Ranked: The top 10 Champions League attacks in 2018/19

The end of the group stage seems so long ago, but the Champions League is back with the round-of-16 kicking off on Tuesday.

After the drama of the group stage, some of the usual big names are joined by some more surprise features and the ties ahead are a mouthwatering prospect.

With these 16 teams comes an array of attacking talent, whether it’s a striker partnership, a frightening trio or overloaded quartet.

But which team has the best attack in the 2018/19 Champions League knock-out stages? Read on to find out Squawka’s top 10.

10. Antoine Griezmann & Alvaro Morata

For Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid have been a strange beast this season but Antoine Griezmann has continued to find the goals which had Barcelona sniffing around him in the summer.

The Frenchman is usually joined by Diego Costa up front but the Spaniard has been injured since December and his replacement, Alvaro Morata, is yet to set his new side alight.

9. Serge Gnabry, Robert Lewandowski & Kingsley Coman

For Bayern Munich

For the first time in what feels like forever, Bayern Munich’s attacking trio does not include either Arjen Robben or Franck Ribery.

The pair are being phased out ahead of a new era starting in the summer, with Serge Gnabry and Kingsley Coman taking their place.

While neither are yet as good as Robben and Ribery at their prime, Coman and Gnabry do provide good coverage for the always impressive Robert Lewandowski.

8. Vinicius Jr, Karim Benzema & Lucas Vazquez

For Real Madrid

It has been a strange old season for Real Madrid as they have struggled to replace the big personality of Cristiano Ronaldo while also having to deal with Gareth Bale’s injury problems.

But Santiago Solari looks to have found his favoured front three with the exciting Vinicius joining Karim Benzema and Lucas Vazquez in leading the line.

Though the trio is still in its infancy, the future – certainly for Vinicius – is bright.

7. Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford & Anthony Martial

For Manchester United

The appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has seen Manchester United’s attack change slightly with Marcus Rashford replacing Romelu Lukaku as the spearhead.

Flanked by Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial, who is enjoying a new lease of life following Mourinho’s departure, the English forward has found his eye for goal once more and rarely looks far from scoring.

6. Jadon Sancho, Mario Gotze, Raphael Guerreiro & Marco Reus

For Borussia Dortmund

What a season Borussia Dortmund are having. Lucien Favre’s men currently lead the way at the top of the Bundesliga and everyone is talking about how fluid their attack is.

Mario Gotze and Marco Reus are up to their old tricks, throwing memories back to the Jurgen Klopp era while Raphael Guerreiro is providing good coverage – and Paco Alcacer’s impact from the bench cannot be forgotten.

But all the talk is deservedly on teenager star Jadon Sancho who has the world at his feet, making a name for himself with his creativity, finishing and devastating dribbling abilities.

Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel: sqwk.at/Squawka-Sub

5. Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero & Raheem Sterling

For Manchester City

Manchester City have an embarrassment of riches both on and off the pitch, with so many attacking players to choose from to lead their line.

Pep Guardiola’s side utilises the pace, guild and finishing of Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero respectively to hit opposition defences where it hurts.

4. Mario Mandzukic, Cristiano Ronaldo & Paulo Dybala

For Juventus

Juventus are cruising in Serie A, and it is largely down to the quartet of Douglas Costa, Mario Mandzukic, Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala.

Although Massimiliano Allegri often only picks two of Costa, Mandzukic and Dybala to accompany Ronaldo, the personnel often makes little difference with Juventus’ attack terrifying whoever is on the pitch.

3. Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez & Ousmane Dembélé

For Barcelona

Though they may not have impressed too much in Europe last season, Barcelona’s attack consisting of Ousmane Dembele, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi cause untold problems when in full force.

In reality, Messi plays wherever he wants, picking the ball up from deep linking with the midfielders but will always find himself in an attacking position when the team needs him to be. In Dembele, Barcelona have an ambipedal superstar and Suarez remains a deadly finisher.

2. Kylian Mbappé & Edinson Cavani

For Paris Saint-Germain

Unfortunately the last-16 of the Champions League has been robbed of Neymar’s presence, with the Brazilian out until April with a foot injury.

In his absence, PSG have switched to a front two of Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani who are absolutely destroying Ligue 1, scoring 35 goals between them.

Cavani is also a doubt for the Manchester United clash, but should he be fit, Solskjaer’s defence need to watch out.

1. Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino & Sadio Mané

For Liverpool

In terms of players available for the last-16, there is no better attacking trio than Liverpool’s.

Taking Europe by storm last season, Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have continued to hurt defences both home and abroad.

With Salah and Mane attacking as wing-forwards and Firmino occupying the false nine role, these three are extremely hard to keep hold of.

The post Ranked: The top 10 Champions League attacks in 2018/19 appeared first on Squawka News.

From Squawka News http://bit.ly/2WWocpO