As Champions League and Europa League football continued this past week, we saw only a few changes in the Top 10 from the last instalment. Many teams dominance has continued to flourish in all competitions.
So, here is this weeks Top 10:
1. FC Barcelona (no change) - Despite a 1-1 draw in the Champions League against Chelsea, the result is still very good for the Spanish giants, as the tough away tie at Stamford Bridge didn't end in defeat with Barcelona securing a precious away goal. Additionally, Barcelona beat Eibar 2-0 in La Liga to maintain their undefeated domestic season.
2. Bayern Munich (no change) - Although Bayern dismantled their Champions League competition emphatically, with a 5-0 victory over Besiktas, they don't jump over Barcelona to first spot as the opposition level was significantly lower than that of their Spanish counterparts. Additionally, playing at home in comparison to Barca's road trip made life even easier. Bayern also beat Wolfsburg in league play during the week, 2-1.
3. PSG (+1) - The French side jumps up one spot to third in the list after what has become the norm of Ligue 1 football - that being PSG destroying local teams. A 5-2 win over Strasbourg gave PSG the confidence bounce-back after the recent defeat to Real Madrid.
4. Manchester City (-1) - The blue side of Manchester has been a revelation in footballing class this season, and the lustre of possibly winning the Champions League has taken a lot of focus. A drop in the rankings this week comes directly from their 1-0 loss to Wigan in the FA Cup. Although the competition isn't a priority for City, a loss to a third tier team is unacceptable.
5. Liverpool (no change) - Despite no game played over the past week for The Reds, the equity they have built over the past few weeks with great results in multiple competitions sees them remain in the top 5.
6. Juventus (no change) - A derby win for the Old Lady over Torino in league competition just didn't do enough to see Juventus rise in the rankings. Even though the Juventus league win streak was stretched to 9 games and having only conceded 3 goals in their last 18 games, Juventus still don't look as dominant or overpowering as they could be, in comparison to the current Top 5 in the list.
7. Atletico Madrid (no change) - 2 victories in the week in the league and the Europa League sees Atletico keep on keeping on. Staying stable in second spot in the league, but unlikely to win the title, puts Atletico in a spot to apply more focus in attempting to win silverware in other competitions - mainly the Europa League. As one of the favourites, the 1-0 win over FC Copenhagen put Atletico through to the next round.
8. Napoli (no change) - Albeit a comprehensive Europa league win over RB Leipzig 2-0 in the past week, the 3-1 first leg loss meant that the Italians are out of the competition. With no European football from now on, they can put full focus in attempting to recapture the Scudetto title which they haven't lifted since 1990. Maintaining their 1 point lead ahead of Juventus through a 1-0 win over SPAL in the past week, leaves them with 13 more fixtures to keep their form up.
9. Real Madrid (+1) - Catching up their La Liga fixture from earlier in the season was no trouble for Real. Playing 2 fixtures in one week also isn't a strain for the well experienced team as both games were comfortably won by the scoreline. 5-3 over Real Betis and 3-1 over Leganes added more confidence heading to Paris in a few weeks for the second leg of their Champions League match-up.
10. Shakhtar Donetsk (new) - Leading the Ukrainian Premier League, Shakhtar get into the Top 10 for the first time as their displays on the European stage cannot be ignored. Beating both high-flying Napoli and Manchester City in the group stage of the Champions League, Shakhtar proved the victories weren't fluke's by overpowering Roma in their knockout stage 2-1 in the past week heading back to Rome, where anything but a loss will see them through to the final 8. Along with a 5-0 win in their domestic league over Chernomorets this past week, Shakhtar deserve the call-up to the Top 10.
OUTS - Tottenham
