European Power Rankings: Top 25 Teams on the Continent

Michael CummingsApr 8, 2012

Render unto England what is England's, but render unto Spain the rest.

This week, Spain staked a strong claim as Europe's (and the world's) best league when it claimed two teams in the Champions League semifinals and three in the Europa League semis.

That kind of accomplishment will always earn props in the B/R European power rankings. So with that in mind, brace yourself: You're going to see some mid-table teams in the countdown this week.

What can I say? They deserve it.

For now at least.

25. (Tie) Athletic Bilbao

1 of 25

Results: Drew 2-2 (won 6-4 on aggregate) home to Schalke (Europa League quarterfinal, second leg); won 1-0 home to Sevilla (league)

Fixtures: At Granada, Wednesday (league); home to Mallorca, Sunday (league)

Comments: Here you go, La Liga fanboys. I really didn't want to rank this team (they're 11th in the league!), but they really can play with any Europa League team on their day. Bilbao reached the semifinals of that competition after putting out Schalke, the third-best team in Germany, and along the way they also defeated Manchester United.

So. There you go.

25. (Tie) Atletico Madrid

2 of 25

Results: Won 2-1 (won 4-2 on aggregate) at Hannover 96 (Europa League quarterfinal, second leg); lost 2-0 at Levante

Fixtures: Home to Real Madrid, Wednesday (league); at Rayo Vallecano, Sunday (league)

Comments: Same as Bilbao. Grr.

23. Olympiakos

3 of 25

Results: Drew 0-0 at OFI (cup); lost 1-0 home to Kerkyra (league)

Fixtures: At PAS Giannina, Wednesday (league)

Comments: Olympiakos won the Greek title, if you care.

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22. Basel

4 of 25

Results: Won 2-0 at Lausanne (league); drew 1-1 at Lucerne (league)

Fixtures: Next: At FC Sion Sitt, April 22 (league)

Comments: The original CL darlings (before APOEL stole their thunder) are running away with the Swiss league.

21. Borussia Monchengladbach

5 of 25

Results: Drew 0-0 home to Hertha Berlin (league)

Fixtures: At Werder Bremen, Tuesday (league)

Comments: The mediocre run continues. Gladbach are fading fast, and they're now five points behind Schalke for third.

20. Schalke 04

6 of 25

Results: Drew 2-2 (lost 6-4 on aggregate) at Athletic Bilbao (Europa League quarterfinal, second leg); won 3-0 home to Hannover 96 (league)

Fixtures: At Nurnberg, Wednesday (league); home to Borussia Dortmund, Saturday (league)

Comments: Speaking of Schalke, they suffered the same fate as all that came before, though, the Germans actually took the lead twice against those crafty Europa League masters.

19. Lazio

7 of 25

Results: Won 3-1 home to Napoli (league)

Fixtures: At Juventus, Wednesday (league); at Novara, Sunday (league)

Comments: Did you see that goal by Stefano Mauri? Wow. Lazio remain third, three points ahead of Udinese and six ahead of Napoli.

18. Valencia

8 of 25

Results: Won 4-0 (won 5-2 on aggregate) home to AZ Alkmaar (Europa League quarterfinal, second leg); drew 0-0 at Real Madrid (league)

Fixtures: Home to Rayo Vallecano, Wednesday (league); at Espanyol, Sunday (league)

Comments: I needed to see something big if I was going to put Valencia back in the rankings. Valencia delivered, whipping AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League and then holding Real Madrid scoreless at the Bernabeu. Well done.

17. Zenit St. Petersburg

9 of 25

Results: Won 1-0 at Lokomotiv Moscow (league)

Fixtures: Home to CSKA Moscow, Saturday (league)

Comments: Zenit, now 11 points clear, are very much still on track for the Russian title.

16. Ajax

10 of 25

Results: No new results

Fixtures: At Heerenveen, Wednesday (league); home to De Graafschap, Sunday (league)

Comments: Just a reminder that Eredivisie-leading Ajax have won eight straight in the league by a combined score of 27-5. I love watching this team.

15. PSG

11 of 25

Results: Won 2-1 home to Marseille (league)

Fixtures: At Auxerre, Sunday (league)

Comments: So, does this mean PSG snapped out of their funk? We'll see. They're level on points with Montpellier, but Montpellier have a game in hand—and a four-goal advantage in goal differential.

14. Benfica

12 of 25

Results: Lost 2-1 (lost 3-1 on aggregate) at Chelsea, (Champions League quarterfinal, second leg)

Fixtures: At Sporting Lisbon, Monday (league)

Comments: Benfica outplayed Chelsea for much of their Champions League quarterfinal second leg and still lost the match and the tie. Oh well. It's back to the league, where they trail Porto by four points with a game in hand.

13. Tottenham Hotspur

13 of 25

Results: Drew 0-0 at Sunderland (league)

Fixtures: Home to Norwich, Monday (league); vs. Chelsea at Wembley, Sunday (FA Cup semifinal)

Comments: It's hard to like what's going on with Spurs right now. They're still in fourth place, but the slide continues.

12. Montpellier

14 of 25

Results: Won 2-1 home to Sochaux, (league)

Fixtures: At Marseille, Wednesday (league); at Lorient, Sunday (league)

Comments: Are Montpellier the Borussia Dortmund of France? They keep winning, but no one wants to talk about them.

11. Manchester City

15 of 25

Results: Lost 1-0 at Arsenal (league)

Fixtures: Home to West Brom, Wednesday (league); at Norwich, Saturday (league)

Comments: It's all over for City in the league. They still have a 10-point cushion for second place, but they're tumbling down the power rankings due to some awful form.

10. Porto

16 of 25

Results: Won 1-0 at Braga (league)

Fixtures: Home to Beira Mar, April 21

Comments: Porto lead the Portuguese league by four points over Benfica. I would feel much better about them if they hadn't failed in Europe this season.

9. Chelsea

17 of 25

Results: Won 2-1 (won 3-1 on aggregate) home to Benfica (Champions League quarterfinal, second leg); won 2-1 home to Wigan (league)

Fixtures: At Fulham, Monday (league); vs. Tottenham at Wembley, Sunday (FA Cup semifinal)

Comments: The revival keeps chugging along, thanks to a string of charmed results. Chelsea were outplayed by Benfica in the Champions League quarterfinal second leg—but won anyway. Then they gave up a late equalizer to relegation-haunted Wigan in the league—but scored an even later winner and won anyway.

The Blues are still fifth, level with Newcastle, three points behind Spurs and five behind Arsenal. Their Champions League Odyssey continues in the semis, where road will surely end against Barca.

8. Arsenal

18 of 25

Results: Won 1-0 home to Manchester City (league)

Fixtures: At Wolves, Wednesday (league)

Comments: Arsenal have won eight of nine in the English Premier League and lead Spurs by two points for third place. Imagine if Arsene Wenger had Manchester City's money.

7. Juventus

19 of 25

Results: Won 2-0 at Palermo, Saturday (league)

Fixtures: Home to Lazio, Wednesday (league); at Cesena, Sunday (league)

Comments: Juventus have won their last four league matches, all with clean sheets. In fact, they haven’t conceded a league goal since March 7. The Bianconeri are still undefeated in Serie A, where they took over top spot by one point after Milan's loss. But I need to see them draw fewer matches (and keep winning) before I move them up.

6. Manchester United

20 of 25

Results: Won 2-0 at Blackburn (league); won 2-0 home to QPR (league)

Fixtures: At Wigan, Wednesday (league); home to Aston Villa, Sunday (league)

Comments: Death, taxes and Manchester United winning the English Premier League. My goodness, it does get old (unless you're a Fergie fan).

5. Borussia Dortmund

21 of 25

Results: Won 3-1 at VfL Wolfsburg (league)

Fixtures: Home to Bayern Munich, Wednesday (league); at Schalke 04, Saturday (league)

Comments: Borussia Dortmund have gone 23 league matches without defeat. Their lead over Bayern Munich atop the Bundesliga is three points. Those two teams collide Wednesday in Dortmund.

4. AC Milan

22 of 25

Results: Lost 3-1 (lost 3-1 on aggregate) at Barcelona (Champions League quarterfinal, second leg); lost 2-1 home to Fiorentina (league)

Fixtures: At Chievo Verona, Tuesday (league); home to Genoa, Saturday (league)

Comments: Everybody can have a bad week. Milan lost to Barca at Barca (which was totally understandable) and then suffered a European hangover in their home loss to Fiorentina back in Serie A (not so much). Still, I think this will be a top five team at the end of the season.