📈 Power Rankings: Liverpool and Villa crack the top 10, no City in sight | OneFootball

It is time for another update to the Power Rankings as we continue to approach the festive season. Buckle up!

10. Juventus (🆕)

Unbeaten in nine league games, Juventus are using their season without European football to mount a serious Serie A title charge for the first time since they last won the title back in 2020. Even then they stumbled over the line, but it seems Massimiliano Allegri has finally recaptured some of the steely resolve that served the club so well for so long.

Juve may not be lighting Italy up — they’ve scored just 22 goals in their 14 Serie A games — but they boast an excellent defensive record and will not be easy for anyone to play against.

9. Bayern Munich (👎 Last week: 6)

Bayern Munich remain second in the Bundesliga and haven’t played for a week, given they are out of the DFB-Pokal and last week’s Bundesliga clash with Union Berlin was postponed due to the weather in Bavaria.

A trip to Eintracht Frankfurt awaits this week as Thomas Tuchel’s side look to continue their unbeaten start to the league season and turn the pressure up on league leaders Bayer Leverkusen.

8. Aston Villa (🆕)

A draw against Bournemouth at the weekend was quickly forgotten as Villa delivered the most dominant league performance against a Pep Guardiola team in the Manchester City manager’s career. City’s two shots taken and 22 conceded were both negative records and a 1-0 win far from flattered the hosts, who are up to third in the Premier League.

Unai Emery’s side have won 10 of their last 13 in all competitions and have seven wins from seven Premier League home games this season. Next up: league leaders Arsenal on Saturday.

7. Liverpool (🆕)

When Liverpool drew at Luton at the start of November, you wondered how long any possible title challenge could go on this season. The Reds had started well but not entirely convinced and then dropped points in a game they ought to have won.

Four games later, they’ve won three and drawn at the home of the champions. Jürgen Klopp’s side continue to blow teams away at Anfield and are now eight without defeat in the league, sitting second, four points ahead of Manchester City and just two behind Arsenal. This rebuilt team is coming along very nicely indeed.

6. Girona (👍 Last week: 7)

Whenever a team is surprisingly near the top of the table, you wonder if one result will see them wobbling and knock them off track. Not at Girona.

A draw with Athletic Club to end November was the first time since September LaLiga’s surprise package have dropped points and they responded with a 2-1 win over Valencia to remain in touch with Real Madrid at the top of the table.

Two late goals — they entered the final 10 minutes of the game a goal down before a Cristhian Stuani brace turned things around — showed they do not just have the quality but also the resilience to keep the good times going for a while yet. Level on points with league leaders Real Madrid, this weekend’s trip to Barcelona will be another stern test of Girona’s staying power.

5. PSV (👎 Last week: 2)

PSV have now won 14 from 14 in Eredivisie and are nailed on for the title, extending their lead at the top of the table to 10 points over Feyenoord as they beat the side from Rotterdam at the weekend.

The Champions League next week will be interesting — they’ve already qualified so there’s nothing resting on their final group game, but they lost 4-0 to Arsenal in north London and will want to settle the score, show their best face, and underline their credentials as dark horses for a deeper run in the competition than most might expect.

Johan Bakayoko’s fine form in attack is the big thing to look out for, with the 20-year-old Belgian winger looking like one of the most exciting prospects in Europe right now.

4. Inter (👍 Last week: 5)

After back to back draws with Juventus (1-1) and Benfica (3-3), Inter posted a big 3-0 win over Napoli to stay top of Serie A over the weekend.

Midfield maestro Nicolo Barella shone and Marcus Thuram, proving superb foil for Lautaro Martínez up front and the only player in Serie A with 5+ goals and 5+ assists so far this season, scored the third as he continued his fine debut season with the Nerazzurri.

Last season’s Champions League finalists look as good as ever and remain favourites for domestic glory this season.

3. Bayer Leverkusen (👎 Last week: 1)

Leverkusen dropped points in the Bundesliga for just the second time all season last weekend, coming from behind to draw 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund. Xabi Alonso’s side dominated possession and territory but needed substitute Patrik Schick to lay an equaliser on a plate for fellow striker Victor Boniface late on.

They were back to winning ways on Wednesday, seeing off Paderborn in the DFB-Pokal, which they are now favourites to win, and they remain unbeaten across all competitions this season.

2. Arsenal (👍 Last week: 4)

Arsenal left it as late as it gets at Luton on Tuesday to remain top of the Premier League through the round of midweek fixtures. After weeks of defensive solidity, they conceded three at Kenilworth Road but found the perfect time to continue their improvements in front of goal, scoring four or more in a Premier League game for the third time this season.

Mikel Arteta’s side have now won six in a row in all competitions, winning their Champions League group with a game to spare as well as sitting top of the Premier League table, and are showing no signs of slowing down.

1. Real Madrid (👍 Last week: 3)

It is now 13 games unbeaten and five wins in a row — with 17 goals scored and just three conceded in those victories — for the Spanish giants, who sit top of LaLiga despite recent injuries to Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior

Rodrygo has stepped up big time of late to bag seven goals and four assists in Madrid’s last five outings. Who needs a traditional number nine anyway?