Champions League power rankings: PSG in position to win it all over Bayern Munich?

The Champions League’s round of 16 returns this week as contenders for the title hope to record wins in their upcoming second-leg contests.

The Champions League is back and a few usual suspects are hoping to advance to the quarterfinals this week.

Since our last rankings, Atalanta, RB Leipzig and Lazio fell out of the top 10. Replacing them are three teams that recorded wins last month in the round of 16 first-leg matches: Porto (who defeated Juventus), Liverpool (winners against RB Leipzig) and Borussia Dortmund (winners over Sevilla).

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What happens after the round of 16 is completed this month? In the draw for the quarterfinals and semifinals, there will be no seedings. That means teams competed against each other in the first group stage or hailing the same country can be drawn against one other. The draw will be completed on March 19.

The quarterfinals will be contested on April 6 and 7, while the second-leg contests will be played April 13-14. The final is scheduled for May 29 at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey.

Here are the latest UCL power rankings

10. Porto

Should Porto hang on and eliminate Juventus, it would be one of the biggest upsets in tournament history. That would also mean that Juve would once again fail to capture the UCL, putting Ronaldo out of the competition earlier than anyone ever expected.

9. Barcelona

Superstars getting bounced early could be what happens to Messi as well should Barcelona fail to overcome PSG. If there’s any doubt that this is a club that needs retooling from top to bottom, their Champions League defeat to PSG is clearly the biggest sign.

8. Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone’s side likes to pull off upsets, meaning they could still mount a comeback against Chelsea. This is a side that should never be counted out of any competition, but their offense needs to kick into high gear if they want to reach the quarterfinals.

7. Borussia Dortmund

The Germans squeezed out a victory against Sevilla and remain favorites to advance going into the second leg. They will need to shake off their recent defeat to Bayern Munich and ensure their backline doesn’t suffer any more lapses like what happened in the league.

6. Real Madrid

The Spanish giants got the best of Atalanta on the road in the first leg and remain favored to advance despite the narrow win. Real Madrid are a very good side and their slumping form in La Liga could motivate them to put their focus on the UCL.

5. Liverpool

Like Real, Liverpool are stacked with talent but have had a tough go at it in their domestic competition. That hasn’t spilled over to the UCL (not yet, anyway) so the English club could very well have a few surprises left given they won it all just two years ago.

4. Chelsea

The London-based club look rejuvenated with coach Thomas Tuchel at the helm, but they will need to get past a tricky Atletico Madrid side in order to embark on a deep run.

3. Manchester City

Pep Guardiola’s team is on the verge of clinching the Premier League title, but the Champions League is what he and his players want most. They remain a force by virtue of their current form (despite their 21-game unbeaten streak being broken this past weekend) and depth, but anything can happen in a knockout tournament.

2. Paris Saint-Germain

Kylian Mbappe’s hat trick in the first leg win against Barcelona shows that last season’s runners-up are hellbent on trying to win this thing. Losing in the final to Bayern has left this team hungry. Let’s see who else they can chew and spit out in the coming weeks.

1. Bayern Munich

Still No. 1 after smacking around Lazio in the first round. Again, there is no one that can stop this team (other than some bad luck in a draw) given how talent-laden the Germans remain. They proved it again this past Saturday in the Bundesliga, scoring four unanswered goals in a 4-2 come-from-behind win against Dortmund.