Champions League Power Rankings: Arsenal remain close to PSG, Real Madrid; Newcastle make big jump
Here's how all league phase teams rank after Matchday 3, with the reigning champions clearly No. 1
By
Chuck Booth
•
6 min read
While this record should come with an astrisk, matchday 3 wa a record setting affair for the higherst scoring Champions League matchday with a whopping 71 goals. It was wall to wall action with Paris Saint-Germain leading the way with seven goals, while Barcelona and PSV both scored six, while multiple clubs scored five. PSV's may be among the most impressive of the bunch, doing so against the reigning champions of Italy, Napoli. With that many goals, it caused some seismic shifts in the Champions League power rankings for this matchday, so let's get to it:
| Rank | Team | Change | Analysis |
| 1 | Paris Saint-Germain | -- | Depth continues to shine for PSG and Ousmane Dembele is back. This team are already among the top contenders to win the entire tournament and each week they're showing reasons why. |
| 2 | Real Madrid | -- | It may not have been pretty, but Thibaut Courtois was able to save Real Madrid on the defensive end while Jude Bellingham got a much-needed goal to keep Xabi Alonso's team perfect in UCL play. Los Blancos are still finding their footing but if this is them not at their best, what's to come will be scary. |
| 3 | Arsenal | -- | Gabriel Martinelli may be turning into Mr. Champions League for the Gunners, now with three goals and an assist during the campaign. Add that in with a strong defense and Arsenal are showcasing why they can't be counted out of lifting the UCL trophy. |
| 4 | Bayern Munich | -- | Vincent Kompany started 17-year-old Lennart Karl, and he responded by scoring the opening goal in a strong performance. Everything's coming up Bayern so far this campaign. Is this the season that they end their UCL drought? |
| 5 | Inter | -- | Inter haven't missed a beat under Cristian Chivu so far this season, and Lautaro Martinez has kept his own hot form going while the defense hasn't suffered. |
| 6 | Barcelona | -- | Defensive concerns still remain, as Olympiacos had their own chances to score, but on a day where you score six goals without multiple top attackers being available, it can only be a good day. |
| 7 | Liverpool | -- | Alexander Isak picking up a groin injury was an unfortunate blemish on an excellent day for Liverpool, but scoring five goals away to Frankfurt is just what the doctor ordered to help spark getting their season back on track. |
| 8 | Chelsea | +1 | Even with a heavily rotated side, Chelsea were able to put up five goals at home facing Ajax. Any win without Cole Palmer is a good one for the Blues, who keep marching on. |
| 9 | Manchester City | +1 | Another game and more Erling Haaland goals for Manchester City. This team hasn't hit top gear yet, but the defense will keep them in matches so Haaland can win them. |
| 10 | Galatasaray | +4 | With another win under their belt, the Turkish side are moving in the right direction, and two more goals from Victor Osimhen is quite a help. |
| 11 | Borussia Dortmund | +1 | Defensively, Dortmund are allowing too many chances, but that's fine when they're averaging four goals a match, the second-highest figure of any team. The UCL version of Dortmund continue to be a tough out. |
| 12 | Newcastle United | +5 | Don't look now, but Eddie Howe has fully moved on from Isak. Newcastle's defense is stout, and Nick Woltemade is the real deal at striker. |
| 13 | Napoli | -5 | Even before Lorenzo Lucca saw red, PSV were running away with this match in impressive fashion. Antonio Conte's side are down to their third-choice striker but with three points through three matches in the league phase, things need to improve. |
| 14 | Atletico Madrid | -1 | No one knows which Atletico Madrid team will show up from week to week. This won't stop them from making the knockouts, but it's hard to see them going much further. |
| 15 | Marseille | -4 | Emerson's yellow for diving, getting him sent off, was quite costly. Marseille's highs are high, but the lows are also quite low. |
| 16 | Tottenham | -- | Guglielmo Vicaro was immense in net for Tottenham. They continue to bend but not break under Thomas Frank, and while it's not pretty and could fall apart at any moment, the points are adding up to advance. |
| 17 | Sporting Club Portugal | +5 | They may have needed an extra man advantage to get the job done, but toppling Marseille is a step in the right direction for making the knockouts in a second consecutive season. |
| 18 | Juventus | -3 | Facing Real Madrid seemed closer than it actually was as Michele Di Gregorio made an impressive eight saves |
| 19 | Atalanta | -- | You need to win your matches at home, facing smaller clubs, but a point will help more than it will hurt. |
| 20 | Athletic Club | +3 | Finally off the mark with their first victory of the league phase, if things came to a close today, Athletic Club would be through to the knockouts. |
| 21 | Qarabag | -3 | Perfect no more, Qarabag had a moment of hope in Spain before Athletic Club woke up to slam the door on them. |
| 22 | Club Brugge | -2 | Slipping down these rankings, not much was expected going away to face Bayern Munich, but a loss is a loss. |
| 23 | PSV | +8 | An absolutely massive showing for PSV. Defeating the reigning champions of Italy in a blowout is just what they needed during what has been a rough league phase so far. Is this when their fortunes begin to change? |
| 24 | Monaco | +2 | Monaco may have deserved all three points, but not finishing past the keeper will cost them if they miss out on advancing to the knockouts. |
| 25 | Eintracht Frankfurt | -4 | Conceding 10 goals in their last two Champions League matches is far from ideal for Frankfurt. There's talent in the squad, and two of their hardest matches are now out of the way, but it's far from an ideal performance. |
| 26 | Union Saint-Gilloise | -2 | A club who had a strong start to the league phase, things are quickly unravelling for the Belgian side, but there's still time to get it back on track. |
| 27 | Villarreal | -2 | Losing to Manchester City happens; it's all about how the Spanish side responds. |
| 28 | Benfica | -1 | Has the "Special One" lost his touch? Three matchdays have passed and Benfica are still in search of their first victory in the league phase. |
| 29 | Slavia Praha | +3 | It's not a bad point holding Atalanta to a draw away from home, but it's also not a particularly good one when you need wins sooner than later. |
| 30 | Copenhagen | -1 | This just isn't a great season for the little guys in the Champions League. Copenhagen tried but they could never get things going against Dortmund, leading to another UCL loss. |
| 31 | Bayer Leverkusen | -3 | Houston, we have several problems. The house that Xabi Alonso built has now been demolished, allowing seven goals at home. Sure, it's PSG, but this is a demoralizing loss that will last. |
| 32 | Bodo/Glimt | -2 | Going into Rams Park is never an easy thing for any club to do, but getting dominated from start to finish won't bode well for Bodo. |
| 33 | Ajax | -- | Day by day it's more of a season to forget for Ajax as they're far off the team who used to be contenders to make the round of 16 with ease. There's a long way to go for this club to return to that. |
| 34 | Olympiacos | -- | It was nice to score a goal against Barcelona, but not so nice to concede six in the match while going down to 10 men. |
| 35 | Kairat | +1 | Even with Pafos going down to 10 men, Kairat weren't able to get their first win in Champions League play. They did pick up a point, which should count for something. |
| 36 | Pafos | -1 | David Luiz isn't enough to get Pafos wins in this competition even in winnable matches. |
