European Power Rankings: Top 25 Teams on the Continent

Turn and face the strange. Ch-ch-ch-changes are the norm in this week's edition of the B/R European Power Rankings.

You won't be surprised to learn that Real Madrid took over the top spot after beating Barcelona, 2-1, on Saturday.

You'll probably be surprised, however, to find a few of the names you're about to find in the nether reaches of the countdown.

Here's a hint. One team from the Northwest of England shares its name with a tasty brown ale.

Figured it out? Let's get started.

25. Newcastle United

Results: Won 3-0 home to Stoke City (league)

Fixtures: At Wigan, Saturday (league)

Comments: Let me get this out of the way. I have Tottenham Hotspur fatigue. They're not a good team right now, and they're not even in line for Champions League qualification.

Newcastle United are a good team right now—six straight league wins—and they're in line for Champions League qualification. It was an easy decision to flip the two.

Spurs out. Newcastle in.

24. Atletico Madrid

Results: Won 4-2 home to Valencia (Europa League semifinal, first leg); won 3-1 home to Espanyol (league)

Fixtures: At Valencia, Thursday (Europa League semifinal, second leg); at Real Betis, Sunday (league)

Comments: The other big change this week in the rankings is the absence of Borussia Monchengladbach. Gladbach lost again—even if it was to Dortmund—and I just need a break from them. Sorry.

Enter Atletico Madrid, who beat Valencia 4-2 in the Europa League this past week and are only three points behind third-placed Malaga in La Liga

23. Malaga

Results: No new results

Fixtures: At Osasuna, Monday (league); home to Valencia, Sunday (league)

Comments: Speaking of Malaga, they're still in fourth—partly because they haven't played since the last time these rankings came out.

22. Lille

Results: Won 2-0 at Dijon (league)

Fixtures: Home to PSG, Sunday (league)

Comments: Lille continued their quest for Champions League qualification with another Ligue 1 win. With five matches left, third-placed Lille lead Stade Rennes by eight points and Lyon by nine.

21. Olympiakos

Results: Won 4-0 at PAS Giannina (league); won 2-0 at Atromitos (league)

Fixtures: Vs. Atromitos, Friday (Greek cup final)

Comments: Greek champions Olympiakos beat Atromitos in league play Sunday. The same teams meet Friday in the Greek Cup final.

20. Basel

Results: Won 3-0 at FC Sion Sitt (league)

Fixtures: Home to Lausanne, Sunday (league)

Comments: Basel keep chugging along in Switzerland. And we keep chugging along with our rankings.

19. Valencia

Results: Lost 4-2 at Atletico Madrid (Europa League semifinal, first leg); drew 0-0 home to Real Betis (league)

Fixtures: Home to Atletico Madrid (Europa League semifinal, second leg); at Malaga, Sunday (league)

Comments: Valencia clearly had an eye on their Europa League semifinal during that home draw with Betis. But then again, they lost that Europa League semifinal first leg badly to Atletico. Whatever. I can’t figure this team out. And I’m tired of trying.

18. Schalke

Results: Drew 1-1 at Augsburg, (league)

Fixtures: Home to Hertha Berlin, Saturday (league)

Comments: Schalke stayed on track for third place in the Bundesliga, two points ahead of Gladbach with two matches left.

17. Lazio

Results: Drew 1-1 home to Lecce (league)

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

Comments: There were lots of disappointing results in the top 25 this week. Their lead in third place is three points over Udinese (four over Napoli) with five matches left.

16. Zenit St. Petersburg

Results: Drew 2-2 at Kuban Krasno (league)

Fixtures: Home to Dinamo Moscow, Saturday (league)

Comments: Zenit's winning streak in the Russian Premier League finally ended. Have they clinched the title yet or what?

15. Benfica

Results: Won 4-1 home to Maritimo (league)

Fixtures: At Rio Ave, Sunday (league)

Comments: Benfica still trail Portuguese league-leading Porto by four points.

14. PSG

Results: Won 6-1 home to Sochaux (league)

Fixtures: At Lille, Sunday (league)

Comments: Now that was a win! A tricky trip to Lille is next.

13. Montpellier

Results: Won 1-0 home to Valenciennes (league)

Fixtures: At Toulouse, Friday (league)

Comments: Montpellier still lead PSG by two points atop Ligue 1 with five matches left.

12. Porto

Results: Won 3-0 home to Beira Mar (league)

Fixtures: At Maritimo, Saturday (league)

Comments: Porto's lead atop the Portuguese league remains four points over Benfica.

11. Arsenal

Results: Lost 2-1 home to Wigan (league); drew 0-0 home to Chelsea (league)

Fixtures: At Stoke, Saturday (league)

Comments: It was a tough week for Arsenal, who find themselves outside the top 10 in our rankings for the first time in a few weeks. The Gunners had won nine of 10 before this week, but took only one point out of the six available.

10. Ajax

Results: Won 2-0 home to FC Groningen (league)

Fixtures: At Twente, Sunday (league)

Comments: Ajax have won 11 straight Eredivisie matches. Their lead atop the table is six points with three matches left. Get ready to celebrate, Amsterdam (and can I participate?).

9. Chelsea

Results: Won 1-0 home to Barcelona (Champions League semifinal, first leg); drew 0-0 at Arsenal (league)

Fixtures: At Barcelona, Tuesday (Champions League semifinal, second leg); home to QPR, Sunday (league)

Comments: No, I don't think Chelsea have the ninth-best team in Europe. But they beat Barcelona and they're 90 minutes away from the Champions League final. Those two facts have to count for something.

Still, the Blues are sixth in the English Premier League. Sixth!

8. Manchester City

Results: Won 2-0 at Wolves (league)

Fixtures: Home to Manchester United, April 30 (league)

Comments: The title race really is back on. Next Monday's showdown with United should prove decisive.

7. Manchester United

Results: Drew 4-4 home to Everton (league)

Fixtures: At Manchester City, April 30 (league)

Comments: United led 3-1 and 4-2 against Everton on Sunday and managed not to win. The Red Devils allowed four goals at Old Trafford. Now they're on the brink of blowing a big late-season lead in the table.

That, friends, would be unbelievable.

6. AC Milan

Results: Drew 1-1 home to Bologna (league)

Fixtures: Home to Genoa, Wednesday (league); at Siena, Sunday (league)

Comments: Milan must shake off their funk quickly, or they'll lose touch with Juventus in Serie A.

5. Juventus

Results: Won 4-0 home to AS Roma (league)

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

Comments: Juventus lead Serie A by three points with five matches left. The Bianconeri also have the Coppa Italia final on May 20.

I'm starting to believe. Let's hope that's not a jinx.

4. Bayern Munich

Results: Won 2-1 home to Real Madrid (Champions League semifinal, first leg); won 2-1 at Werder Bremen (league)

Fixtures: At Real Madrid, Wednesday (Champions League semifinal, second leg); home to Stuttgart, Saturday (league)

Comments: The Bundesliga title is out of reach, but a home match in the Champions League final is within sight. A difficult trip to high-flying Real Madrid awaits.

3. Borussia Dortmund

Results: Won 2-0 home to Borussia Monchengladbach (league)

Fixtures: At Kaiserslautern, Saturday (league)

Comments: Say hello to the only confirmed champion from a major European league.

Those Germans sure know how to celebrate a title triumph. Am I right?

2. Barcelona

Results: Lost 1-0 at Chelsea (Champions League semifinal, first leg); lost 2-1 home to Real Madrid (league)

Fixtures: Home to Chelsea, Tuesday (Champions League semifinal, second leg); at Rayo Vallecano, Sunday (league)

Comments: Wow. Just. Wow. Time to man up.

1. Real Madrid

Results: Lost 2-1 at Bayern Munich (Champions League semifinal, first leg); won 2-1 at Barcelona (league)

Fixtures: Home to Bayern Munich, Wednesday (Champions League semifinal, second leg); home to Sevilla, Sunday (league)

Comments: Speaking of manning up, Real Madrid really impressed me on Saturday. Losing to Bayern Munich was tough, especially since the Bavarians scored so late in the match.

But then Jose Mourinho's men scored their biggest win of the season a few days later, and it came at the Camp Nou.