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The UEFA Champions League is finally set to return after a cloud of speculation regarding the future of the ongoing edition.
After an eventful group stage and an incomplete set of Round of 16 ties, European football is set to return with two cracking fixtures with Juventus and Real Madrid in action on Saturday night. Cristiano Ronaldo's current and former teams are tasked with overturning 1-0 deficits against Lyon and Manchester City respectively.
On the other hand, treble-winning sides Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona are yet to book their spots for the next phase of the tournament. While it is merely a formality for the Bavarians with a 3-0 lead at home to Chelsea, the same cannot be said about the Catalans. Lionel Messi's men need to navigate past a tricky Napoli side after a 1-1 draw in Naples.
With the quarter-finals set to be played soon, only some of Europe's finest footballers remain in the competition. Here, we take a look at five highest-scoring players still participating in this year's UEFA Champions League.
=#5 Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus | 5 goals
Manchester City's clinical forwards Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus share the fifth spot with the same number of goals and assists in the UCL this year. Sterling, in particular, has been impressive in recent weeks, having scored a hat-trick and ending the league season with 20 goals.
Both netted hat-tricks in the group stage of the UCL, but it was Jesus who provided Pep Guardiola's men with a crucial breakthrough at the Santiago Bernabeu. City are set to take on the record champions at home and look to defend their 2-1 lead. Sterling ran riot against Atalanta in City's 5-1 win over Gian Piero Gasperini's men.
They both have two assists to their names as well, and both have come in critical moments, with Sterling's coming over Real and Jesus assisting City's only goal in a 1-1 draw against Atalanta. They would hope to fire City to glory and deliver the elusive Champions League trophy in Portugal.
#4 Kylian Mbappe | 5 goals
Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe has enjoyed another sensational year with the French champions. The 21-year-old has spearheaded PSG's UCL campaign alongside Neymar at the tip of their attack, and has been in splendid form this year.
He scored a stunning 38-minute hat-trick against Club Brugge in the group stage along with an assist, and was at his devastating best in Belgium. The World Cup winner also amassed a hat-trick of assists at home to Galatasaray and went on to score one in a 5-0 win.
Mbappe is unfortunately unlikely to play again in the ongoing edition of the tournament after having picked up a horrible injury in the French Cup final. Nonetheless, it's been a remarkable season for the PSG forward, who ended the campaign with five goals and four assists.
Also check out: the Champions League Winners by season
#3 Serge Gnabry | 6 goals
Bayern Munich winger Serge Gnabry has scored in only two games out of the six he's appeared in, but when he did score, he did so in breathtaking fashion. Incidentally, both teams that the former Arsenal man scored against were Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur — of the Gunners' London rivals.
Gnabry was the star of the show as Bayern Munich mercilessly demolished Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in North London, scoring a staggering four goals against them in a 7-2 win. The Bavarians travelled to London again for the first leg of their Round of 16 tie, where the German scored a brace and led his side to a 3-0 win.
The 25-year-old certainly has been vital for the Bundesliga champions, starting five out of their seven games in the tournament so far. Gnabry would hope to keep his form up to help Bayern achieve a historic treble.
#2 Dries Mertens | 6 goals
Belgian international Dries Mertens has not been at his best on the domestic front with just 9 goals in 31 Serie A games. However, his performances in Europe have been impeccable so far, coming up with clutch goals for Gennaro Gattuso's men.
Napoli's all-time highest scorer has scored in all but two of their seven UCL games so far, having started six of them. Mertens has also scored a host of important goals, including two against English champions and UCL holders Liverpool and as many against RB Salzburg in the group stage. He also scored an all-important equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Barcelona at home.
With Napoli set to take on the Blaugrana in less than a week, all eyes will be on Mertens as the veteran Belgian could give his side a shot at eliminating Messi & co. The 33-year-old also registered an assist, which came in a thrilling 3-2 win over Salzburg.
#1 Robert Lewandowski | 11 goals
Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski has been simply unstoppable in every competition he's appeared in this season. He ended the Bundesliga campaign with a whopping 34 goals in 31 games, helping Bayern lift their eighth successive German title.
The Pole has replicated his form in the UCL as well, being the highest scorer in the tournament by some distance. Lewandowski currently has 11 goals to his name in just six games in Europe, having been rested for the home game against Spurs. The former Dortmund man scored a minimum of one goal in every game he's played in, including two braces, a four-goal haul against Olympiakos, and a goal away to Chelsea.
The 31-year-old also set up two goals against the Blues, having a hand in all three of Bayern's goals on the night. With the Bavarians potentially playing up to four games in the tournament, Lewandowski has Cristiano Ronaldo's record of 17 goals in a season firmly in his sights.
Also read: Thiago: 5 realistic destinations for the Bayern Munich midfielder
