📈 Power Rankings: Two new champions and plenty of top five movement | OneFootball

📈 Power Rankings: Two new champions and plenty of top five movement | OneFootball

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Padraig Whelan·9 May 2024

📈 Power Rankings: Two new champions and plenty of top five movement

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Our Champions League final is set and leagues across the continent hurtle towards dramatic conclusions.

Here are our 10 most in-form sides from Europe as things stand.


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10. Sevilla (🆕)

Article image:📈 Power Rankings: Two new champions and plenty of top five movement

It has been a disappointing season for the perennial Europa League contenders, with their win over Roma in that final 12 months ago a distant memory.

But they have at least shown shoots of recovery and getting back to their best in recent weeks as they slowly climb LaLiga's standings. They haven't lost in almost two months, winning four of their five games since and conceding just two goals, spearheaded by the excellent form of star striker Youssef En-Nesyri and the evergreen Sergio Ramos at the back.


9. Sporting (No change)

The Portuguese title is finally theirs as Benfica responded to their rivals' slip-up a week ago against Porto by falling to a shock loss at Familicão to hand their Lisbon enemies the championship after Sporting had put three past Portimonense without reply the previous day.

The unstoppable Viktor Gyökeres was on the scoresheet again to take his tally for an incredible debut campaign to 38 in all competitions. Sporting have so far scored a staggering 92 goals en route to their 20th league title - and just their second since 2002.


8. PSV (👍 Last week: 8)

Sporting weren't the only side to end their wait for national glory over the weekend as another team of ridiculous goalscorers lifted the title in style. In the same number of games (32) as Sporting, PSV have plundered an eye-watering 107 goals and conceded just 19.

Veteran Luuk de Jong has been their main source of success, netting 27 times and assisting 15, with one of those coming in the 4-2 victory against Sparta Rotterdam which brought the title back to Eindhoven for the first time in six years.


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Eleven years on from their Wembley heartbreak in the Champions League final, Dortmund have the chance to avenge themselves in the same competition at the same venue.

Since losing to Leipzig two weeks ago, they defeated PSG 1-0 twice in both legs of their European semi-final, those victories sandwiching a 5-1 thrashing of Augsburg on domestic duty. All roads now lead to London as they chase a second Champions League success against Real Madrid.


6. Inter (👎 Last week: 5)

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It is understandable that Inter would begin to slide down our rankings somewhat despite the fact that they remain one of the most impressive sides in the game today.

With the Serie A title wrapped up at the joint-earliest point in league history and nothing else to play for, the Nerazzurri slipped to just their second loss of the season last weekend. Curiously, both of those defeats came against relegation threatened Sassuolo, who look set to drop into Serie B.


5. Atalanta (👍 Last week: 6)

Squeezing past Inter are their black-and-blue cousins across Lombardy, with Atalanta in ominous form as they aim to make history by reaching a first European final in their history.

Marseille stand in their way on Thursday night after a 1-1 draw in the intimidating atmosphere of the Stade Vélodrome, a game which extended their five-game unbeaten run and which was followed up with a 2-1 league victory over Salernitana - a game which saw the red-hot Gianluca Scamacca find the net again to make it nine goals from his last 10 games.


4. Manchester City (👎 Last week: 3)

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It is no real fault of their own that City slip a little and is more down to the good work done by others as they remain in relentless form in pursuit of an unprecedented fourth straight title.

Their domestic undefeated run now stands at 25 games with Erling Haaland putting four past Wolves in a 5-1 win which keeps their destiny in their own hands and brings their recent scoring streak to 24 goals in six league fixtures. Can they be stopped?


3. Arsenal (👎 Last week: 2)

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Well, if anyone is to stop City it will be Mikel Arteta's insatiable Arsenal outfit who are doing everything in their power to take things down to the wire and keep the pressure on the defending champions.

After thrashing Chelsea and sinking Spurs in the derby, the Gunners made an excellent Bournemouth side look ordinary in an exciting 3-0 victory which keeps them out in front as the Premier League nears an explosive finale.


2. Bayer Leverkusen (👍 Last week: 4)

While City and Arsenal have each played just once since our last Power Rankings update, Leverkusen took advantage of their extra duties in Europe to make it a double and move within a whisker of the best ever unbeaten run in European football - just one more game without defeat would take them out alone in front with 49.

That could come in the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Roma on Thursday night as they look to finish the job they started last week in the Italian capital with a 2-0 win, a game they followed up with a 5-1 hammering of Eintracht Frankfurt to silence any doubters who questioned whether they would still have the hunger to chase unbeaten records after securing the Bundesliga title.


1. Real Madrid (No change)

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How do they keep doing it on the biggest stage?

Even Carlo Ancelotti didn't have an answer after his side pulled off a late comeback against Bayern Munich thanks to Joselu's heroics off the bench to reach another Champions League final.

"It's something inexplainable," he said as he struggled to find the words. "We've done it again. It is just something magical. Something special."

Indeed it is and as Europe's form side, they'll be big favourites at Wembley to win their 15th European Cup.