In no time at all, the Champions League group stage reached its halfway point with five teams – Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Napoli and, remarkably, Club Brugge – holding the maximum points to their names. No team is eliminated yet and no one has guaranteed their place in the round of 16, but the picture is already clear. Here are who we consider to be the runners and runners who won it all in Istanbul in June:
The top level: Title or bust
These teams should be disappointed with anything less than a place in the semi-finals and frankly even that might not be enough, such is their talent profile.
1. Manchester City (–)
This is all getting a little silly now. Erling Haaland has scored 19 goals in 12 games for his new club, more than Manchester City’s top scorer in the 2020-21 season when they played 61 games. With 28 goals to his name in the Champions League he is already among the competition’s top 30 all-time goalscorers at the age of 22 and as I write these numbers I have to nervously check Twitter just to make sure those numbers haven’t changed. Again. It’s Thursday morning. Yet, you can never be too sure.
2. Real Madrid (+1)
After the great drama of their run to glory last year, Madrid are quietly ticking all the boxes in the group stage and La Liga with just one game seeing them drop points. Rodrygo and Vinicius Junior continue to flourish as Carlo Ancelotti imposes a greater burden on them while Federico Valverde excelled in a hard-fought victory against Shakhtar Donetsk.
3. Bayern Munich (-1)
4. liverpool (–)
A 2-0 victory over Rangers righted a ship that had faltered quite considerably in the first few months, but there are still serious questions to be asked about how Liverpool’s defense is dealing with sustained pressure. It’s not just a problem for Trent Alexander-Arnold but also for Virgil van Dijk, who has been far from his imperious record this season.
Serious suitors: if things go well, why not us?
It’s certainly not beyond the realm of the imagination that any of these teams could win the European Cup in Istanbul in May, although it may take a few lucky breaks for the tournament to go ahead as planned. .
5. Paris Saint Germain (–)
Dropping points at Benfica certainly isn’t a big deal for Christophe Galtier’s side, but their attacking output in Lisbon (where they scored just 1.4 expected goals) reinforces the feeling that this team is still inferior to the sum of its parts. They hide the defensive weaknesses that come with their front three more effectively than before, but against the best opposition will it come at the cost of their build-up game?
Black Horses: Unlikely Suitors, but Suitors All the Same
These teams are unlikely champions, but so were Real Madrid at this time in 2021. It may take a change of circumstances, or a new tactical plan, or just Karim Benzema having the season of his life, but that’s possible. It’s certainly not likely, but stranger things have happened.
6. Napoli (+4)
We’ve seen past iterations of this squad come out of doors and hit a wall in the new year, but something feels different about Napoli this time around, not just the drastic overhaul they’ve carried out on their squad this summer. . If nothing else, the numbers are just ridiculous. Bayern Munich have the second most expected goals (xG) in the Champions League with 6.1. Napoli – who have beaten three strong sides in Liverpool, Rangers and Ajax – have 11.1. This is indeed a small sample size, but even a significant drop in this production would be Europe’s most formidable attack.
seven. chelsea (+2)
8. Barcelona (-2)
Based on the La Liga results, Xavi has clearly left behind a strong team, at the cost of so much money to Barcelona’s long-term finances. But the margins at this stage of the Champions League season are extremely tight, as was proven in a severe loss to Inter Milan. Lose again next week and they will almost certainly be eliminated. Either way, Barcelona have mortgaged their long-term future to be in exactly the same position as last year, in a brutal battle for second place behind Bayern Munich.
Knockout Stage Competitors
You’ll notice here that there are a few more knockout contenders than there will be teams in there. Welcome to the wonder of these teams battling for second place in the groups. There will always be someone disappointed.
9. AC Milan (-1)
10. Borussia Dortmund (+1)
11. Inter Milano (+1)
12. Club Brugge (+10)
In a group full of unreliable teams, Club Brugge found the advantage in close matches. Halfway through the campaign, they are nearly locked in for the last 16 with nine points to their name. In recent years it has been homegrown talent that has shown up for the Belgians but this season Ferran Jutgla has been a standout with eight goals and five assists in 14 games. Barcelona might regret their decision to let him go.
13.Tottenham (-6)
If you were looking for the signs of the Antonio Conte spiral, they are there. Requests for new recruits after a summer where he got almost everything he wanted. A deep team on paper where only about fifteen players are actually used. A fanbase increasingly frustrated with the football being served.
Still, there are differences between Spurs and Conte’s previous teams, not least in their toothlessness going forward. Yes, some crosses flew dangerously through the Eintracht Frankfurt defence, but the perfection required to make Tottenham’s attacks click seems too much for an out-of-form Heung-min Son.
14.Benfica (+2)
15. Salzburg (+2)
16. Sportsman (-1)
17. Shakhtar Donetsk (+1)
18. Porto (–)
19. Atletico Madrid (-6)
He’s long since stale at the Metropolitano stadium, Tuesday’s 2-0 defeat at Brugge only underscored that point. A team that was bursting with attacking talent barely got started until they were two goals down. Games at this level seem to be happening to Atletico like they never did in Diego Simeone’s heyday. They still have a strong chance of reaching the round of 16; if they do, it may be in spite of themselves.
In the mix
A few lucky breaks and they could find themselves extending their Champions League appearance beyond Christmas. Don’t bet on it though.
20. RB Leipzig (+6)
22. Juventus (-2)
A 3-1 win over Maccabi Haifa was the result Massimiliano Allegri needed, but what may have ultimately dashed Juventus’ hopes of reaching the knockout stages were the events in Lisbon. Benfica’s draw with PSG gives the Portuguese side some valuable breathing room if it comes down to a direct fight for second place. Juve will probably have to win at Benfica. At present, this seems to exceed them.
23. Eintracht Frankfurt (+2)
24.Marseilles (–)
24.Ajax (-10)
25. Dinamo Zagreb (-4)
26. Bayer Leverkusen (+2)
27. Seville (–)
Julen Lopetegui left Sevilla with grace on Wednesday night, but a 4-1 at the hands of Borussia Dortmund was a reminder of how far they had slipped. Indeed, they will have work to do against Copenhagen if they are to secure third place, although it is inevitable that this team will win the Europa League (no matter how disappointing their team is as it is currently built) if they fell into it.
28. Celtic (-5)
Out of the picture
Barring the unlikely, these teams would do well to extend their European involvement beyond Christmas
29. Rangers (–)
30. Copenhagen (–)
31. Maccabi Haifa (–)
32. Viktoria Pilsen (–)