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Our favourite club competition is just one game away from the brutal knockout rounds, and this week we were once again served up a cocktail of goals, comebacks, and tactical masterclasses.
Jose Mourinho made his long-awaited return to Champions League football at the helm of Tottenham Hostpur, and he engineered a memorable comeback in his first home game at his new club.
Also, Real Madrid was left ruing missed opportunities as Kylian Mbappe and his Paris Saint-Germain cohorts made a last gasp steal of the points bag, bolting away with one point and first place in Group A.
It's been 5 beautiful games, with a lot of heartbreaks, upsets, and goal thrillers, as Europe's premier clubs battle for supremacy. In this article, we'll analyse the top five performing teams in the UEFA Champions League so far.
#5 Manchester City
For the second consecutive matchday, the champions of England have been ambushed by a less fancied opponent, as they surrendered 2 points at home to Shakhtar Donetsk.
The last time Manchester City took on the Ukrainians, it was a 6 goal thriller, but the defensive resolve of Luis Castro's side this time around was impressive. City came into the encounter without Sergio Aguero, and his deputy for the day Gabriel Jesus was gagged for a huge chunk of the match, as he didn't even manage a touch on the ball within the Shakhtar penalty area in the first 45 minutes.
However, despite the Shakhtar nuisance, Pep Guardiola's side marched into the knockout stage unscathed, with one game to spare. Interestingly, the Cityzens haven't lost in the UCL group stage in their last 10 encounters.
Their last group game against Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia will be a mere formality, as Guardiola already looks towards the knockout stage, seeking to engineer City's maiden UCL triumph. The top spot in Group C is a forgone conclusion, with City ahead of second-placed Shakhtar by 5 points.
Also check out: Champions League Schedule Champions League table Champions league top scorers
#4 Barcelona
Barcelona makes an appearance on our list this week, knocking off this season's upstarts from Leipzig, courtesy of superior numbers and the force of nature that is Lionel Messi.
La Blaugrana have painfully watched from the sidelines for years as their arch-rivals in the Spanish capital snagged every Champions League trophy in sight, causing unrest at the Nou Camp as Messi and his band of merry world beaters grew unsatisfied with just domestic domination.
At the start of last season, Messi voiced his intent to bring back the big-eared trophy to the Nou Camp, however, last season's campaign turned out to be a false start. Eventual winners Liverpool proved to be the stumbling block, as they sensationally knocked Barca out.
Barcelona have secured qualification to the knockout stage, bagging their 149th win in Champions League competition, thanks to a beautiful 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in Catalonia.
Messi was at his best once again, as he marked his 700th appearance for Barcelona with a goal and two assists. His deft pass provided Luis Suarez with the opener before he scored his 613th Barca goal a few minutes later. La Pulga capped off a wonderful performance with another incisive pass to Antoine Griezmann for Barca's third goal of the evening.
Barcelona march on to the knockout stage with European domination at the back of their minds and an unbeaten record in tow. La Blaugrana faces Inter Milan next, but top spot in Group F is a foregone conclusion.
#3 Juventus
Juventus continued their quest for continental domination with a win over European powerhouse Atletico Madrid in Turin.
The Old Lady welcomed Cristiano Ronaldo back to the fray, as they took on one of his most treasured opponents. The Portuguese registered a hattrick against Diego Simeone's men last term, but this time around, Paulo Dybala curled in a freekick from the unlikeliest of angles to guarantee top spot in the group for The Old Lady.
Maurizio Sarri is the man tasked with bringing the coveted big-eared trophy to Turin this season and so far his efforts have been commendable, despite the Bianconeri still coming to grips with the finer points of the gaffer's famous Sarriball system.
Juve qualified for the knockout phase with two games to spare, and with 13 points and an unbeaten start to their Champions League campaign so far, Ronaldo and his cohorts are certainly one of the teams to watch out for in the next round.
#2 Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain have been one of the most surprising performers this term because, despite their early-season Neymar woes and 'annual underperformers' tag, they have managed to secure qualification on top a group which features the dreaded Real Madrid.
PSG travelled away to the Spanish capital on matchday 5, and the game served us one of the most dramatic encounters of the night. The game had it all, with controversial VAR decisions and a last gasp comeback thrown in the mix.
Real Madrid dominated proceedings at the Santiago Bernebeu, with the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Mauro Icardi gagged for much of the encounter. However, Madrid failed to take advantage of their dominance, with the threat of a PSG resurgence looming all through the encounter.
Thomas Tuchel's men proved why they are one of the more fancied sides this campaign late on, as they bullishly capitalised on some shambolic Los Blancos defending to score 2 goals in the space of four minutes.
Since the dawn of Qatari oil wealth at the Parc des Princes, PSG has always been touted as Champions League favourites on paper, but this time around something is different. Tuchel's men have gone about their business with a steely resolve, despite playing a majority of their fixtures without the likes of Neymar, Edison Cavani, and Mbappe.
PSG qualify on top Group A in first place, 5 points ahead of UCL giants Real Madrid, with one game to spare.
#1 Bayern Munich
In top spot this week is Bayern Munich, as they move ahead of Paris Saint-Germain thanks to superior numbers, as they march onto the knockout phase with a 100 per cent record so far, with one game to go.
The Bavarian giants' season has been a mixed bag, as they have had a somewhat bad campaign on the home front but a blemishless record in Europe. Niko Kovac was axed as a result, but his erstwhile charges have continued to march on bullishly in the Champions League.die roten
Hans-Dieter Flick commandeered Bayern into Serbia to face Red Star Belgrade, and despite the Serbian club's negative tactics, Die Roten's offensive machine was unstoppable. Bayern smashed 6 goals past their hosts, with Robert Lewandowski scoring the fastest quadruple in Champions League history, thanks to a 14 minutes goal blitz.
The Bavarian giants have garnered the maximum 15 points so far, with 5 wins in 5, and a mammoth 21 goals to their credit.
Bayern is certainly a team in form, and with the Polish destroyer Lewandowski and his offensive teammates in such jaw-dropping form, they are a cut above the rest as they head into the next chapter of the Champions League.
