Ranked: Every team to make the Champions League Round of 16 so far

The Champions League round of 16 is now half full, with eight sides having qualified from the group stages.

With one and a half matchdays to go, we have gotten one group settled in terms of winners and losers, a further two have gotten all qualification sorted, whilst there are three where everything is still to play for.

Focusing on the teams that have qualified, however, we’ve had a look at them and ranked them by their performances so far this season. Obviously special weighting will be given to their performances in the Champions League, but their whole season is taken into consideration.

8. Roma

W/L/D: 3/2/0
Goals: 10
Conceded: 6

Last season’s surprise semi-finalists have sort of reverted to type in this year’s group stage where, on the one hand, they are obviously very good and better than most of the teams in the competition. But on the other hand any of the top tier sides are going to slap them aside without too much trouble (as Real Madrid have done twice this season).

7. Manchester United

W/L/D: 3/1/1
Goals: 6
Conceded: 2

It’s hard to imagine a side qualifying from such a tricky group in quite such an unspectacular manner. United have had a difficult season on the domestic front as well as in Europe, but somehow their Champions League exploits have seen… success? Well, is that what you call getting outplayed in consecutive games but securing big wins through late game hoofs to Marouane Fellaini? United are bad and should feel bad; any half-decent side should beat them to death in the round of 16.

6. Real Madrid

W/L/D: 4/0/1
Goals: 12
Conceded: 2

Los Blancos have been comedically bad in La Liga this season, but that nonsense only really infected their campaign for a fourth consecutive Champions League win for a couple of games. They’ve won four, the two against Roma quite handily, and although their loss to CSKA was a hilarious surprise they will be through as group winners.

5. Bayern Munich

W/L/D: 4/0/1
Goals: 12
Conceded: 2

Much like Madrid, Bayern have turned to Europe to forget their domestic woes. They’ve powered their way through their group, only coming unstuck away to Ajax where they were lucky to get a draw. Still, despite their legion of old men, Bayern keep on chugging along.

4. Ajax

W/L/D: 3/0/2
Goals: 8
Conceded: 2

Despite being behind Bayern in their group, Ajax are ahead of them on the list because their achievement is far more impressive. In their first season back in the Champions League since 2015, Ajax have been bold and organised. They’ve use a balance of veterans and youngsters to put in a series of impressive displays and reach the knockout rounds for the first time in 12 years!

3. Manchester City

W/L/D: 3/1/1
Goals: 14
Conceded: 5

Manchester City have played some sublime football in four of their group games so far this season. They were curbstomped at home against Lyon, however. But their dominance on the domestic front is hard to overlook and to be fair they have played some delightful football this season in securing their knockout spot.

2. Juventus

W/L/D: 4/1/0
Goals: 8
Conceded: 2

Comfortably dominant at home and a Second Half FC miracle away from cruising through the group stages with a perfect record, Juventus have looked very solid. They’ve coped with their group with relative ease and were it not for Manchester United’s late rally they wouldn’t have even conceded which is absurd when you consider they have Wojciech Szczesny in goal.

1. Barcelona

W/L/D: 3/0/1
Goals: 11
Conceded: 3

Barcelona were placed in the group of death but have handled it so comfortably you may as well have called it the group of mild skin irritation. Resplendent at Wembley when they demolished Spurs, they also took four points from closest rivals Inter without Leo Messi who missed the matches through injury. The draw in Milan remains their only blemish but it was a game they controlled from start to finish. They’ve been inconsistent in La Liga this season, but almost note perfect in the Champions League. The gold standard so far.

The post Ranked: Every team to make the Champions League Round of 16 so far appeared first on Squawka News.



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