Champions League 2025-26 Power Rankings: Premier League strugglers Liverpool emerge as dark horses but Real Madrid and PSG are both moving in the wrong direction

Qarabag were absolutely torn to shreds at Anfield on Wednesday, with the Azerbaijani outfit beaten 6-0 by a resurgent Liverpool. However, this season's surprise package still managed to finish inside the top 24 thanks primarily to their stunning come-from-behind win over Eintracht Frankfurt the previous week.

As Gurban Gurbanov said of his side, "I think we deserved to go through because when I look back on our eight-game journey, we overcame a lot of obstacles."

However, we can't see their journey continuing beyond the play-offs, as they'll have to take on either Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle. Qarabag may have held Chelsea to a draw and upset Benfica in Lisbon earlier in the competition, but beating a top team over two legs is too tall an order even for Gurbanov's wonderful over-achievers.

In a wholly unsurprising development, Monaco have gone to pieces since sacking Adi Hutter - and that's not hindsight talking. We said at the time it was a baffling decision, and so it's proved.

Sebastien Pocognoli's side have lost seven of their last nine Ligue 1 games and, after being hammed 6-1 by Alvaro Arbeloa's Real Madrid last week, they were held to a 0-0 draw by Juventus on Wednesday as they tried - and failed - to force their way into the seeded positions for the play-offs.

They were at least the better side at the Stade Louis II and a point arguably represents progress for such a struggling side but, on current form, there's just no way Monaco are going to defeat either PSG or Newcastle over two legs.

As we suspected, Galatasaray were unable to secure seeded status for the play-offs, with the Turkish champions unsurprisingly outclassed by Manchester City at the Etihad on matchday eight.

When star striker Victor Osimhen is well served and firing on all cylinders, Gala can cause problems for any team, but it became abundantly clear during the second half of a league-phase campaign that yielded just one point that if the Nigerian is unavailable, or well marked, Okan Buruk's side doesn't have many other attacking threats.

Gala are, thus, going to be up against in the play-offs, where they'll face either Atletico Madrid or Juventus.

Olympiacos goalkeeper Kostantinos Tzolakis warned his team-mates after last week's backs-to-the-wall win over Bayer Leverkusen, "If we don't win in Amsterdam next week, then our effort tonight was for nothing." Thankfully for the Greeks, they got the job done at the Johan Cruyff Arena by beating Ajax 2-1 to earn a spot in the play-offs. 

Olympiacos once again did it the hard way. They saw very little of the ball and created only one big chance - yet still scored twice, with Santiago Hezze's 79th-minute strike proving decisive.

"We knew they would be tough," the match-winner said. "Ajax have great players, and they play a little bit like Leverkusen, with players who are comfortable in possession. But we prepared well for that difficulty and we pulled it off again today."

Whether Olympiacos can keep this up is doubtful, but neither of their potential play-off opponents, Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta, are devoid of flaws, while only Real Madrid managed to beat Jose Luis Mendilibar's men in Piraeus in the league phase - and even that was a seven-goal thriller.

We can't say enough nice things about Bodo/Glimt. Even before they stunned Manchester City on matchday seven, the Norwegian minnows had been one of the best teams to watch in the tournament, so we won't even attempt to hide our joy after seeing them progress to the knockout stage by upsetting Atletico Madrid at the Metropolitano.

"The feeling is enormous, I am so incredibly proud," coach Kjetil Knutsen said after getting the better of Diego Simeone in his own backyard. "I'm not going to compare it to anything, but we do what we do."

And what they do is absolutely extraordinary. Bodo are obviously unlikely to continue their giant-killing spree in the knockout stage against either Inter or Real Madrid, but we can't wait to watch them try - because if the league phase has taught us anything, it's that Knutsen's players aren't afraid of anybody.

'The Special One' has still got it. Jose Mourinho insisted after Benfica were beaten by Bayer Leverkusen on matchday four that his team could still qualify for the knockout stage - and he was right.

Not even the vastly experienced Portuguese expected what unfolded at the Estadio da Luz on Wednesday, though, as the Eagles came from behind to lead the mighty Real Madrid 3-2 before goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin scored the stoppage-time goal the home side needed to finish 24th.

It served as a timely reminder of the kind of belief Mourinho remains capable of instilling in a group of players - and that makes them very dangerous opponents for either Inter or Real Madrid (again!) in the last 16.

There were fantastic scenes of celebration at the Jan Breydel Stadium on Wednesday as Club Brugge beat Marseille 3-0 to progress to the play-offs for the second consecutive season. The Belgians were brilliant on the night, taking the game by the scruff of the neck with two goals inside the opening 11 minutes, before sealing a famous win with a late strike from Aleksandar Stankovic.

"I'd give us a 10 out of 10 for our performance," the 20-year-old Serbian said. "You start playing football as a kid and you dream of nights like this."

Brugge are going to find it tough to emulate last season's run to the last 16, given they'll have to take on either Juventus or Atletico Madrid next, but one can be sure that neither side would relish a trip to the Jan Breydel, where Barca could only manage a draw on matchday four.

Bayer Leverkusen made life much more difficult for themselves than it should have been by losing away to Olympiacos on matchday seven. However, there's now a chance that they'll get to avenge that defeat, as they'll face either the Greek champions or Borussia Dortmund in the play-offs.

They'll also be at home in the second leg of that tie, after ensuring they'll be seeded in the first round of the knockout stage by beating the already-eliminated Villarreal 3-0 at the Bay Arena on Wednesday.

Coach Kasper Hjulmand is, thus, feeling quite upbeat about his side's hopes of reaching the last 16. "Anything can happen in the knockout phase," he pointed out, and Leverkusen showed how dangerous they can be by winning at the Etihad back on matchday five.

Europe often brings the best out of Borussia Dortmund, who were sitting pretty in sixth place after thrashing Villarreal on matchday five. However, the 1997 winners were then held at home by Bodo/Glimt, failed to turn up at Tottenham before being beaten at Signal Iduna by Inter in their final fixture.

Niko Kovac was at a loss to explain why things fell flat for his side, but he needs to arrest to slide quickly, as BVB will face either Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta in the play-offs.

With the likes of Serhou Guirassy, Julian Brandt and Karim Adeyemi up front, Dortmund definitely have it in them to beat both, but their loss of momentum and sudden struggles in front of goal are extremely worrying.

Juventus still had an outside chance of finishing inside the top eight going into their meeting with Monaco at the Stade Louis II. However, the Bianconeri were abysmal in the principality, and they didn't even deserve to draw a game that they needed to win.

Granted, Luciano Spalletti felt compelled to leave Kenan Yildiz on the bench, but their general lack of creativity and cutting edge was exposed during a game in which they failed to manage a single shot on target or create even one 'big chance'. As the former Napoli boss admitted, his team lacked "quality" in the final third.

So, while Juve are definitely improving under Spalletti, there's no guarantee that they'll make it to the last 16, as they're scheduled to face either Club Brugge or Galatasaray, two dangerous teams, in the play-offs.

Raffaele Palladino tried to make out that finishing in the top eight was "only ever a dream" for Atalanta, but the reality is that they absolutely blew a golden opportunity to go straight into the last 16 after beating Chelsea on matchday six. With two rounds remaining, automatic qualification was there for the taking for the Bergamaschi, who needed only four points from two games, against Athletic Club and Union Saint-Gilloise.

However, despite being in complete control of their game against the Basques for almost an hour, they somehow contrived to lose 3-2 at the New Balance Arena, before producing what Palladino admitted was their "worst performance" of his tenure in Belgium a week later.

Atalanta still have the attacking talent to end up in the last 16, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to predict which version of Palladino's team is going to turn up on any given day.

After Wednesday's shock loss at home to Bodo/Glimt cost Atletico Madrid a top-eight finish, Koke tried to take some comfort in the fact that PSG went through the play-offs on their way to winning last season's competition. However, there's little chance of Atleti emulating that feat.

Julian Alvarez is a world-class No.9, but his form appears to have been affected by the speculation surrounding his future, while the Rojiblancos are no longer the wonderful defensive unit they once were, with Diego Simeone's side failing to keep a single clean sheet in the league phase. It was also extremely worrying to hear the Argentine talk about how "anxiety" got the better of his players in the second half of the game against Bodo.

So, while they could make for awkward opponents in the knockout stage, we didn't see this particular version of Atleti ending their agonising wait for European glory.

Eddie Howe made it very clear that propelling Newcastle up the Premier League table remains his primary objective by benching several key players, including Anthony Gordon, Harvey Barnes and Yoane Wissa, for Wednesday's Champions League clash with PSG - even though a win at Parc des Princes would have earned the Magpies a place in the last 16.

Consequently, he didn't have any regrets after his team ended up in the play-offs after a 1-1 draw with Luis Enrique's side. On the contrary, Howe felt the performance in Paris proved that he can rely on some of his fringe players, which represented a timely boost for a manager still struggling to cope with the demands of competing on four fronts with an unbalanced squad.

Furthermore, Newcastle don't have too much to fear from the play-offs anyway, as their two possible opponents are Qarabag and Monaco, while they could very easily make life difficult for either Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16 - provided Howe plays his strongest side, of course.

Inter finally stopped the rot. After winning their first four games in this season's Champions League against low-level opposition, the Nerazzurri then lost three on the spin against top teams. It, thus, felt imperative for Christian Chivu and his players that they went to Signal Iduna Park on Wednesday and restored some confidence in last season's runners-up. They did exactly that by beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 with late goals from Federico Dimarco and Andy Diouf.

Unfortunately for Inter, the win wasn't enough to earn a last-16 spot, as they ended up finishing 10th, a point outside automatic qualification. But they will at least have home advantage in the second leg of their play-off against either Bodo/Glimt or Benfica - which will be very tricky no matter which side they face.

Whatever chance Sporting CP had of finishing in the top eight appeared to be over after a 3-1 loss at Bayern Munich on matchday six, as the Lisbon outfit's final two games were at home to PSG and away to Athletic Club. However, Luis Suarez's 90th-minute goal earned Sporting a shock 2-1 win over the defending champions, while Alisson Santos scored an even later winner at San Mames to send his side straight through to the last 16.

"This is the image of this team," coach Rui Borges said in relation to his players' penchant for late drama. "It clearly shows their desire to win. They don’t care about the time; they want to play, they want to fight for the game, and they want to be the best."

Now, we don't necessarily believe that Sporting rank among the best eight teams in Europe but, based on everything we've seen so far, this is not a side that should be taken lightly in the last 16.

Thomas Frank was understandably reluctant to get into the importance of Tottenham's 2-0 win at Eintracht Frankfurt in terms of his job security. "This isn't about me," he insisted. But it kind of was, given the common consensus is that securing a shock fourth-placed finish in the league phase has saved the Dane's bacon.

Spurs have been awful in this season's Premier League, losing nine of their 23 games so far to sit 14th in the table. However, they were beaten just once on their way to securing a spot in the last 16 of the Champions League - and even that sole setback was away to PSG.

Still, while the return of star striker Dominic Solanke has given Spurs a timely lift, we'd still be enormously surprised if Frank's team managed to get beyond the quarter-finals.

Real Madrid are a successful club, but not a serious club. As the dismissal of Xabi Alonso hammered home, they don't want a tactician for a coach because what they really need is a child-minder, someone to look after an expensively-assembled collection of spoilt brats. In that sense, Alvaro Arbeloa might well prove the ideal successor to Alonso, given he's plenty of experience working with kids in his previous roles within Madrid's youth sector. 

However, the early signs are not encouraging. Arbeloa did manage to pick up a couple of wins after opening his tenure with an embarrassing Copa del Rey exit at Albacete, but the performance in Wednesday's 4-2 loss to Jose Mourinho's Benfica was absolutely shambolic. As the rookie coach admitted himself, his team was completely outplayed in absolutely every aspect of the game and they could have no complaints about dropping out of the top eight and into the play-off round as a result. 

Could Arbeloa turn things around? Maybe. Madrid still have Kylian Mbappe, the tournament's top scorer with an insane 13 goals, and several other superstars, while they have a deeply ingrained sense of entitlement that often propels them to the unlikeliest of European Cup wins. As it stands, though, we can't help but share Mourinho's amazement that such a difficult and high-profile job has been given to a B team boss with zero experience of coaching at the highest level.

Liam Rosenior is less than a month into his new role at Stamford Bridge, so it's definitely too early to predict how the former Strasbourg coach will fare as Chelsea's new boss. What we can say, though, is that the Englishman has made a promising start.

The Blues were very much up against it after falling 2-1 down away to Napoli on Wednesday, but Rosenior's changes directly contributed to a turnaround that saw his side go straight through to the last 16. Of course, being able to bring a player like Cole Palmer off the bench is the kind of luxury that his direct adversary on the night, Antonio Conte, could only dream about - but it's clear that the squad has responded well to the change of manager in west London.

We remain unconvinced by Chelsea's central defenders and goalkeepers, while their lack of experience leads to annoying inconsistency, but they'll make for dangerous opponents in the knockouts.

For all Luis Enrique's positivity about PSG's performances, it was clear to everyone else that the champions were struggling going into Wednesday's must-win meeting with Newcastle. Consequently, their failure to defeat a much-changed Magpies line-up did not actually come as that much of a surprise.

PSG's players have looked tired this season, which is understandable given just how many games they played in 2025, and it's impossible to attribute the injury sustained by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the 1-1 draw with Newcastle to anything other than fatigue.

Vitinha says PSG are unperturbed by now having to go through the play-offs after throwing away a last-16 spot by failing to win any of their final three fixtures in the league phase. The extra games certainly did them no harm on their way to winning the tournament last season. However, whereas at this time 12 months ago, PSG were already building up a head of steam, right now they appear to be running out of it.

We thought that Manchester City were back to something approaching their best when they beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu midway through a 10-game winning streak in all competitions - only for Pep Guardiola's side to experience a sudden and shocking slump in form after the turn of the year. However, they still managed to sneak into the top eight in the Champions League by taking advantage of some surprise results elsewhere while securing a 2-0 win over Galatasaray.

It was that kind of straightforward victory that Guardiola really needed to see from his side, who have looked vulnerable defensively in recent weeks, while Erling Haaland getting back among the goals was obviously a major boost.

City will also approach the last 16 with much more belief after their Abu Dhabi-based owners splashed yet more cash to bring in two proven Premier League performers in Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi, both of whom will be eligible for the knockout rounds. So while this is not a vintage Guardiola side, it will still take some stopping.

In the end, Barcelona did well to finish fifth in the league phase, as direct qualification for the last 16 did not look on the cards after they were hammered 3-0 by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The Blaugrana, thus, deserve credit for reeling off three wins in a row. but we remain unconvinced by their ability to go all the way this season, especially as those victories came against teams that finished outside the top 24: Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague and Copenhagen.

Hansi Flick's high line also remains a real cause for concern, because it wasn't just exploited by PSG during their win in Catalunya on matchday two, but also by Club Brugge, who tore it to shreds.

So, while Barca's wonderful array of attacking talent, including Raphinha and Lamine Yamal, mark them out as a team to be feared, there's nothing scary about a defence that conceded 14 goals in just eight games.

Europe has been Arne Slot's saving grace this season. Liverpool's Premier League title defence may already be over, but they've emerged as dark horses to win the Champions League after finishing third in the league phase thanks to a morale-boosting 6-0 rout of Qarabag on Wednesday.

There is still an awful lot wrong with Slot's side, which struggles to break down teams that sit deep and employ long balls to get around their press. However, not a lot of opponents have played that way against them in Europe and Liverpool have flourished as a result, beating Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Inter on their direct passage to the last 16.

The Reds' shocking lack of cover in defence will probably catch up with them eventually, but they actually look a decent bet to reach the semi-finals, given Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz are forming a formidable partnership, Mohamed Salah is back among the goals, and European nights at Anfield always seem to bring the best out of the Merseysiders.

Bayern Munich may have lost their unbeaten record in the Bundesliga last weekend, but they're still going to run away with the title, which should give them a big advantage over so many of their European rivals given they'll have the opportunity to rest key players in between knockout ties while other Champions League contenders are scrapping for points domestically.

Of course, the Bavarians, who beat PSG in Paris during the league phase, also have a fantastic group of players. Harry Kane is arguably the most complete centre-forward in world football and netted again in Wednesday's 2-1 win at PSV, Michael Olise is an outstanding attacking talent, while Luis Diaz has been even better than anyone could have expected after arriving from Liverpool last summer. 

However, the importance of Jamal Musiala's return to full fitness cannot be overstated. The No.10 opened the scoring in Eindhoven with his first goal of the season and could make Vincent Kompany's forward line utterly unstoppable in the knockout stage.

Arsenal are by no means the most attractive or entertaining team in the game today. A lot of their goals come from set-pieces and there's a cynicism about their manager and some of his key players that jars with a lot of people. 

The thing is, though, we can't see a stronger side in England or Europe right now - which is why the Premier League leaders topped the Champions League league phase with a flawless record despite having to play Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Inter along the way.

Obviously, a lot can change during the business end of the season. Injuries, for example, can derail any campaign, but Mikel Arteta's rididulously strong squad just got stronger with the return of Kai Havertz, who scored one goal and created another in Wednesday's 3-2 win over Kairat. Having secured home advantage in the second leg of all of their prospective knockout ties, the Gunners really couldn't be better placed to finally win a European Cup.