Champions League last-16 energy rankings as Premier League trio all make high 4

You realize that 2022 is motoring alongside when the Champions League swings again into motion, with the last-16 ties beginning on Tuesday night time in Paris and Lisbon.

After an initial hiccup, 4 Premier League sides be a part of golf equipment from Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Portugal, Austria and the Netherlands within the knockout phases, however who’s finest positioned to go all the best way?

As soon as once more we have rolled out our Champions League energy rankings as we take note of issues like present kind, fixture issue and squad power to find out who may attain and win the St Petersburg closing in Could.

So, who have you ever received down as your potential winners?

Properly first, the last-16 fixtures:

February 15: Paris Saint-Germain vs Actual Madrid, Sporting Lisbon vs Manchester Metropolis

February 16: Inter Milan vs Liverpool, Salzburg vs Bayern Munich

February 22: Villarreal vs Juventus, Chelsea vs Lille

February 23: Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United, Benfica vs Ajax

Now, who’s finest positioned to style glory in Russia?

This is our last-16 Champions League energy rankings:

16. Sporting Lisbon

It was an up-and-down group stage for the Portuguese giants, who in the end edged out Borussia Dortmund with an important 3-1 win over them in Matchday 5.

Sporting additionally scored 4 in every of their two matches with Besiktas to show that they actually know the place the online is, nevertheless the concession of 9 targets throughout their two fixtures with Ajax would not bode nicely forward of a gathering with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, who’re desperate to make up for last year’s final heartbreak.

15. Salzburg

Three wins and a draw was sufficient to get the Austrians out of a bunch which included Lille, Sevilla and Wolfsburg, however the job is about to get an entire lot more durable.

Bayern Munich lie in watch for a squad which has developed enormously over the previous few years as gamers have gone on to show themselves elsewhere, with present key man Karim Adeyemi seeming set to comply with the Erling Haaland path to Borussia Dortmund come the tip of the season.

He’ll wish to to impress in opposition to Dortmund’s rivals, however Bayern ought to have an excessive amount of.

14. Lille

Final season’s Ligue 1 champions received that Champions League group which included Salzburg, however that’s one in all few positives throughout what has been a messy season.

Jocelyn Gourvennec’s man sit down in tenth of their home desk, they usually have been luckless within the Champions League draw the place their standing as group winners did not forestall a last-16 assembly with reigning champions Chelsea.

Will probably be a shock in the event that they go any additional.

13. Villarreal

Had the ball ran just a little extra kindly for them then there’s an opportunity that Villarreal may have pipped Manchester United to high spot in Group F, with their efficiency at Previous Trafford particularly deserving higher than a late, Cristiano Ronaldo-inflicted defeat.

Unai Emery has overseen a considerably messy La Liga marketing campaign although, and though they may have a sniff of an opportunity in opposition to a Juventus facet who’ve notoriously blown up at this stage lately, they will must get one thing within the first leg at house.

12. Benfica

Splitting Bayern Munich and Barcelona in Group E has earned Benfica this shot on the last-16, however they will face a difficult job up in opposition to the spectacular Ajax.

The three-0 house win over Barca was successfully the outcome which received the Portuguese outfit to this stage, however conceding 9 targets throughout two video games to Bayern did present a weak facet that would nicely be picked off, not least by their free-scoring Dutch opponents.

11. Manchester United

The odd one out from the Premier League, Manchester United enter the last-16 nonetheless with as many questions hovering round them as solutions.

Ralf Rangnick might have introduced some stability at instances, however performances aren’t reaching constant highs, with damaging Premier League outcomes affecting their bid to complete within the high 4 and qualify for the Champions League once more subsequent season.

An intriguing last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid awaits on this marketing campaign, however you’ll be able to’t have a lot confidence in them going into it.

10. Inter Milan

They got here second behind Real Madrid of their Champions League group, and Inter are additionally sitting at No.2 in Serie A in the mean time, only a level behind metropolis rivals AC Milan.

The chances are they will come off second-best to Liverpool of their last-16 tie too, however they will have sufficient to fret the Reds within the San Siro first leg as they search to take any form of constructive outcome again to Anfield.

That is the one method they will have an opportunity of progressing, nevertheless it seems to be unlikely.

9. Atletico Madrid

Atletico’s seven factors from six video games was the fewest amassed by a facet who superior from the group stage, however then Liverpool, Porto and AC Milan made up what was absolutely the trickiest group on paper.

Diego Simeone’s facet had appeared useless and buried within the event, however they relied on their outdated battling spirit for a 3-1 win at Porto on Matchday 6 which took them by as runners-up.

Fifth in La Liga, there are many group winners in opposition to whom you would not have given Atletico an opportunity, however they may simply be too streetwise for a struggling, bickering United.

Attentions could also be drawn to the presence of Luis Suarez in assault, however in Matheus Cunha they’ve an evolving participant who seems to be to be a key man for each his membership facet and Brazil within the coming years.

8. Juventus

This is not a classic Juventus facet, however they did nonetheless handle to select up 5 wins out of six in a bunch which included Chelsea and Zenit St Petersburg.

Nevertheless, the way of the 4-0 loss to the Blues at Stamford Bridge indicated that when issues go flawed for them, they have an inclination to go drastically flawed, and having damagingly misplaced at this stage in every of the final two seasons then they will be cautious of the injury Villarreal may trigger.

The addition of Dusan Vlahovic helps negate that considerably, however the final eight is likely to be the very best they’ll do.

7. Ajax

They received all six of their group video games and scored 20 targets within the course of, and as Ajax enter the last-16 there’s a actual hope and perception that they’ll repeat the 2019 semi-final surge – albeit with a happier ending.

Sebastien Haller scored half of these 20 strikes in what was a genuinely prolific group stage, and one which locations him above Robert Lewandowski and Mohamed Salah because the event’s high scorer.

Benfica are subsequent in his sights, and in the event that they get a beneficial quarter-final draw then they will be ones to look at.

6. Real Madrid

Regardless of a few current slips, Actual Madrid are 4 factors clear on the high of La Liga and appear to have change into considerably drama-free in the course of the second coming of Carlo Ancelotti.

5 wins from six group video games meant that the shock home defeat to Sheriff Tiraspol may very well be forgotten, they usually’ll hope that their further expertise will assist them get the getter of Paris Saint-Germain within the last-16.

Try this, they usually’ll be a match for anybody.

5. Paris Saint-Germain

PSG have signed Lionel Messi for moments akin to these, and as they goal to go one higher than their 2020 behind closed doorways closing defeat, the conflict with Actual Madrid opens up an actual alternative to create a reminiscence to savour.

The issue comes when Mauricio Pochettino tries to juggle the numerous, many choices at his disposal, attempting to maintain some gamers blissful whereas little doubt promising minutes to others, but when they click on then they only have too many good gamers to disregard.

The Actual Madrid conflict may signify a line within the sand for them, they usually perception gained from it may find yourself being telling.

4. Chelsea

The newly-crowd FIFA Club World Cup holders return to Champions League fight having considerably received away with the truth that they solely completed second of their group.

Lille await with the primary leg at Stamford Bridge, and amassing a robust first leg benefit is not past the realms of chance for Thomas Tuchel’s facet, who scored 9 house targets within the group phases and did not concede one.

Tuchel may nonetheless must tweak his staff as he seems to be for the suitable mix, however they have sufficient firepower to go far.

3. Liverpool

All of a sudden the power in depth at Anfield is kind of outstanding, with Luis Diaz added to the Liverpool ahead ranks having impressed in opposition to the Reds within the Champions League whereas taking part in for Porto.

Liverpool are nonetheless not giving up chasing Manchester Metropolis within the Premier League, and though Inter is among the hardest attracts they may have had within the last-16 ( they initially had Salzburg before the errors meant the draw had to be redone ), they will be approaching the sport filled with confidence.

It is just the power of their opponents which retains them out of the highest two, they usually’re presently motoring alongside.

2. Bayern Munich

They’ve had a few hiccups within the Bundesliga in 2022, and so Bayern’s six-point home lead is not maybe as giant as at has been on earlier events when the Champions League has rolled again round.

The dedication will maybe be just a little fiercer then, as Bayern tackle a Salzburg facet who can be dreading leaving any gaps for Robert Lewandowski to take advantage of.

He is presently one objective behind Ajax’s Haller within the high scorer rankings, however that would change shortly.

1. Manchester Metropolis

Pep Guardiola nonetheless in all probability wakes up in a chilly sweat occupied with what occurred in final 12 months’s closing, and so the dedication that he is at all times needed to win this competitors could have ramped up inside him with every match of Manchester Metropolis’s comparatively easy group stage.

Sporting Lisbon should not be an excessive amount of of a difficulty within the last-16 both, after which it’s going to be one other case of seeng whether or not Metropolis can maintain their nerve when issues get actually fascinating within the latter phases.

They absolutely will one in all these years, and proper now given their kind and their draw, they give the impression of being the probably winners.