European Club Power Rankings After April 6-8 Matches

How great is football? This past week's matches across Europe count as some of the finest and most exciting in recent memory.

Few would have backed the midweek Champions League slate to be topped, but the Manchester derby may just have pipped it in the drama stakes. Real Madrid vs. Atletico Madrid wasn't half bad either.

These rankings are a season-long measurement of clubs, tracking teams throughout 2017/18 and taking into account results from all competitions.

Sides that have lost the fewest games naturally rank higher—though the strength of opposition met in a loss is considered—and both UEFA Champions League form and presence are used as tiebreakers for those with similar records. Teams that enjoy big wins against strong opponents get a boost.

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20. Sevilla (-2)

It wasn't a good week for Sevilla. They lost against Bayern Munich in the Champions League despite looking the better side for long periods, and they then got crushed 4-0 by Celta Vigo in their La Liga follow-up. 

19. Schalke 04 (-2)

Sometimes, football just doesn't make sense. Schalke 04, a side who had won six games straight coming into this weekend, lost to Hamburg—a team coming into this weekend bottom of the Bundesliga.

18. Arsenal (New!)

After several months in the sin bin, Arsenal return to our European Club Rankings after winning six straight games in all competitions.

They've all but booked their place in the Europa League semi-finals, crushing CSKA Moscow 4-1 in the first leg, and they have scored three goals in each of their last three Premier League home games.

17. RB Leipzig (+1)

Die Roten Bullen beat Marseille 1-0 midweek to put themselves in a great spot heading into the second legs of the Europa League quarter-finals. 

16. Chelsea (-1)

Another week, another disappointing result for Chelsea. A 1-1 draw against West Ham United isn't good enough, and the fact they were pretty unlucky not to be three ahead by the 60th minute won't count for much if you're Antonio Conte.

They are limping to season's end.

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15. Inter Milan (-1)

Inter huffed and puffed against Torino on Sunday, but they couldn't find a way past Salvatore Sirigu. The Italian goalkeeper made eight saves, several of them excellent, and thanked his lucky stars as strikes from Rafinha and Ivan Perisic struck the post.

The result spoils the Nerazzurri's mini-run of good results and puts their top-four credentials under the microscope once again.

14. Lazio (+2)

Lazio took advantage of some poor results around them to move back into third place in Serie A ahead of AS Roma. They're well in with a shout of finishing in this area and still have the Europa League on the cards, too.

13. AS Roma (-1)

Predictably, Roma were soundly beaten by Barcelona midweek. No one expected them to make any waves at the Camp Nou, but to go two down to two own goals made it all the more disappointing.

Even worse, they returned to Italy and lost against a ruthless Fiorentina side in remarkable circumstances. With 25 shots to the Viola's three, they struck the woodwork three times, forced eight saves from Marco Sportiello—and lost 2-0.

12. Valencia (+1)

Valencia leaped back into third place in La Liga this weekend with a win over Espanyol, overtaking Real Madrid in the process. That they're nabbing a Champions League spot is a given, but now it's worth wondering whether they might even have enough in the tank to avoid the play-off round.

11. Tottenham Hotspur (Stay)

Spurs have become accustomed to winning at Stoke City of late, and while Saturday's 2-1 victory followed the recent trends, it wasn't anywhere near as comfortable as the previous few trips have been.

Still, Mauricio Pochettino will have been delighted Harry Kane started, "scored" (there is some debate) and finished the game. Having him back and up to speed is crucial ahead of the FA Cup semi-final on April 21.

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10. Napoli (Stay)

Napoli recorded their own version of The Late, Late Show on Sunday, netting twice in the dying moments to rescue a win against Chievo.

A goal down in the 89th minute and with Scudetto hopes fading fast, Arkadiusz Milik struck to level matters, and then Amadou Diawara netted a scorcher to turn the game on its head. They're still in the back seat in the title race, but it's better to be on the road than not at all.

9. Manchester United (Stay)

Undoubtedly, the shock of the weekend's action was Manchester United's victory over Manchester City, a result that flabbergasted the football world and forced their rivals' champagne back on to the ice.

Two down at half-time and reduced to something resembling a spectator, they watched helplessly as City ran rings around them, carved them open and missed several clear-cut chances.

In the second half, though, the script flipped. United capitalised on City's drop-off and scored twice in three minutes, then steered home an epic winner via Chris Smalling's foot.

It was a comeback that felt impossible at the break, and as a result it will go down in history as a classic derby day.

8. Paris Saint-Germain (-1)

It's always good to see PSG given an examination in Ligue 1—they have it so easy most of the time—and they were forced to work for their point against AS Saint-Etienne on Friday, securing it only through a last-gasp Mathieu Debuchy own goal.

7. Atletico Madrid (+1)

Atletico mean business when it comes to the Europa League. They're the heavy favourites to win it and are treating that tag with respect—evidenced by their fast, goalscoring start vs. Sporting CP on Thursday.

A 2-0 win against the Portuguese club sets them up perfectly for the second leg, and they were also able to grab a draw with Real Madrid on Sunday despite getting two fewer days' rest.

6. Juventus (-3)

Sometimes, you're left with no choice but to stand and applaud. The occasions are rare—marking genuine greatness and a certain amount of pride swallowed—but they do come around.

Juve's fans added to an already iconic moment on Tuesday when they gave Cristiano Ronaldo a rousing ovation for his spectacular overhead kick at the Allianz Stadium. In spite of the fact it was a goal that more or less sealed their side's elimination from the Champions League, they lauded it with the praise it deserved.

The match outlined the fact that the Bianconeri's status in European football is slipping. They're good, but they can't compete with the best.

5. Liverpool (Stay)

Liverpool more or less matched what Real Madrid did last week but with some subtle differences: Their 3-0 win came at home, and their derby draw with Everton was against a far weaker team than Atletico Madrid. That means they stay in fifth as Los Blancos hop ahead.

What they did to Manchester City was breathtaking, and if they can follow it up with a similarly disciplined performance in the second leg, they'll book a place in the Champions League semi-finals—you wouldn't have expected that when they sold Philippe Coutinho in January.

4. Real Madrid (+2)

This is the Real Madrid we've come to know and respect: the team which, when it comes to the crunch, produces its best displays, crushing elite teams with alarming alacrity.

Beating Juventus 3-0 on their own patch just isn't done—or, perhaps more accurately, wasn't done—until Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. rocked into town. The scary thing is, the scoreline flattered the hosts.

Sunday's derby draw is neither great nor terrible. La Liga is out of Los Blancos' reach, so you could say that avoiding defeat was enough.

3. Manchester City (-1)

City's week was nothing short of an outright disaster. It's a little difficult—still—to comprehend how badly it went.

They're in a deep hole in their Champions League quarter-final tie, needing a clean sheet and four goals against Liverpool to progress, and their expected Premier League title parade was postponed after a remarkable collapse against archrivals Manchester United.

It adds an extremely sour note to what has been a near-flawless season and sees them move out of our top two for the first this year.

2. Bayern Munich (+2)

Bayern's beginning to the 2017-18 campaign may have featured a few stutters, but since Jupp Heynckes was parachuted in to invigorate the club, they've been close to perfect.

Saturday saw them secure a sixth straight Bundesliga title five matchdays before the end of the season, and they did it at the home of Munich rivals Augsburg, too, making it all the sweeter.

Things weren't quite so smooth in midweek against Sevilla, where they were rocked a little before eventually emerging as 2-1 winners, but those two away goals make them near-certainties for the Champions League semi-finals.

1. Barcelona (Stay)

This isn't the prettiest Barcelona side you'll see, but it is looking like one of the most efficient and effective teams the game has witnessed.

Saturday's 3-1 win over Leganes, courtesy of a hat-trick from Lionel Messi, took La Blaugrana to 38 games unbeaten in La Liga, equalling Real Sociedad's long-held record.

They can break it with a win or a draw against Valencia next weekend, and they could even rest players for it since their Champions League tie with Roma is all but finished anyway.

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