Invincibles? The 8 teams still unbeaten in Europe’s major leagues in 2023-24 | OneFootball

Arsenal (2003-04) and Juventus (2011-12) are the only clubs in Europe’s major leagues this century to have registered historic unbeaten campaigns.

Recent years have seen clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Liverpool and Bayern Munich reach colossal record-breaking points tallies, but managing an invincible season is a unique achievement that’s proven beyond them.

The last few days have seen the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Inter fall in their quests to go unbeaten this season. Could we see an invincible team in 2023-24? We’ve taken a closer look through each and every side that remains unbeaten so far this season.

Arsenal

Mikel Arteta’s Gunners look ready to go again after the disappointment of falling short in the title race last season. They’ve won five of seven but suffered minor blips by letting leads slip in home draws with Fulham and Tottenham.

“We’re not thinking about this. We have a game every three days, we try to win our games,” Arteta responded after the 2-2 draw in the North London Derby.

“We tried to win our game again and we didn’t manage it for very obvious reasons. That’s it and we have to improve.”

The Arsenal boss was right to strike a calm tone. The following weekend Arsenal beat Bournemouth 4-0 to move one point behind Pep Guardiola’s Juggernaut, and they go into next week’s box office clash with City with a chance to move top…

Tottenham

We’re obliged to describe Big Ange’s Spurs as a “breath of fresh air”. It’s becoming a cliche but that’s because it’s true.

They’ve been a wonderfully watchable side, and taking 17 points from 21, unbeaten, with a run that includes Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool is nothing short of remarkable – particularly when you consider their more possession-focused, attacking style is a massive gear shift from the dour football served by the Australian’s predecessors.

We’re fascinated to see how this project will unfold over the course of the full season.

Barcelona

The reigning champions were staring down the barrel of their first La Liga defeat of the season as they went into the 80th minute trailing two goals down at home to Rafael Benitez’s Celta Vigo.

Then Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix assisted a quickfire Robert Lewandowski brace before Cancelo put them ahead. The remarkable late comeback 3-2 victory put them top, and they’ve stayed there after Real Madrid ended their winning run with a 3-1 defeat away to Atletico.

The following week they kept their unbeaten record intact by coming twice from behind to draw 2-2 with Real Mallorca.

Barcelona had looked lacklustre in their early outings of 2023-24 but the two Joaos – both signed on deadline day – have made an instant impact.

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich are yet to lose a Bundesliga match this season. Water is wet.

Harry Kane’s not made a bad start over in Deutschland. Just the five goal contributions (three goals, two assists) in Saturday’s 7-0 thrashing of Bochum.

Bayer Leverkusen

Borussia Dortmund really ought to have beaten a poor Bayern side to the Bundesliga title last season. We’re crossing everything that Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen can take their mantle as genuine challengers this season.

They very much look the part. Alonso has all the makings of European football’s next top coach and Nigerian striker Victor Boniface looks like he’s about to produce a Victor Osimhen-esque monster season.

Leverkusen have won five of six Bundesliga outings this season and kept their unbeaten record intact with an injury-time penalty equaliser away to Bayern. They sit top of the table, two points ahead of the perennial champions, after six rounds of fixtures.

Borussia Dortmund

We had to triple-check this as it’s felt as though Dortmund have really underwhelmed so far in 2023-24. They’ve put in a series of poor performances, were eminently second-best in their defeat to PSG in the Champions League, and have dropped sloppy points in draws to minnows Bochum and Heidenheim.

But they are yet to suffer a league loss and have returned from the September international break with three successive league wins over Freiburg, Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim. In fact, they’re level on points with Bayern.

We’re still not expecting a title challenge from Dortmund after they lost Jude Bellingham, but they still ought to compete for Champions League qualification at the very least.

Nice

Both Monaco and perennial champions PSG have been toppled by Nice. The Sir Jim Ratcliffe-backed club lost Premier League outcasts Kasper Schmeichel, Aaron Ramsey, Ross Barkley and Nicolas Pepe in the summer and appear all the better for it.

Les Aiglons sit fourth in Ligue 1 after kicking off 2023-24 with three wins and four draws. Their manager Francesco Farioli is only 34 years old – one to watch.

Rennes

Eintracht Frankfurt aren’t the only draw specialists to feature here. Rennes sit sixth in Ligue 1 after tying five successive league outings.

They started with a promising 5-1 victory over Metz but have since been held by Lens, Le Havre, Brest, Lille and Montpellier. They broke that run in style at the weekend, however, beating Nantes 3-1 to remain in touching distance of a Champions League spot.