Domestic Surprises
30. Hertha Berlin ( 6th in Bundesliga)
29. FC Cologne (5th in Bundesliga)
28. Atalanta ( 5th in Serie A)
27. Inter Milan (6th in Serie A)
26. Lazio ( 4th in Serie A)
25. Villarreal (6th in La Liga)
24. Lyon (4th in Ligue 1)
23. Sporting CP (3rd in Premeira Liga)
22. Nice (3rd in Ligue 1)
21. Hoffenheim (3rd in Bundesliga)
20. Borussia Dortmund (4th in Bundesliga)
19. Arsenal (6th in Premier League)
Hoffenheim’s latest victory, a 1-0 defeat of Bayern Munich in which Andrej Kamaric scored his 11th goal of the season, tied for the team lead, vaults them into 21st in the Power Rankings. More importantly, they have solidified a 10 point gap between themselves and fifth place Cologne, all but guaranteeing a Champions League spot with just seven games to go. Hoffenheim has only suffered three losses so far this season, all away from home, including one to titans Red Bull Leipzig. They got the win over Bayern Munich despite being out possessed 64-36 and out shot 21-14. A trip to Hamburg is up next this Saturday.
Champions League Stalwarts and Domestic Hotshots
18. Manchester United (5th in Premier League)
17. Napoli (3rd in Serie A)
16. Roma ( 2nd in Serie A)
15. Sevilla (4th in La Liga)
14. Monaco ( 1st in Ligue 1)
13. Porto (2nd in Primeira Liga)
12. Red Bull Leipzig (2nd in Bundesliga)
11. Atlético Madrid (3rd in La Liga)
10. Liverpool (3rd in Premier League)
9. Benfica (1st in Primeira Liga)
8. Tottenham Hotspur (2nd in Premier League)
Facing Juventus twice in one week is no small task, but Napoli was able to get a draw in the league fixture on Saturday and score a win in the cup tie, despite losing on aggregate. They equalized the scoreline with a Marek Hamsik strike in the 60th minute. Napoli deserved to win as they out possessed the Old Lady 61-39 and won the shot battle 17-4. The cup tie was all but lost after Napoli dropped the first leg 1-3, and even a 3-2 comeback on Wednesday was not enough. They still must avoid a late surge from Lazio in order to sure up a Champions League spot and can help themselves out in that category with an away win at Lazio on Sunday.
The Elite
7. Manchester City (2nd in Premier League)
6. Paris Saint-Germain (2nd in Ligue 1)
5. Barcelona (2nd in La Liga)
4. Chelsea (1st in Premier League)
3. Bayern Munich (1st in Bundesliga)
2. Juventus (LW: 1, 1st in Serie A)
1. Real Madrid (1st in La Liga)
Chelsea may have lost 2-1 against Crystal Palace on Saturday, but they won when it counted, scoring a 2-1 victory over Manchester City on Wednesday. They lost the possession battle 60-40 and were out shot 17-10, but Eden Hazard scored an early goal and a rebound off a penalty to take the win. Hazard’s brace gave him his team leading 13th goal on the season, and Chelsea kept the pressure on second place Tottenham. The Blues travel to Bournemouth on Saturday before another top six battle at Manchester United on April 16.
Patrick English 