World Football Power Rankings: The 25 Teams To Watch in Europe Right Now

It was certainly an exciting week in world football with the Champions League Round of 16 being determined with quite a few surprises, along with some surprising results and new top contenders in some domestic competitions.

Here are our picks for the Top 25 teams to watch in Europe right now. And as always, if there's anyone we missed, or if you have any other thoughts about the week in world football, have at it in the comments section. 

1. Barcelona

Even after Barcelona came into the Santiago Bernabéu without home field advantage or momentum on their side, even after they came into El Clásico behind in the La Liga rankings, and even after a howler from Victor Valdés gave Karim Benzema a goal less than thirty seconds into the match, the Blaugrana still came back to win in resounding fashion and jump their rivals in the rankings.

It may not stay like this all season, but with a victory in El Clásico, the momentum has shifted back to Barcelona's favor. 

2. Real Madrid

Even in a tough loss in El Clásico at home, Real Madrid still played some very good football. Statistically, they've still got the upper hand on Barça in goals and assists, and the two teams are deadlocked in terms of points. Not to mention that a victory over Ajax earlier in the week secured a six-win run in the Champions League group stage.

Some pundits are calling this the best Real Madrid squad since the days of Ferenc Puskás and Alfredo Di Stéfano, and they've still got a chance to get the silverware to back up that kind of talk. 

3. Bayern Munich

They didn't end up finishing their Champions League campaign without a loss, going down to a hard-fighting Manchester City. But in their defense, City had a lot more to lose, and Bayern played mostly their second string—no Ribéry, no Manuel Neuer, no Mario Gómez, no Philipp Lahm.

They retained their place at the top of the Bundesliga with a key come-from-behind victory over Stuttgart over the weekend. 

4. Udinese

After this weekend's victory over Chievo Verona and with AC Milan being held to a disappointing draw, Udine have jumped past Juventus and now lead the Serie A table, with Antonio Di Natale further adding to his impressive goal total in the Capocannionere race. 

Of course, just two points separate the top four teams in the Calcio, so this arrangement could change at the drop of a hat (or a ball in the net). 

5. Juventus

One of the few teams in Europe to make it all the way to December unbeaten, Juve now trail behind Udine in the Serie A race by a point. A late Claudio Marchisio goal helped the Bianconeri advance in the Coppa Italia midweek, and they face a tough opponent in AS Roma tomorrow. If they emerge victorious, they will quickly regain control over the table. 

6. Manchester City

The Noisy Neighbours fought hard in their last Champions League round and ended on high note with a 2-0 win over a tricky Bayern Munich thanks to goals from David Silva and Yaya Toure. The latter, however, will be leaving for a while at the end of next month for the African Cup of Nations, and it will be interesting to see how City fare without him in midfield.

The win wasn't enough to keep them in the competition, but they're still unbeaten in the Premiership, although a clash against Chelsea tomorrow night could derail their success.

7. Arsenal

Robin van Persie led the Gunners to victory over Everton over the weekend, launching Arsene Wenger's formerly beleaguered squad into the top four, something that didn't seem possible back in August. But yea, the faithful believed, and they were rewarded by Captain Fantastic.

They did lose their last Champions League match to Olympiacos, but they had already won the group by a point, and the momentum-building as of late has been immense. 

8. S.L. Benfica

A goal from Óscar Cardozo against Otelul Galati this week sealed an unbeaten run in the Champions League group stage and a finish at the top of the table.

Over the weekend, Benfica successfully took on Marítimo, the team who defeated them in the Taça Portugal the week before, and this time came away with a 1-0 victory that took them into the top of the Portuguese Liga table. 

9. Chelsea

After a bit of a dip in the Premier League and Football League Cup elimination, the Blues look back on track with an excellent win in their last round of the Champions League group stage, a resounding 3-0 over Valencia.

Villas-Boas' bold lineup choices—opting not to start Frank Lampard, entrusting a resurgent Didier Drogba, who scored a brace, starting the impressive up-and-comers like Oriol Romeu and Ramires—all worked out rather favorably and put Chelsea in a good place ahead of a tough match against Manchester City tomorrow. 

10. AC Milan

The Rossoneri were held to a tough draw against Bologna and remain stagnant in third in the Serie A rankings, although just two points behind front-runners Udinese and one behind Juventus.

A draw to a hard-fighting Viktoria Plzen was probably not the result they wanted to end their Champions League group stage on, but they advanced relatively easily to the Round of 16, one of three very formidable Serie A sides to do so. 

11. Schalke 04

Despite midfielder Peer Kluge and Jefferson Farfán both being sidelined with injuries, Schalke are still continuing to make strides in the Bundesliga with a key win over Hertha Berlin that saw the blue and white ones rise to third in the Bundesliga. They are tied for points with Borussia Dortmund and just three behind front-runners Bayern Munich. 

12. SSC Napoli

The Azzurri stay stagnant at a disappointing fifth in Serie A, 10 points behind first-place Udinese. But a big win over Villarreal allows them to advance in the Champions League and continue their campaign.

With the way the group stage has gone for them, they're looking more and more like contenders.

13. Olympique Lyonnais 

A win over Lorient has put them just two points behind OSC Lille and just four behind the top of the table. But where Lyon really generated buzz was in the Champions League. A 7-1 routing of Dinamo Zagreb, which included four—count 'em—four goals from Bafétimbi Gomis, secured Lyon's place in the Round of 16. 

14. Paris Saint-Germain

A win over Sochaux puts them in the lead points-wise with front-runners Montpellier, with French international Kevin Gameiro's solid control and expert shot bringing home the win.

Head coach Antoine Kombouare says he feels the team is starting to come together, and hopefully they can maintain that cohesion when they face tough draws Lille and Toulouse next domestically and a formidable Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League.  

15. Manchester United

A disastrous loss to FC Basel in the Champions League spelled disappointment for Sir Alex Ferguson as the holidays draw near. And the loss of star centre-back Nemanja Vidic after he suffered serious ligament damage during the match will be a huge blow to the United back four.

But they're still getting wins—a comfortable 4-1 victory over Wolves this weekend, complete with a brace from Nani, keeps them in second in the Premier League table and in a place where they can catch City. 

16. FC Porto

FC Porto are now unbeaten in 42 consecutive Portuguese Liga matches. 42. They face a tough-looking Marítimo squad next, but Hulk and the gang are expected to come out on top.

Their Champions League campaign may have come to a disappointing end, but they could very well pull off their second consecutive Europa League title. 

17. Borussia Dortmund 

It wasn't the best week for the BVB, as they faced a tough draw with Kaiserslautern and officially saw the end of their European campaign. An injury to defender Neven Subotic may also lead to struggles in the back four. 

18. Montpellier 

Montpellier are still at the top of Ligue 1 despite a disappointing loss over the weekend to Valenciennes, who are currently dipping their toes in the relegation pond. Not a good look for the club at the top of the table.

They'll have to get back into form if they want to put a win on the board next weekend against a formidable Toulouse. 

19. Zenit St. Petersburg

Last year's Russian Premier League champions are at the top of their league once again, leading Dinamo Moscow by eight points. They couldn't get a goal past FC Porto in their last round of the Champions League group stage, but they have reached the Round of 16 for the first time in the club's history. Defensive midfielder Roman Shirokov has been surprisingly prolific in Champions League competition. 

20. Tottenham Hotspur 

Not even a cracking goal from Emmanuel Adebayor could stop a 2-1 loss to an always-tricky Stoke City side at the Brittania over the weekend.

Spurs maintain their third-place spot in the Premier League table, but their impressive five-match winning streak has come to a disappointing close. Their next two matches are against Sunderland and Norwich City, though, which means they should have some room to recover.  

21. FC Basel

Basel made history this week by becoming the first team from Switzerland to advance to the Round of 16 in the Champions League. In a 2-1 defeat that knocked Manchester United out of the competition, the Swiss Super League side showcased a number of talents old and new, from prolific striker Alexander Frei to the explosive young playmaker Xherdan Shaqiri. 

22. Lille

Their Champions League run may have ended, but Lille's Ligue 1 campaign is just heating up. A key victory over Dijon over the weekend has put them back into the competition, just two points behind leaders Montpellier in a very tight title race. Moussa Sow and Eden Hazard, two of the club's most important and sought-after players, made the winning shots. 

23. APOEL Nicosia

Did anyone expect APOEL to come roaring out of the Champions League group stage at the top of their group? Had anyone even heard of APOEL before this competition? Well, hopefully, the answer is yes, but the Cypriot Super League champions commanded everyone's attention, coming from the third qualifying round to topple the likes of FC Porto and Zenit St. Petersburg.

Hopefully, they can keep this up for the Round of 16.  

24. AZ Alkmaar

The Eredivisie is up for grabs right now, but no team within the Eredivisie seems to be turning heads quite like AZ Alkmaar. Last year's fourth-place finishers have spent much of the season at the top of the table, with young players like American international Jozy Altidore and Swedish midfielder Rasmus Elm among those to impress.

They currently sit at second place in their Europa League group, and could very well still qualify.

25. Valencia

The La Mestalla outfit had a rough week, losing to Chelsea to secure their departure from the Champions League and losing to Real Betis Balompié in La Liga. But at seven points behind the front-runners, they're still the next closest side in La Liga to take down the Real-Barcelona binary.