Champions League rankings: PSG, Man City or Liverpool? How Europe’s top clubs rate in Round of 16

By | February 17, 2022
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The Champions League Round of 16 is underway with some of the top sides across Europe doing battle for the title of best team on the continent.

We won’t get the final verdict on the field until the trophy is hoisted on May 28 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. But why wait until then when we’re already getting a look at every team during the tournament and in domestic league play? Every match is an opportunity to determine where each side stands in comparison with those around them both domestically and abroad.

There is a clear upper echelon among the European powers, but the hierarchy for 2022 is still left to be determined. Plus, there are a number of plucky upstarts and other members of the old guard that are angling to insert their names into the conversation.

MORE: Champions League Round of 16 odds & best bets

Below is a look at our Power Rankings for the 16 teams left standing in the UEFA Champions League based on a composite score of votes from members of the Sporting News editorial team. The order follows below in reverse order from No. 16 to No. 1.

Champions League Power Rankings

The complete rankings table with weighted votes follows at the end of this list.

16. Lille

Lille’s defensive resilience was its strongest asset in the group stages with the joint second lowest goals conceded from six games. That has earned defender Sven Botman interest from around Europe, and the center back is likely to leave in the summer.

MORE: Lille falls to PSG in Ligue 1 rout

That rearguard action will again be the focus for manager Jocelyn Gourvennec, while the goal burden is primarily shouldered by Canadian international Jonathan David after his three crucial strikes in the groups. Having a resurgent Hatem Ben Arfa around gives Lille added flair up front, but the Round of 16 draw against Chelsea feels like a tall order.

15. Benfica

Barcelona’s misfortune was Benfica’s gain as the Portuguese side edged into the last 16 from Group B with just two wins. Heavy defeats to Bayern demonstrated Benfica’s level within Europe’s top sides, but four points from two games against Barca saw them through.

Experience dotted in certain areas gives them balance, and the highly rated Darwin Nunez provides the box-office attacking flair. Still, a pair of domestic league defeats to Sporting and Porto further serve to place Benfica at the bottom of the European food chain.

14. Sporting Lisbon

Despite the positivity surrounding boss Ruben Amorim, Sporting was outclassed from the off in their 5-0 first leg defeat to Manchester City.

Top scorers Pedro Goncalves and Paulinho will pose a threat at the Etihad in the second leg, particularly if Pep Guardiola rests players, but the Champions League journey is over for 2022. A focus on the domestic title battle with Porto now remains the priority.

13. Villarreal

Despite Unai Emery’s reputation as a Europa League specialist, he has turned Villarreal into a crack unit in the Champions League this season.

Experienced heads including Raul Albiol and Dani Parejo offer a stiff core to Emery’s charges and their point-to-prove attacking trident of Arnaut Danjuma, Gerard Moreno and Sam Chukwueze will cause problems for any team in the knockout stages.

Still, the club appears vulnerable in big matches. A pair of losses to Manchester United in the group stage are worrying, as is the brutal league form through October and November. The club has turned things around domestically with just one loss in its last eight, but there are stiffer tests ahead.

12. Manchester United

Manchester United is a club that must take care of its issues domestically before it can be taken seriously abroad.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s goals ensured Manchester United a place in the Round of 16, and despite the change in management since that time, he will be the decisive figure again.

Ralf Rangnick has struggled to implement genuine change at Old Trafford, with defensive fragility still an issue, but they are saved by facing a similarly rudderless Atletico Madrid in what promises to be a fascinating matchup between clubs in desperate need of some positive news.

11. RB Salzburg

RB Salzburg was seconds away from a famous result in the first leg before Kingsley Coman snatched a late point for Bayern.

MORE: Brenden Aaronson ready for the Premier League after Bayern performance

Still, Matthias Jaissle’s side impressed with a venomous counterattack, and the verve and goal threat of Karim Adeyemi will be a weapon in the reverse fixture at the Allianz Arena. Still, there is a feeling of an opportunity missed, facing a top side that is unlikely to fall flat twice in a row. A win in Munich feels a very difficult ask for this young team.

10. Atletico Madrid

The side’s La Liga title defense has fallen apart this season with Diego Simeone’s squad appearing exhausted from its exertions across the previous season. Los Rojiblancos look surprisingly short on identity this season with their defensive doggedness ebbing away and the goals of Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann drying up.

With five league defeats in its last nine La Liga matches dating back to the start of December, plus early Copa del Rey and Supercopa exits thrown into the mix, this is a team in horrific form that appears vulnerable. The friendly draw against Manchester United is the only possible respite.

9. Inter Milan

Inter can rightly feel aggrieved at coming away with nothing from its Round of 16 first leg defeat to Liverpool, but the result is nonetheless a total dud. What felt like a chance for an Italian club to actually make a deep Champions League run for the first time in years turned into another pretender’s appearance.

Liverpool’s ability to bury their only chances showed the levels between the two sides, with an opportunity seeming to have slipped away for Simone Inzaghi with defeat at the San Siro. It will take a monumental effort to turn around the 2-0 deficit, and while this is still a quality side with quality players that will put up a real domestic scudetto fight, the Champions League journey appears to be careening towards an early exit.

8. Juventus

Juve boss Max Allegri opted to roll the dice in the January transfer window with key departures replaced by Dusan Vlahovic and Denis Zakaria. How Vlahovic adapts to the challenge of Champions League knockout football will determine Juventus’ fate. Despite his impressive Serie A goal record, he is unproven in European action.

Don’t be fooled by this club’s Serie A table position, a poor start to the season due to goalscoring issues left them chasing, but 22-year-old Vlahovic is just what the doctor ordered. Juventus is in excellent form and will be a very tough out.

7. Ajax

Ajax’s incredible run in the group stages was the story of the first half of the 2021-22 Champions League season. Maximum points from six games, with 20 goals scored and just five conceded, demonstrates just how well-rounded Erik ten Hag’s team is.

Still, the Dutch side is a complete enigma, untested throughout the season at the top European level. The group stage provided little resistance through Borussia Dortmund, Sporting CP, and Besiktas, and the club has obliterated the Eredivise with a jaw-dropping +64 goal differential (69 goals scored and five conceded).

Sebastien Haller’s Golden Boot race with Lewandowski is an interesting side plot in the last 16, but the Dutch side has a real chance of going deep into the knockout stages if it can keep up its stellar form.

6. Real Madrid

Carlo Ancelotti’s side failed to register a single shot on target in Paris as a half-fit Karim Benzema toiled against the PSG defense.

Real Madrid’s one ace card to play in Madrid is its major big-game Champions League experience. The bulk of Ancelotti’s starting XI have four titles each, and despite the pressure, the squad will stick to the same tried and trusted methods in the second leg.

They’re still in the matchup, but PSG’s utter dominance on the whole throughout the first leg is a massive humbling. The 1-0 deficit feels like 4-0 after watching those 90 minutes. The Spanish league as a whole is down this season, and it shows.

5. Bayern Munich

Bayern were saved by Coman’s late intervention despite creating a string of chances to win in Salzburg on the night.

This team has one of the highest ceilings in the field of 16, but too many players are having lapses in form at the wrong time. The turn of the calendar year has been especially hard on the defense, which has shipped multiple goals in three of its five Bundesliga matches since the new year.

Key injuries are still a factor for Julian Nagelsmann, but, the experience of Joshua Kimmich, Robert Lewandowski and Thomas Muller, should see them learn the lesson of their first leg wastefulness.

4. Paris Saint-Germain

Kylian Mbappe was the difference as PSG grabbed a dramatic 1-0 win over Real Madrid in their Round of 16 first leg.The Frenchman shone against his potential future employers, and he will be key again in the second leg.

MORE: Why Kylian Mbappe should stay at PSG this summer

With Neymar back from injury and a host of world-class talent throughout the squad, this could be the deepest team in the field outside of favorites Man City.

Despite missing a penalty against Los Blancos, Lionel Messi will be hungry to make amends in Madrid, with the Argentinian scoring 26 goals in 45 games against them with Barcelona. That matchup is by no means done and dusted, and PSG could be left on the wrong end of yet another Champions League comeback if it doesn’t bring its ‘A’ game to Madrid.

3. Liverpool

The Reds produced a streetwise performance to win in Milan with Jurgen Klopp showing how his squad depth will be crucial in the Champions League run-in. The late arrivals of Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz turned the game for Klopp and showed how Liverpool have a Plan B capable of securing vital goals in Europe.

Still, as with every club below Man City in this competition, there are questions to answer. A dogged period through the holidays left Liverpool with a mountain to climb in the Premier League title race, and there is no room for similar errors in this unforgiving knockout competition.

2. Chelsea

The defending champions stumbled in the group stages and look a distant third in the Premier League title race, but the Blues remain a well-drilled outfit with experience in key areas.

Thomas Tuchel can rely on N’Golo Kante and Jorginho to offer control in midfield, Mason Mount looks to be a career-long Blue, and Kai Havertz has come through when called upon. Still, he needs misfiring Timo Werner, Romelu Lukaku, and Christian Pulisic to step up with important goals if the Blues are to retain their title in 2022.

It’s hard to look past the defending champions of Europe.

1. Manchester City

Man City are not only the bookmakers’ favorite, but they are also the No. 1 overall team in the Power Rankings. That may be partially influenced by its Round of 16 first-leg result, where City flexed its muscles in Lisbon.

MORE: Why Man City is the best team in Europe

Guardiola knows the expectations, and his side has produced the most dominant performance of the Round of 16 so far. However, old habits will need to be erased, if they are to take the final step in May. A Champions League crown is the Holy Grail for this club.

Champions League Rankings voting totals

Updated as of matches played on February 16.

Ranking Club Voting
Points
1. Manchester City 76
2. Chelsea 69
3. Liverpool 69
4. PSG 66
5. Bayern Munich 66
6. Real Madrid 49
7. Ajax 46
8. Juventus 42
9. Inter Milan 40
10. Atletico Madrid 32
11. RB Salzburg 28
12. Manchester United 27
13. Villarreal 20
14. Sporting CP 13
15. Benfica 12
16. Lille 12

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