It might seem a little harsh to put last year’s runners-up at the bottom of this list.
But Dortmund ostensibly have the weakest squad of the teams remaining.
The Champions League has provided respite from a poor domestic season, as reflected by the fact that they sit 10th in the Bundesliga.
Coach Niko Kovač was only appointed last month after Edin Terzić’s successor Nuri Şahin lasted just half a season in the role.
They progressed from the first phase with relative ease, finishing 10th, and a 7-1 victory over Celtic (who proceeded to cause rivals Bayern significant problems) among their eye-catching displays.
In previous seasons, they gained a reputation for cultivating superstars in the making like Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham.
But their current crop of youngsters do not appear to be on the same level — Jamie Gittens, Carney Chukwuemeka (on loan from Chelsea), Yan Couto (on loan from Man City) and Giovanni Reyna all started on their bench in Wednesday’s clash with Lille.
Fans of the Premier League will be familiar with several of those who started, however.
Emre Can, Pascal Gross and Marcel Sabitzer all had stints of varying lengths with Liverpool, Brighton and Man United respectively.
The trio are all decent players but not ones you would envisage as part of a Champions League-winning team.
7. Aston Villa
Like Dortmund, Villa haven’t exactly excelled domestically.
They are currently ninth in the Premier League table and face a fight to secure a place in next season’s Champions League, though it’s not an impossible task — only four points separate them and fourth-place Chelsea.
Already though, it feels like an achievement for Villa to get this far.
It is their first time competing in the modern Champions League format.
They exceeded expectations in the opening stages.
Five wins from eight, including a sensational victory over Bayern Munich, was enough to see them finish eighth and progress automatically to the round of 16.
Still, they are unaccustomed to competing at this elite level of the game and face the daunting challenge of coming up against PSG in the quarters, so will need to pull off a major upset to go any further in the competition.
6. Inter Milan
You couldn’t have asked for too much more from Inter this season so far.
They currently sit top of Serie A — one point ahead of Antonio Conte’s Napoli.
Simone Inzaghi’s men have been similarly impressive in Europe.
They lost just once in the first phase — a 1-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen — and finished level on points with Arsenal (who they beat 1-0) and Barcelona while trailing table toppers Liverpool by two points.
They also earned a comfortable 4-1 victory over Feyenoord in the round of 16.
In December, the reigning champions dominated the Serie A Team of the Year, with Yann Sommer, Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Dimarco, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram all gaining recognition.
They also have an illustrious history in the competition — only six sides have lifted the trophy more than Inter, who have done so three times (1964, 1965 and 2010).
But probably the biggest question mark concerns the arguable weakness of Serie A in comparison to other top leagues and whether Inter can keep raising their game to the requisite standard.
Even reaching the semi-finals will not be easy as they face a Bayern Munich side fresh off a comprehensive 5-0 aggregate defeat of reigning Bundesliga champions Leverkusen.
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5. Arsenal
Arsenal have looked among the best sides in Europe for a while now.
Only Liverpool and Barcelona finished ahead of them in the league phase.
Domestically, on the other hand, it has been a disappointing season for Mikel Arteta’s men.
Having come so close to triumphing in the previous two campaigns, the title race looks all but over as they trail Liverpool by 15 points.
One of the only positives from that scenario is that it allows them to focus their energies on Europe.
Yet they will surely need better fortune with injuries than they have received for much of the campaign.
Despite a remarkable 7-1 win away to PSV recently, their attack has looked lacklustre at times.
With the likes of Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus injured it was telling on Sunday against Man United that they were forced to rely on 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino (who is usually a midfielder) and Leandro Trossard (who also probably would not be the first choice in normal circumstances).
When on song, Martin Odegaard is among the world’s best creative midfielders, but the Norway international has had an inconsistent, injury-interrupted campaign.
However, the centre-back duo of William Saliba and Gabriel is as good as any left in the competition — for all their woes down the other end, they have the best defensive record of any Premier League team this season.
Declan Rice could also get into most sides in Europe so that strong backbone leaves them with a chance of prevailing against the odds.
4. Bayern Munich
One of those teams that always seem to be there or thereabouts at the business end of this competition.
Only Milan and Real Madrid have won the trophy more times than Bayern, who last lifted it in 2020.
Vincent Kompany’s men look well placed to reclaim the Bundesliga, after Leverkusen’s surprise win last year.
They are eight points ahead of Xabi Alonso’s second-place side.
In Harry Kane, they have a striker as good as anyone when he’s on form, as 32 goals from 36 appearances in all competitions illustrates.
Dayot Upamecano, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies and ex-Crystal Palace attacker Michael Olise are among the other Bayern individuals who have stood out this season.
Whether they quite have the depth to go all the way, however, is an interesting question.
If reserves like Eric Dier, Serge Gnabry and an ageing Thomas Muller are needed for extensive periods, they could struggle against the best sides.
3. Barcelona
Arguably the most exciting team left in the competition.
The electric Lamine Yamal continues to produce performances that belie his 17 years.
The equally prodigious Pedri (only 22 but still feels like he’s been around forever), along with former Man United target Frenkie de Jong, keep the midfield ticking over.
And besides Yamal, fellow Euro 2024 winner Dani Olmo, the still-prolific 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski (34 goals from 39 appearances this season) and ex-Leeds star Raphinha provide plenty of additional firepower.
Perhaps the main doubt about them is at the back.
It would be a stretch to describe Wojciech Szczesny among the world’s best goalkeepers.
The 34-year-old finished playing after Juventus terminated his contract in August.
But Barcelona coaxed the veteran Polish star out of retirement in October after their regular number one, Marc-André ter Stegen, picked up a long-term injury.
Still, the former Arsenal player proved crucial to their first-leg 1-0 win over Benfica.
After defender Pau Cubarsí’s 22nd-minute red card, Szczesny pulled off several important saves to earn a crucial clean sheet, which paved the way for the Catalan team’s eventual progress.
They will be strong favourites against Dortmund in the quarters and will be quietly confident of lifting the trophy for the fifth time, a decade on from their last triumph under Luis Enrique.
2. PSG
Manager Luis Enrique predicted that whoever won between PSG and Liverpool would make the final.
The French outfit edged an enthralling contest on penalties.
Beating the team that topped the table in the first phase and were tipped by some pundits to triumph was a considerable scalp.
Moreover, Ligue 1 is all but wrapped up as they hold a 16-point lead over Marseille, so they can put most of their efforts into Europe’s premier club competition.
Incredibly given the money that has been pumped into the Qatari-owned team, PSG have never won the Champions League, coming closest in 2020 when they were runners-up.
This time, however, it feels different.
Not so long ago, with superstars like Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to the fore, they were a squad brimming with individual talent.
However, a cultural reset has occurred under Enrique.
The Spanish coach has turned them into a cohesive unit in the way they rarely seemed to be in previous seasons.
They have had their struggles in this competition, losing three times in the first phase, finishing 15th in the table before an emphatic 10-0 aggregate victory over Brest in the playoff round.
But they appear to be coming good at the right time.
Tuesday night’s victory over a jaded-looking Liverpool emphasised that they have acquired an intensity and work-rate under Enrique to match the talent which has always been there.
1. Real Madrid
The Spanish giants were not especially impressive on Wednesday night against rivals Atletico.
Conor Gallagher’s first-minute goal gave Diego Simeone’s side the win on the night before suffering a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat amid a tense and tight contest.
As usual, Real found a way to win though, as they bid to extend their record by lifting the trophy for the 16th time.
You could make a strong case that Real have the best goalkeeper (Thibaut Courtois), defender (Antonio Rudiger), midfielder (Jude Bellingham) and striker (Kylian Mbappe) in the world.
And you cannot forget other great talents like Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Luka Modric.
Those invaluable assets are complemented by an ingenious coach, Carlo Ancelotti, who already has a record five Champions League wins as a manager under his belt as well as lifting the trophy twice as a player.
So when you consider all these factors, it’s hard to look past Real as the probable winner of this year’s competition.
Although it’s difficult to make this claim with any conviction, given the high standard across the board as the quarter-finals approach.
Upcoming quarter-final ties to be played on 8-9 and 15-16 April…
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Ranking the 8 remaining teams in the Champions League
8. Borussia Dortmund
It might seem a little harsh to put last year’s runners-up at the bottom of this list.
But Dortmund ostensibly have the weakest squad of the teams remaining.
The Champions League has provided respite from a poor domestic season, as reflected by the fact that they sit 10th in the Bundesliga.
Coach Niko Kovač was only appointed last month after Edin Terzić’s successor Nuri Şahin lasted just half a season in the role.
They progressed from the first phase with relative ease, finishing 10th, and a 7-1 victory over Celtic (who proceeded to cause rivals Bayern significant problems) among their eye-catching displays.
In previous seasons, they gained a reputation for cultivating superstars in the making like Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham.
But their current crop of youngsters do not appear to be on the same level — Jamie Gittens, Carney Chukwuemeka (on loan from Chelsea), Yan Couto (on loan from Man City) and Giovanni Reyna all started on their bench in Wednesday’s clash with Lille.
Fans of the Premier League will be familiar with several of those who started, however.
Emre Can, Pascal Gross and Marcel Sabitzer all had stints of varying lengths with Liverpool, Brighton and Man United respectively.
The trio are all decent players but not ones you would envisage as part of a Champions League-winning team.
7. Aston Villa
Like Dortmund, Villa haven’t exactly excelled domestically.
They are currently ninth in the Premier League table and face a fight to secure a place in next season’s Champions League, though it’s not an impossible task — only four points separate them and fourth-place Chelsea.
Already though, it feels like an achievement for Villa to get this far.
It is their first time competing in the modern Champions League format.
They exceeded expectations in the opening stages.
Five wins from eight, including a sensational victory over Bayern Munich, was enough to see them finish eighth and progress automatically to the round of 16.
Still, they are unaccustomed to competing at this elite level of the game and face the daunting challenge of coming up against PSG in the quarters, so will need to pull off a major upset to go any further in the competition.
6. Inter Milan
You couldn’t have asked for too much more from Inter this season so far.
They currently sit top of Serie A — one point ahead of Antonio Conte’s Napoli.
Simone Inzaghi’s men have been similarly impressive in Europe.
They lost just once in the first phase — a 1-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen — and finished level on points with Arsenal (who they beat 1-0) and Barcelona while trailing table toppers Liverpool by two points.
They also earned a comfortable 4-1 victory over Feyenoord in the round of 16.
In December, the reigning champions dominated the Serie A Team of the Year, with Yann Sommer, Alessandro Bastoni, Federico Dimarco, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram all gaining recognition.
They also have an illustrious history in the competition — only six sides have lifted the trophy more than Inter, who have done so three times (1964, 1965 and 2010).
But probably the biggest question mark concerns the arguable weakness of Serie A in comparison to other top leagues and whether Inter can keep raising their game to the requisite standard.
Even reaching the semi-finals will not be easy as they face a Bayern Munich side fresh off a comprehensive 5-0 aggregate defeat of reigning Bundesliga champions Leverkusen.
5. Arsenal
Arsenal have looked among the best sides in Europe for a while now.
Only Liverpool and Barcelona finished ahead of them in the league phase.
Domestically, on the other hand, it has been a disappointing season for Mikel Arteta’s men.
Having come so close to triumphing in the previous two campaigns, the title race looks all but over as they trail Liverpool by 15 points.
One of the only positives from that scenario is that it allows them to focus their energies on Europe.
Yet they will surely need better fortune with injuries than they have received for much of the campaign.
Despite a remarkable 7-1 win away to PSV recently, their attack has looked lacklustre at times.
With the likes of Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus injured it was telling on Sunday against Man United that they were forced to rely on 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri, Mikel Merino (who is usually a midfielder) and Leandro Trossard (who also probably would not be the first choice in normal circumstances).
When on song, Martin Odegaard is among the world’s best creative midfielders, but the Norway international has had an inconsistent, injury-interrupted campaign.
However, the centre-back duo of William Saliba and Gabriel is as good as any left in the competition — for all their woes down the other end, they have the best defensive record of any Premier League team this season.
Declan Rice could also get into most sides in Europe so that strong backbone leaves them with a chance of prevailing against the odds.
4. Bayern Munich
One of those teams that always seem to be there or thereabouts at the business end of this competition.
Only Milan and Real Madrid have won the trophy more times than Bayern, who last lifted it in 2020.
Vincent Kompany’s men look well placed to reclaim the Bundesliga, after Leverkusen’s surprise win last year.
They are eight points ahead of Xabi Alonso’s second-place side.
In Harry Kane, they have a striker as good as anyone when he’s on form, as 32 goals from 36 appearances in all competitions illustrates.
Dayot Upamecano, Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies and ex-Crystal Palace attacker Michael Olise are among the other Bayern individuals who have stood out this season.
Whether they quite have the depth to go all the way, however, is an interesting question.
If reserves like Eric Dier, Serge Gnabry and an ageing Thomas Muller are needed for extensive periods, they could struggle against the best sides.
3. Barcelona
Arguably the most exciting team left in the competition.
The electric Lamine Yamal continues to produce performances that belie his 17 years.
The equally prodigious Pedri (only 22 but still feels like he’s been around forever), along with former Man United target Frenkie de Jong, keep the midfield ticking over.
And besides Yamal, fellow Euro 2024 winner Dani Olmo, the still-prolific 36-year-old Robert Lewandowski (34 goals from 39 appearances this season) and ex-Leeds star Raphinha provide plenty of additional firepower.
Perhaps the main doubt about them is at the back.
It would be a stretch to describe Wojciech Szczesny among the world’s best goalkeepers.
The 34-year-old finished playing after Juventus terminated his contract in August.
But Barcelona coaxed the veteran Polish star out of retirement in October after their regular number one, Marc-André ter Stegen, picked up a long-term injury.
Still, the former Arsenal player proved crucial to their first-leg 1-0 win over Benfica.
After defender Pau Cubarsí’s 22nd-minute red card, Szczesny pulled off several important saves to earn a crucial clean sheet, which paved the way for the Catalan team’s eventual progress.
They will be strong favourites against Dortmund in the quarters and will be quietly confident of lifting the trophy for the fifth time, a decade on from their last triumph under Luis Enrique.
2. PSG
Manager Luis Enrique predicted that whoever won between PSG and Liverpool would make the final.
The French outfit edged an enthralling contest on penalties.
Beating the team that topped the table in the first phase and were tipped by some pundits to triumph was a considerable scalp.
Moreover, Ligue 1 is all but wrapped up as they hold a 16-point lead over Marseille, so they can put most of their efforts into Europe’s premier club competition.
Incredibly given the money that has been pumped into the Qatari-owned team, PSG have never won the Champions League, coming closest in 2020 when they were runners-up.
This time, however, it feels different.
Not so long ago, with superstars like Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe to the fore, they were a squad brimming with individual talent.
However, a cultural reset has occurred under Enrique.
The Spanish coach has turned them into a cohesive unit in the way they rarely seemed to be in previous seasons.
They have had their struggles in this competition, losing three times in the first phase, finishing 15th in the table before an emphatic 10-0 aggregate victory over Brest in the playoff round.
But they appear to be coming good at the right time.
Tuesday night’s victory over a jaded-looking Liverpool emphasised that they have acquired an intensity and work-rate under Enrique to match the talent which has always been there.
1. Real Madrid
The Spanish giants were not especially impressive on Wednesday night against rivals Atletico.
Conor Gallagher’s first-minute goal gave Diego Simeone’s side the win on the night before suffering a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat amid a tense and tight contest.
As usual, Real found a way to win though, as they bid to extend their record by lifting the trophy for the 16th time.
You could make a strong case that Real have the best goalkeeper (Thibaut Courtois), defender (Antonio Rudiger), midfielder (Jude Bellingham) and striker (Kylian Mbappe) in the world.
And you cannot forget other great talents like Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Luka Modric.
Those invaluable assets are complemented by an ingenious coach, Carlo Ancelotti, who already has a record five Champions League wins as a manager under his belt as well as lifting the trophy twice as a player.
So when you consider all these factors, it’s hard to look past Real as the probable winner of this year’s competition.
Although it’s difficult to make this claim with any conviction, given the high standard across the board as the quarter-finals approach.
Upcoming quarter-final ties to be played on 8-9 and 15-16 April…
PSG v Aston Villa
Arsenal v Real Madrid
Barcelona v Borussia Dortmund
Bayern Munich v Inter Milan
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Contenders Soccer Arsenal Borussia Dortmund PSG