UEFA Champions League

Champions League 2022-23 Power Rankings: Man City back at No.1 after Erling Haaland heroics

Tom Maston
Last updated
Comments (0)
Erling Haaland Manchester City 2022-23
Getty Images
With the quarter-final line up now complete, GOAL runs down the most likely contenders to lift the European Cup in Istanbul later this year

"The Champioooooooooons!" Even if you don't know every word, you definitely know the final two. Iconic. And as we enter the final months of the season, hearing it blare out at stadiums around Europe makes hairs stand up on their end.

The last 16 is over, with defending champions Real Madrid through to the quarter-finals alongside seven other teams as the battle to lift the European Cup rages on.

But which teams now look most likely to triumph in Istanbul in June? Let GOAL's Power Rankings break it all down...

(Last update: February 23. Teams eliminated: Borussia Dortmund, Club Brugge, Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham, RB Leipzig, Porto, Liverpool & Eintracht Frankfurt.)

Editors' Picks

  1. AC Milan
    Getty/GOAL

    #8 AC Milan

    Last time: 9th

    Milan did not have to perform that impressively to see off a disappointing Tottenham in the last 16, but credit to the Rossoneri for keeping clean sheets in both legs against the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.

    That defence, along with Mike Maignan behind them, will have to step up once again if the Italian champions are to progress much further in the competition.

  2. Inter
    Getty/GOAL

    #7 Inter

    Last time: 8th

    Like their city rivals, Inter relied on defensive stability to get the job done against Porto, as Romelu Lukaku's late goal in the first leg of the tie proved decisive in the end.

    Simone Inzaghi has earned a reputation as a cup specialist in recent years, but that is likely to be put to its biggest test once the quarter-final draw is made.

  4. Benfica
    Getty/GOAL

    #6 Benfica

    Last time: 6th

    Benfica were right to be rewarded for topping a group containing PSG and Juventus, and they made light work of the weakest team in the last 16, Club Brugge, winning 7-1 on aggregate.

    Roger Schmidt's team have played some of the most dynamic football in this season's competition to date, but with the level of the opposition set to make a huge leap, can they keep that style up against Europe's most complete teams?

  5. Chelsea
    Getty/GOAL

    #5 Chelsea

    Last time: 10th

    Was Chelsea's win over Borussia Dortmund the moment that Graham Potter's reign truly began at Stamford Bridge? Time will tell, but the early signs are good in terms of the Blues being competitive once more.

    Likely needing to win the Champions League to ensure qualification for the competition next season, Chelsea profile as a dangerous and highly-motivated dark horse to now go all the way.

  7. Napoli
    Getty/GOAL

    #4 Napoli

    Last time: 2nd

    Napoli have been nigh-on unstoppable during the first two-thirds of the season, with Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia emerging as European football's most exhilarating attacking duo.

    No team will want to face them in the latter stages of the Champions League, and who's to say they can't go all the way given how their campaign has gone so far?

  8. Bayern Munich
    Getty/GOAL

    #3 Bayern Munich

    Last time: 4th

    Bayern handled their business against PSG with relative ease, dismissing one of the most expensively-assembled teams in Europe through solid defence and a clinical nature up front.

    Though they lack the star power of previous years following Robert Lewandowski's departure, Bayern remain a force to be reckoned with, and have a wealth of players who know what it takes to win the Champions League.

  9. Real Madrid
    Getty/GOAL

    #2 Real Madrid

    Last time: 1st

    Madrid got the job done in the first leg against Liverpool, and were therefore able to cruise through at Santiago Bernabeu as their quest for a 15th European Cup continues.

    Los Blancos are not without their faults, but that has rarely held them back before - this is a team that has Champions League success in its blood, and it shows.

  10. Manchester City
    Getty/GOAL

    #1 Manchester City

    Last time: 3rd

    Erling Haaland was brought to Man City to get them over the hump in the Champions League, and if he can repeat his heroics from the second leg against RB Leipzig, then he will have few problems in doing just that.

    The Norwegian superstar seems to save his best performances for European competition, and while he remains fit and firing, City are the team to beat in 2022-23.