Champions League Power Rankings: Inter surging ahead of knockout stage playoff round

With the Champions League playoffs set to resume next week, the race for the final eight knockout-stage berths has crystallised into a high-stakes sprint across Europe. Sixteen teams will contest home-and-away ties, and the continent’s hierarchy is shifting by the day. At the summit, Arsenal remain the gold standard: Mikel Arteta’s Gunners swept all eight league-phase fixtures and now enjoy a six-point cushion atop the Premier League while preparing for an EFL Cup final showdown with Manchester City. Their flawless European form has cast them as the team to beat.

Bayern Munich sit just beneath them. Vincent Kompany’s side command the Bundesliga, buoyed by Harry Kane’s 38 goals in 33 games and Luis Diaz’s timely contributions. For Kane, a maiden Champions League crown with his former club’s fiercest rival would burnish an already stellar personal campaign.

Paris Saint-Germain, once adrift, have rediscovered their swagger. A 5-0 demolition of Marseille vaulted them to the Ligue 1 summit and signalled that the French champions have timed their peak to perfection. Barcelona echo that trajectory: LaLiga leaders, Copa del Rey semi-finalists and Spanish Super Cup winners, they secured a top-eight group finish and look primed for a deep spring run.

Inter, however, are the week’s biggest climbers. Under Cristian Chivu, the Nerazzurri have opened a healthy gap on city rivals AC Milan and approach Saturday’s San Siro duel with Juventus armed with momentum and a point to prove against domestic heavyweights. A victory would cement their status as genuine contenders on two fronts.

Manchester City, by contrast, flicker rather than blaze. Pep Guardiola’s once-untouchable unit have become maddeningly inconsistent, capable of toppling giants one night and surrendering meekly the next—an ominous trait with silverware on the line and the manager’s long-term future still opaque.

Real Madrid remain an enigma. Álvaro Arbeloa has stabilised the dressing room after Xabi Alonso’s rocky tenure, yet vulnerabilities persist despite Kylian Mbappe’s staggering 38 goals in 31 matches. Whether the Spanish giants can synchronise their prodigious talent for a knockout surge is an open question.

Chelsea, fifth in the Premier League under new boss Liam Rosenior, harbour outside hopes of gate-crashing the top four and adding a cup. Juventus, meanwhile, face a season-defining week: a Coppa Italia stalemate with Lazio has heightened the importance of the forthcoming Inter clash, though Weston McKennie’s seven-goal emergence offers genuine encouragement.

Elsewhere, Atalanta rebounded from an early-season managerial swap to narrowly miss the top eight and now meet Borussia Dortmund in a winnable playoff, while Borussia Dortmund themselves cling to Bayern’s coattails in Germany but appear short of a genuine title push. Liverpool, third in the league phase, have regressed domestically and a chaotic defeat to City underlined their fallibility.

Atletico Madrid’s turmoil shows no sign of abating; constant squad churn and the looming end of the Diego Simeone era leave them vulnerable despite Ademola Lookman’s instant impact. Tottenham, fourth in the league phase, look a shadow of last season’s side and must address a seven-win Premier League campaign if they are to avoid another late-season collapse.

In the playoff tier, dark horses lurk. Bayer Leverkusen, revitalised since Erik ten Hag’s departure, meet Olympiacos with quiet confidence. Porto’s title hopes hinge on Monday’s clash with Sporting, while Benfica—Jose Mourinho’s latest reclamation project—must overcome Madrid after a dramatic final-day triumph over the Spanish giants. Qarabag, Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Union Saint-Gilloise embody the new format’s romance, each eyeing seismic upsets that could redraw the landscape.

When the first-leg whistles blow next week, the continent’s balance of power could tilt once more. For now, Arsenal set the standard, Bayern and PSG stalk, Barcelona and Inter surge, and a dozen hopefuls dream of spring glory.