5
Manchester City all but secured second place in the Premier League with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Swansea City on Sunday afternoon. The win was the fifth in a row for Manuel Pellegrini's boys.
Given how sharply their season dipped, this late renaissance feels like a real achievement, but in black and white terms, the 2014-15 campaign has been a failure. They are so far off Chelsea at the top, and they relinquished the title with three games to go.
11. Lazio
15 of 25
Last Week: 11
Differential: None
Santiago Gentiletti bailed Lazio out this weekend, securing a vital 1-0 victory over Sampdoria to keep Napoli at arm's length in Serie A.
The Biancocelesti hold the key to the order of the Italian top three this season, playing both Roma and the Partenopei in their final two games. Their results will decide who makes the cut and who misses the Champions League.
10. Borussia Monchengladbach
16 of 25
Last Week: 12
Differential: +2
Borussia Monchengladbach earned their fourth win in a row with a 2-0 victory over Werder Bremen and are still loosely in the hunt for second place in the Bundesliga. They need to win on the final day and hope Wolfsburg lose away to Paderborn.
Whatever happens next weekend, Lucien Favre deserves immense credit for seeing off the challenge of Bayer Leverkusen and securing guaranteed, group-stage Champions League football next season. Hell of a job.
9. Valencia
17 of 25
Last Week: 7
Differential: -2
Valencia were strong in the first half this weekend but tailed off in the second, relying on Nicolas Otamendi to score and carve out a 1-1 draw with Celta Vigo. The opposition pressed them hard and made life difficult.
They're in fourth place in La Liga with a game to go, and they know a victory over relegation-threatened Almeria will secure them Champions League football next season. The issue is, Almeria desperately need a win to stay in the league. Who will come out on top?
8. Real Madrid
18 of 25
Last Week: 6
Differential: -2
Real Madrid's draw with Valencia last week turned out to be incredibly damaging. Despite putting four past Espanyol, they could no longer catch Barcelona at the top of La Liga.
Cristiano Ronaldo, a hat-trick hero on the day, peppered the opposing goal with shots as if he believed the mathematical deficit at the top would somehow disappear if he scored enough. Last week, they drew 1-1 with Juventus to drop out of the Champions League in heartbreaking fashion.
Ultimately, it's been a trophyless season of failure for Carlo Ancelotti, and he may just pay with his job.
7. Atletico Madrid
19 of 25
Last Week: 5
Differential: -2
Atletico Madrid played out a tight game with Barcelona this week and eventually lost 1-0, relenting to a Lionel Messi strike that saw the visitors win La Liga.
It represented a strange sort of symmetry to last season, where Atletico won 1-0 at Camp Nou to secure the Liga title, and given Los Colchoneros' top-four place is already confirmed, there was little begrudging at the final whistle.
6. Sevilla
20 of 25
Last Week: 9
Differential: +3
Sevilla will contest a second consecutive Europa League final, having dispensed with Fiorentina's meek challenge over two legs to the tune of five goals.
Their weekend win over Almeria has them within a point of Valencia in fourth place in La Liga, and they have to hope for either a slip from Los Che to leapfrog them or a win over Dnipro in the Europa League final to enter the Champions League next year.
If you're hedging your bets, the second seems more likely.
5. Chelsea
21 of 25
Last Week: 3
Differential: -2
Chelsea lost 3-0 to West Bromwich Albion on Monday night in a match that truly confirmed they've relaxed at the end of the season. The Premier League title is secure, the Baggies are safe from relegation, so Jose Mourinho rotated the kids into the lineup.
Cesc Fabregas' ridiculous red card didn't exactly help matters, but it was nice to see Ruben Loftus-Cheek given another chance and Izzy Brown join the fray late on for his first senior appearance.
4. Arsenal
22 of 25
Last Week: 4
Differential: None
Arsenal's 1-1 draw with Manchester United this weekend had an end-of-season feel to it in the second half, and the Gunners had to rely on a Tyler Blackett own goal to scrape a point.
They've won just one of their last four games having sloped off a little as the campaign draws to a close. They do have a midweek game against Sunderland that can change the landscape at the bottom of the Premier League, but likely not the top.
3. Paris Saint-Germain
23 of 25
Last Week: 8
Differential: +5
Over to B/R's Jonathan Johnson for the Ligue 1 lowdown:
"A 2-1 win away at Montpellier HSC last Saturday confirmed PSG's third consecutive Ligue 1 title and a fifth Championnat crown in total. Laurent Blanc's men extended their winning run to eight league games, tying their all-time record and a victory over Stade de Reims on the final day of the season will set a new benchmark.
"Le President is now the most decorated coach in PSG history, having won six titles. The 49-year-old was also rewarded with the Ligue 1 Coach of the Year award on the Sunday. The capital club could be celebrating his seventh before the end of the campaign though, with AJ Auxerre all that stands between Les Parisiens and the Coupe de France.
"If PSG win that, then a domestic French treble will be complete for the first time in history."
2. Juventus
24 of 25
Last Week: 2
Differential: None
Congratulations Juventus on reaching the UEFA Champions League final!
A 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu was enough to secure a 3-2 aggregate victory over Real Madrid and progress to the showpiece event. Alvaro Morata scored the killer goal at his own stomping ground and refused to celebrate, irking the masses on social media.
They won 2-1 away over in-form Internazionale this weekend, but the Serie A title has been in the bag for weeks and there's only one thing on Massimiliano Allegri's mind now.
1. Barcelona
25 of 25
Last Week: 1
Differential: None
Barcelona secured the 2014-15 Liga title with a 1-0 victory against Atletico Madrid in the Vicente Calderon, nailing the first of what is expected to be three major honours this season.
They reached the Champions League final despite a 3-2 loss in Munich to Bayern, resting on their seismic 3-0 win in the first leg for support and managing the game well.
There's every chance they'll see out the season in first place in our rankings after a long, dominant stint at the top.
Quotes obtained firsthand.
