Top World Football Club Rankings – March 2022 International Break.
#1 Manchester City
Playing Champaign football of the highest vintage, Manchester City is a footballing delicacy. Manager Pep Guardiola can take much of the credit for the outstanding performance of this club. Manchester City desperately wants to win the Champions League and are slight favourites to do so. They will need to get past Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals first. Liverpool is their biggest threat in the Premier League and only a point behind Man City in the standings.
#2 Liverpool
Liverpool with a goal differential of 55 is the best in the Premier League. Nipping at Man City’s heels, they’ve got two mouth-watering matches scheduled against each other. Set for April 10 and the FA Cup semifinal on April 16, these matches will likely decide the fate of their respective seasons. Having won the English League Cup on February 27 against Chelsea, Liverpool has a unique opportunity to win the quadruple. Needing to win the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in May to be the first team in history to accomplish that feat.
#3 Bayern Munich
Bayer Munich looks to increase their record-breaking run of Bundesliga titles to 10 this spring. Bayern has a six-point buffer at the top of the table above second-place Borussia Dortmund. Their showdown with Dortmund on April 23 could have huge implications on the title race. Their other goal is to win the Champions League, where they should easily get past Villarreal in the quarterfinals. This would set up a semifinal clash with likely opponents being Liverpool.
#4 Real Madrid
Real Madrid’s Champions League comeback win against Paris Saint-Germain was one for the record books. Real Madrid now looks to avenge last year’s Champions League semifinal exit at the hands of Chelsea. The two clubs will face off in the quarterfinals of this year’s competition on April 4 and April 12. Real Madrid has an 11 point buffer at the top of La Liga with nine matches remaining. They’ll easily win La Liga while hoping to extend their record of UEFA Champions League/European Cup victories to 14.
#5 Chelsea
Chelsea has won 12 of their last 13 matches including the FIFA Club World Cup. Their only defeat was against Liverpool on penalties in the EFL Carabao Cup Final. They should get past Crystal Palace to play in the FA Cup final against Liverpool or Manchester City. They’ll have to settle for third place in the Premier League, too far off the pace of Liverpool or Man City. Chelsea looks to repeat their Champions League title and are in good form to do so. Sanctions against Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich will make Chelsea the most expensive sports team ever sold. The price tag could be well over 3.5 billion pounds when the sale is complete.
#6 Paris Saint Germain
PSG was built to win the Champions League but crashed out hard against Real Madrid blowing a two-goal lead. Knocked out of the Coupe de France against Nice, the only games PSG have left are Ligue 1 matches. They’ve been dominant in that competition with a 12 point lead in the top spot and will easily take the title. It’s difficult to say what PSG needs to attain victory in the Champions League. Perhaps the level of competition in Ligue 1 leaves them ill-prepared against clubs from higher-ranked leagues like the Premiership and La Liga.
#7 Barcelona
A thrilling 4-0 victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid proves that Barcelona are back. However, the victory still leaves Barcelona too far off the pace to catch Real Madrid in La Liga. Nonetheless, it was a meaningful accomplishment despite Real Madrid being without Karim Benzema. The victory solidifies Barcelona’s quest to get into next season’s Champions League. Barcelona will likely overtake Sevilla for second place in La Liga, now only three points back with a game in hand.
#8 Atletico Madrid
Atletico’s victory over Manchester United in the Champions League round of 16, lines up Manchester City for the quarterfinals. Man City will be a much bigger test, one that Atletico will not likely pass. They have turned their season around though and have won five straight matches. Atletico is fourth in La Liga and expected to be in the Champions League next season. Although the defending La Liga champions will not repeat, they are back playing at the top level of world football.
#9 Arsenal
After a poor start to 2022, Arsenal looks to be back on track over the last several weeks. Arsenal are in fourth place in the Premier League. They’ve won six of their last seven matches with their only defeat against Liverpool. They are on pace and hope to qualify for next season’s Champions League with a fourth-place Premier League finish. Arsenal are three points ahead of arch-rivals Tottenham and four ahead of Manchester United in the Premier League. Arsenal have only Premier League games left to play until the season ends.
#10 Manchester United
A disappointing season by their high standards, Manchester United were gutted out of the Champions League by Atletico Madrid. They may not get back to the Champions League next season as they’re four points behind Arsenal in the Premier League. Despite their March 12 win over Tottenham, Man U is a point behind Spurs and now alone in sixth place. With only nine Premier League matches to play every game is a must-win situation.
#11 AC Milan
Undefeated in their last 10 matches, AC Milan are at the top of the Serie A table. Victories over Napoli on March 6 and over Inter on February 5, show why they are the best Italian club. Their second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal is set for April 19 against Inter. AC Milan could be seen as favourites to win Serie A, but regardless they should go on to qualify for the Champions League next season.
#12 Juventus
Getting knocked out of the Champions League by Villarreal was a real shock to Juventus fans. On paper, they have a great team but have struggled to regain their championship form. Seven points back from league leaders AC Milan, Juventus are unlikely to catch them with only eight games remaining. The Coppa Italia seems a more likely trophy for Juventus, as they’re close to finishing out Fiorentina in that competition. Their next Serie A match is April 3 against Inter Milan.
#13 Inter Milan
Inter Milan has slipped from the form they had earlier this season and will struggle to repeat as Serie A champions. Inter still hopes to win the Italian League as well as the Coppa Italia, however that task is looking monumental. The top four clubs in Italy are all very evenly matched and it’s too close to call at this point. Inter will qualify for the Champions League next season but will need reinforcements to compete with the world’s best.
#14 Sevilla
After winning the first leg, Sevilla are disappointed to exit the Europa League following West Ham’s extra-time heroics. Although Sevilla won’t extend their Europa League championship record, they will return to the Champions League next season. They’ve played good enough to place second in La Liga throughout most of this season. However, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are back in top form and will challenge Sevilla for second place. Sevilla’s next match is against Barcelona on April 3.
#15 Tottenham
Although Tottenham will likely finish outside of the Premier League’s top four, they are not far off. Defeating West Ham 3-1 on March 20 kept the Hammers outside of the top six. Spurs’ loss to Man U on March 12 kept Tottenham from the top four. Any other domestic league in Europe would see Tottenham qualify for the Champions League. That’s why England should have more qualification spots for clubs in the Champions League.
#16 Borussia Dortmund
Keeping up with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga is not an easy task. Dortmund is only six points behind Bayern and looks poised to finish in second place in the Bundesliga. Dortmund was disappointing in European competitions though, getting knocked out of the Champions League in the group phase. Further disappointment followed in the Europa League when Glasgow Rangers eliminated Dortmund in the knockout phase on Feb. 17.
#17 Napoli
Napoli is doing well enough in Italy’s Serie A to be in second place after 30 matches. Napoli is three points back of AC Milan, but don’t have any games left against the Milan clubs or Juventus. If they stay in top form they could challenge for the title, and they have no other competitions to worry about. Napoli will qualify for the Champions League again which is a successful season any time they can accomplish that.
#18 West Ham United
West Ham is playing well in the Premier League, seventh place is a great accomplishment in the world’s best domestic league. West Ham is making a name for themselves on the international stage, winning their Europa League group and upsetting Sevilla in the knockout phase. They should be able to defeat Lyon in the Europa League quarterfinals. Hosting a club like Barcelona for a Europa League Semifinal would be a real treat for Hammer fans.
#19 RB Leipzig
In 14 competitive matches in 2022, RB Leipzig have lost only once, to Bayern Munich on February 5. The Red Bulls remain in Europa League competition, facing Atalanta in the first leg quarterfinal on April 7. If they stay in good form they should be able to reach the Europa League final. RB Leipzig sits in the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot in the Bundesliga. They’re also favourites to win the German Cup, DFB Pokal, now at the semifinal stage.
#20 Villarreal
Villarreal pulled off a surprising upset on March 16, knocking Juventus out of the Champions League round of 16. Although playing well in La Liga, with a goal differential of 21, they’ve only managed enough points for seventh place. A spot in next year’s Champions League is certainly out of reach for Villarreal. They will need to overtake Real Betis, whom they defeated 2-0 on Feb. 6, to reach a Europa League qualification spot in La Liga.
