Champions League Power Rankings: Bayern Munich top, Real Madrid and Man City not far behind
Here's how all the teams in the league phase stack up after one match
by Chuck Booth · CBS SportsMatchday 1 of the Champions League has come to an end and what a matchday it was. Barcelona dropped points, Manchester City and Arsenal failed to win and there were some banner results already. Bayern Munich scored nine goals to move to number one in our power rankings but how did the other teams around UCL do?
Let's take a look at power rankings:
| Rank | Team | Change | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bayern Munich | +1 | A Champions League-record nine goals in a match is quite the way to kick off the tournament. Bayern may need to shore up their defense but does it really matter if they keep scoring? |
| 2 | Real Madrid | +2 | Still not getting the best out of Kylian Mbappe, it doesn't matter because Madrid's depth is so good. Teenagers Arda Guler and Endrick are already game changers and few teams can match that talent. |
| 3 | Manchester City | -3 | This could be chalked up to as long as Erling Haaland is on the pitch, Manchester City will have a chance at winning a Champions League title. While he hasn't always shown up in the biggest games for City, he does more than enough to always give them a chance to win. |
| 4 | Paris Saint-Germain | +2 | Despite being saved by a goalkeeping error, there's no denying that PSG deserved to defeat Girona. Creating 2.23 xG while allowing one shot on target, this.is a team moving in the right direction and they'll be just fine moving forward. |
| 5 | Liverpool | +3 | They came to Milan, they saw the sights and conquered after going behind in the second minute of play. It was also a first win away from home for Arne Slot in Champions League play which is great to get out of the way. |
| 6 | Juventus | +3 | Juventus are back. Sure, it may have just been PSV that they faced in their opening match but the way which they dispatched the Dutch side was important. |
| 7 | Atletico Madrid | +3 | Never a dull moment for Atletico Madrid finding a way to defeat RB Leipzig in stoppage time. They could do well to start faster but a win is a win. |
| 8 | Barcelona | -5 | Facing adversity for the first time this season, Eric Garcia was sent off 10 mintues into the match and Barcelona now have questions to answer because their depth options aren't up to par. |
| 9 | Arsenal | -2 | Without David Raya, this match would've gone a lot differently. Arsenal's defense was good but the attack didn't do enough. |
| 10 | Inter | -3 | Rotating some, Inter went away to Manchester and withstood 22 shots and came away with a point. It wasn't pretty but that was a match that shows Inter can still contend for a UCL title. |
| 11 | Bayer Leverkusen | -- | Playing their UCL game on a Thursday was just what the doctor ordered for the Europa Leauge runners-up. Florian Wirtz announced himself with a goal in under five minutes and this team is one to fear. |
| 12 | Atalanta | -- | Atalanta came in with a plan and Arsenal couldn't stop it. They should've been able to squeak out a victory but a draw is still a good result. |
| 13 | Sporting Lisbon | -- | Viktor Gyokeres has been involved in a goal in every game for club or country so far this season. Now off and running in Champions League, Sporting is a team who could make a dark horse run. |
| 14 | Benfica | +1 | Going into Serbia and dominating Crvena zvezda is quite an impressive result. Kerem Akurkoglu has goals in his first two games for the club and looks like he'll be a key to this UCL run. |
| 15 | Borussia Dortmund | +1 | Dortmund may have left it late in their oepning match but Nuri Sahin getting three goals from substitutes will provide the new manager with confidence in his decisions. |
| 16 | Aston Villa | +4 | Villa went away to Switzerland and took care of business. You can't ask for much more. Unai Emery knows what he's doing in European competitions and it shows. |
| 17 | RB Leipzig | -3 | Scoring an early goal, RB Leipzig need to do better at turning their good chances into actual victories when it matters. |
| 18 | Monaco | +3 | It wasn't pretty but knocking off Barcelona at home is a massive result. They were too vulnerable on counter attacks but the win is what matters. |
| 19 | Brest | +5 | Welcome to Champions League play. Brest may have had one of the easiest matches in early UCL play but three points will take them into the top 24. |
| 20 | Celtic | +5 | Massive winners out of the gate, Celtic were able to get a massive lift to their goal diffence and can now begin to dream about their path to the round of 16. |
| 21 | Milan | -4 | It has been a start to the season to forget for Paulo Fonseca but they'll have the glorious few minutes during which they led Liverpool to fall back on. |
| 22 | Lille | -3 | Losing to Sporting isn't the worse thing but losing Angel Gomes for their next match is quite a big blow for Lille. |
| 23 | PSV | -5 | Not the start that PSV would've wanted but unlike other teams in the competition, they didn't destroy their goal difference right out of the gate. |
| 24 | Girona | -2 | Despite losing to PSG, it was a strong debut for Girona in Champions League play. Once they face teams around them in strength, there's no reason why they can't pick up points to finish in the top 24. |
| 25 | Sparta Praha | +5 | Picking up one of the more impressive wins, three points and three goals is just the start needed. |
| 26 | Bologna | -3 | In this extended Champions League, teams need to win their home fixtures and despite dominating, Bologna couldn't do that. |
| 27 | VfB Stuttgart | -2 | Despite losing to Real Madrid, it was a valiant effort for the German side. Their defense is a major concern but their matches are also must-watch affairs. |
| 28 | Young Boys | +6 | It could've been worse playing Aston Villa but it also could've been better. Young Boys will have to dust themselves off and show improvement. |
| 29 | Club Brugge | -2 | Not able to take advantage of a good first half against Borussia Dortmund is not what Brugge wanted. The second-half collapse allowing three goals was also a concern. |
| 30 | Shakhtar Donetsk | +2 | Miss a penalty kick, pay for it in dropping points. |
| 31 | Crvena zvezda | -2 | A valiant effort at home against Benfica. Despite losing, there's a clear path to advancement still in sight. |
| 32 | RB Salzburg | +1 | The RB Salzburg defense is bad but the attack is supposed to be able to score goals. If they aren't doing either, that's a concern. |
| 33 | SK Strum Graz | +3 | It was a close game against Brest but that also may have been the most winnable game that Sturm Graz will play in this competiton. |
| 34 | Dinamo Zagreb | -6 | Scoring two goals against Bayern, good. Allowing nine goals to Bayern, bad. |
| 35 | Slovan Bratislava | -4 | Celtic didn't allow Slovan Bratislava to have a welcome to the Champions League party in what was a match to forget. |
| 36 | Feyenoord | -1 | This team is both unlucky and poor in defense. That's not a good combination as the loss of coach Slot is massive. |