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? Power Rankings: Atletico arrive, Liverpool lead

We’re back with our weekly Power Rankings and there are two new arrivals in the table.

Here are the 10 sides in our updated Power Rankings table.

📈 Power Rankings: Atletico arrive, Liverpool lead

10. Atletico Madrid (🆕)

Atletico Madrid enter our Power Rankings table after finding real form in recent weeks. Diego Simeone’s side have reeled off 10 consecutive wins in all competitions, breathing new life into their season.

After edging a seven-goal thriller with Sevilla at the weekend, Atleti made light work of Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League to extend their winning run. The evergreen Antoine Griezmann continues to shine, with seven goals in his last five games.

Antoine Griezmann’s last five games:

⚽ vs. Alavés

⚽ vs. Sparta Prague

⚽ vs. Valladolid

⚽⚽ vs. Sevilla

⚽⚽ vs. Slovan Bratislava pic.twitter.com/dDX5I7sIZM

— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 11, 2024

9. Lazio (🆕)

Lazio leap into our Power Rankings table after two huge results in a week for the capital club.

Marco Baroni’s side earned back-to-back wins over Napoli. A Tijjani Noslan hat-trick dumped Antone Conte’s charges out of the Coppa Italia before Lazio earned a 1-0 league win in Naples courtesy of Gustav Isaksen’s late goal. Lazio are fifth in Serie A as things stand but just three points separate them from the summit. It’s a fascinating race for the Scudetto.

8. Chelsea (No change)

Chelsea continue to develop nicely under Enzo Maresca and claimed a big win at Tottenham in the Premier League. The Blues recovered from two goals down to win 4-3 in North London, with Cole Palmer (who else?) the architect of the turnaround.

Chelsea are up to second in the Premier League, though Maresca continues to talk down the title chances of his inexperienced side. If Chelsea continue on their current trajectory, he might have to reconsider his assessment.

7. Atalanta (👎 Last week: 5)

Atalanta moved top of Serie A after a hard-fought win over AC Milan on Friday night. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are dreaming of a maiden Scudetto and now lead a gripping title race. However, their European hopes suffered a setback in midweek after losing at home to Real Madrid in the Champions League.

6. Inter Milan (👎 Last week: 4)

A 3-1 win over Parma leaves Inter within striking distance in Serie A. The champions are three points behind Atalanta but, crucially, have a game in hand.

Inter also remain in the coveted top eight in the Champions League despite a late loss in Leverkusen this week. Incredibly, Nordi Mukiele’s last-gasp winner was the first goal the club has conceded in Europe this season.

5. Bayer Leverkusen (👍 Last week: 7)

Leverkusen leapfrog Inter into the top five after downing the Nerazzurri in Europe. It was the Bundesliga’s best who came out on top in the battle of the German and Italian champions, a win that followed a 2-1 victory over St Pauli at the weekend.

Xabi Alonso’s side have not been quite as convincing as last season but remain in contention on all fronts. Only Liverpool and Barcelona have won more points in the Champions League.

4. Bayern Munich (👍 Last week: 6)

When Bayern are in the mood, they are a brilliant watch.

Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise were at their swaggering best this week as the German giants thrashed Shakhtar Donetsk 5-1 in the Champions League. The win followed a 4-2 win over Heidenheim that maintained their position as Bundesliga leaders. Goals are not in short supply this season.

Michael Olise’s incredible solo goal 😮‍💨#UCL pic.twitter.com/BxKj01HVbp

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 12, 2024

3. Barcelona (No change)

Hansi Flick was far from happy after watching Barcelona twice let leads slip to draw at Real Betis at the weekend. He must have feared the worst when Borussia Dortmund repeated that feat in Europe.

Serhou Guirassy’s double pegged back the Catalans, only for Ferran Torres to find a winner. It’s a result that leaves Barcelona on the verge of automatic progress to the last 16 after a fifth straight Champions League win.

2. Arsenal (No change)

Arsenal’s winning run since November’s international break came to an end at the weekend, as Fulham frustrated the Gunners at Craven Cottage. The response, however, was emphatic as Bukayo Saka’s double helped Arsenal to a 3-0 win over AS Monaco. It’s not been perfect for Mikel Arteta’s men this season but the North Londoners are right in the race for the big trophies.

1. Liverpool (No change)

Liverpool saw the Merseyside Derby postponed at the weekend, though it proved to be a positive weekend for the Reds. Dropped points for title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City boosted their hopes before Mohamed Salah’s penalty earned a 1-0 win at Girona in the Champions League.

The only side with a perfect record in the UCL this season.

Arne Slot is has proved a lot of people wrong 🤫 pic.twitter.com/KuCjYOshLY

— LiveScore (@livescore) December 10, 2024

It’s six wins from six in Europe for the Merseysiders, who will take some stopping both at home and abroad.