CL Power Ranking: Who is number one after week one?

In LASK's Champions League debut, Didi Kühbauer's squad performed respectably – but nothing more.

Opening opponent AEK Athens was good, but also one of the smaller fish in the big Champions League pond. "You could tell that AEK is more seasoned and experienced. We're still too green behind the ears," Kühbauer aptly summarized after the 0-1 defeat.

And yet: An opening defeat and fourth-to-last place in the Power Ranking doesn't mean there's nothing for LASK to gain in the CL. The Athletiker can grow with their challenges and use the 0-1 loss in Athens as a learning experience.

In the league, things are running perfectly so far: The double winner leads the ADMIRAL Bundesliga with five wins from five games.

• Rank 32: Bodö/Glimt

• Rank 31: RB Leipzig

The Midfield

• Rank 30: Feyenoord

• Rank 29: Villarreal

• Rank 28: Slavia Prague

• Rank 27: LOSC Lille

• Rank 26: Fenerbahce

• Rank 25: AEK Athens

• Rank 24: Shakhtar Donetsk

• Rank 23: PSV Eindhoven

• Rank 22: Club Brugge

• Rank 21: RC Lens

• Rank 20: Galatasaray

• Rank 19: Aston Villa

• Rank 18: SSC Napoli

• Rank 17: FC Porto

• Rank 16: Real Betis

• Rank 15: AS Roma

The Challengers

• Rank 14: VfB Stuttgart

• Rank 13: Sporting

• Rank 12: Atletico Madrid

• Rank 11: Manchester United

How the Fabregas XI performed in their Champions League debut was nothing short of impressive.

Against Leipzig – who were probably not at their best – Como left no doubt about the outcome of the match. Especially in the first half, the Italians almost toyed with the "Red Bulls."

In Serie A, things are also going almost perfectly for Como so far: After three rounds, they are in fourth place and remain unbeaten with seven points.

Many predictions could indeed come true: Como as the surprise team of this CL season – their chances have increased after the opening match.

The only team in this Power Ranking to land in the top ten despite an opening defeat. This is also due to the fact that their opponent was none other than Real Madrid.

Had it not been for those two horrendous individual errors, a point for Inter would certainly have been possible. Under Christian Chivu, the "Nerazzurri" continue to rely on their strengths. They remain among the most potent teams in the world.

In the league, the Milanese are flawless so far. Only AS Roma is ahead of the reigning champions due to a better goal difference. Inter should be a force to be reckoned with this year too, provided they eliminate individual errors.

The In-Form Teams

The Black and Yellows are still without a dropped point this season. Two wins in the Bundesliga, one in the cup, and now also in the Champions League.

The 3-2 victory over an overall winless Villarreal was ultimately fortunate – but that's also part of the game under Niko Kovac here and there.

Despite the injury to Giannis Konstantelias and the circulatory-related substitution of Konstantinos Karetsas, the offense seems to be working. This is also due to the good interplay between Serhou Guirassy and Fabio Silva. The Guinean raved about his strike partner after his brace against Villarreal: "We enjoy playing together. We have a lot of fun together in training; he is a superb player."

After four games, the "Reds" are still unbeaten. However, the two draws at the start of the Premier League also show that not everything is running smoothly yet under new coach Andoni Iraola.

Although an already slightly struggling Atletico Madrid was defeated 2-1 in the Champions League, a few problem areas still exist: As pressing is still faltering, the midfield is often very open. LFC is vulnerable to counter-attacks, and above all, full-backs Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong are too weak in defensive work.

With Ronald Araujo, a new signing found his way into Iraola's starting XI in the last two games. The Barca loan-signing could at least solve the defensive weakness on the right side.

On the other hand, Alexander Isak finally seems to be settling in after a difficult first season in Liverpool.

The opening saw a defeat against rivals Arsenal in the Community Shield. Since then, Manchester City has been on track with four consecutive wins.

New coach Enzo Maresca faced the difficult task of taking on Pep Guardiola's legacy. To do so, a new spending record was immediately set. The midfield was completely revamped, and with Rodri, the heart of the team moved towards Barcelona.

Nevertheless, the "Skyblues" are already presenting themselves in very good condition. While the great sparkle is still missing, superstar Erling Haaland is already back in goal-scoring form with five goals.

Won the top match of the first matchday (2-1 against Inter) – and still "only" in fifth place? Yes, because although Real Madrid completed the difficult task against Jose Mourinho's former club from Milan, the record champions did not fully convince.

Both goals came after egregious errors by the "Nerazzurri." So, on the one hand, the Madridistas had a bit of luck, but on the other hand, the more intense pressing – which Mourinho instilled in the team – also paid off.

The "Royals" also had top chances besides those. However, Mbappe and Bellingham, above all, were too wasteful with them. In addition, there's a defense that hasn't reached its full potential yet, and a Vinicius Junior who has been struggling with a dip in form since the World Cup.

In short: Not everything is running smoothly at Real yet. Mourinho's handwriting is already discernible in some aspects – whether that's good or bad...

Three league games, not a single win – PSG has had a false start to the season.

However, there's probably no reason for alarm; even in the last two years, performances in autumn were quite modest, and in the end, they won the title by shifting up a few gears in crucial games.

In their Champions League opener, underdog Slovan Bratislava was sent home with a 6-1 thrashing. And that was despite two stars, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, only sitting on the bench for the full match.

Even if PSG is not yet in title-winning form, it would be presumptuous not to place Enrique's XI high in the Power Ranking. Because: If they want to, they can probably dominate anyone.

The "Gunners" are now unbeaten in 16 Champions League matches across seasons in regular time. Their opener also saw a narrow 1-0 victory in Naples.

Mikel Arteta's XI may not play the most spectacular football, but they don't have to. Success proves FC Arsenal right. Five competitive matches, five wins – plus a clear victory in the Community Shield against Manchester City.

The London club will be very difficult to beat again this year and is, without a doubt, one of the top favorites for the title.

For one half, it actually looked like Bayern wouldn't score a goal for the second consecutive game.

After the deadlock breaker – of all people, Jamal Musiala – the German record champions dismantled Bodö/Glimt in customary fashion. The result was an absolutely clear 5-0 victory, with Michael Olise particularly outstanding.

Currently, only FC Barcelona probably surpasses Bayern's offensive power. If Musiala also finds his pre-break form now, things could get ugly for quite a few of Bayern's opponents. After four league games, FCB – despite the 0-0 against Schalke – has already scored 14 goals.

5 games, 5 wins, 22 goals – you can't start a season much better than that.

FC Barcelona has practically swept aside their opponents, with the offense, particularly featuring Lamine Yamal (5 goals, 2 assists), new captain Raphinha (8 goals, 1 assist), and Fermin Lopez (4 goals, 2 assists), currently excelling.

Furthermore, Hansi Flick now has arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world in Rodri in his squad.

Feyenoord, Valencia, Elche, Bilbao, and Rayo Vallecano – certainly, the absolute top opponents haven't been among them yet, but a first trend is emerging: The Catalans are among the absolute top favorites for the Champions League trophy.