LASK on the Rise, New Leader: The CL Power Ranking

LASK has arrived in the Champions League - and how. The Kühbauer team had a tough time in recent weeks, but none of that was visible in Lisbon.

Despite being behind, the team impressively fought back and ultimately celebrated an absolutely deserved maiden victory in the Champions League.

As a result, the 'Stahlstädter' are currently in 24th place, the last qualifying spot for the knockout phase. This is actually the perfect time, as their next opponent in the Champions League is Slovan Bratislava at home.

Before that, intensive matches await in the league and cup. Among others, Red Bull Salzburg will visit the Raiffeisen Arena on Sunday.

The "Villans" are moving far forward this week. Also because they are in second place behind PSG after three games. Victories against Viking, Fenerbahce, and Club Brugge lift the Emery team up.

Things are also getting better and better in the league after a poor start. Especially Swiss World Cup shooting star Johan Manzambi is increasingly developing into a difference-maker in the number ten role.

However, the really tough tasks in the Champions League are still awaiting Aston Villa. How good the team truly is remains to be seen. Two of their next three opponents are Barcelona and PSG.

It's still hard to make sense of FC Liverpool this season. Slowly but surely, the results are coming in any case. Recently, there were victories against LASK, Brentford, and Villarreal. However, they previously suffered a clear 0:3 defeat against Manchester City.

It's obvious that the team under Andoni Iraola still needs time; Florian Wirtz also continues to struggle significantly. At least record signing Alexander Isak is delivering the hoped-for goals this season. Youngster Rio Ngumoha is also settling in better and better.

However, the clear problem area for the "Reds" is the full-back position. At Anfield Road, one can only dream of the glorious era under Klopp with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson.

After three games in the Champions League, the record winner is still without a loss. Everything's fine, right?

Well, not necessarily. Because in their previous CL matches, "Los Blancos" never appeared completely convincing over the full ninety minutes. In Rome (4:3), they turned a 1:3 deficit around, subsequently showing the "old", feared Real face. Against Leipzig (4:1), only Courtois ensured that a similar comeback was not needed.

Even in the league, there have already been two slip-ups, with the big El Clasico still to come next weekend. And then there are a few tricky issues surrounding the team - keyword Vinicius Junior or Fede Valverde.

Only one win from the last four games and still in fifth place in the Power Ranking - how does that fit together?

It's true, the Bavarians had their problems in the first weeks of this season. For example, against Viking FK, where the Kompany squad only drew 3:3. But the truth is also that everything had to go right for the Norwegians: Viking scored three goals from 0.74 xG, and on top of that, Olise was sent off in the 74th minute.

Things went similarly unluckily for FCB against Augsburg. Especially in the early stages, Bayern are not yet getting their game together. Nevertheless, goal threat, playing dominance, and regular flashes of genius from Kane, Olise and co. continue to define the German record champions' play.

This was also the case in the 2:2 draw against last year's finalist FC Arsenal, where Bayern played on equal terms - even without Diaz and Olise.

If one disregards the ongoing investigations into the financial scandal between 2009 and 2018, one might think that things are running smoothly for the "Skyblues" right now.

In the league, the Maresca team has had a perfect start with seven wins; in the Champions League, there were clear victories against Athens and Porto. Only against title holders PSG did they suffer a 2:4 home defeat. However, in that game, they were clearly superior in the second half and showed a really strong performance.

The strong midfield featuring Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernandez, paired with Erling Haaland's clinical finishing, is increasingly becoming a threat to their rivals.

The clash between PSG and Barcelona was highly anticipated. In the end, the Champions League winner surprisingly prevailed quite clearly.

The Catalans, who had been flawless before and virtually ran every opponent ragged, at times had significant problems with Paris' high man-to-man pressing.

The defense is the main concern, which, however, had to be reorganized due to the absences of Eric Garcia and Jules Kounde.

The offense is outstanding and unparalleled in world football. However, the defense will be decisive for winning the title. If Flick finds solutions there, "Blaugrana" can probably only be stopped by PSG.

With the exception of the surprisingly clear 0:3 defeat in Brighton, everything is as usual for Mikel Arteta's team. The "Gunners" are incredibly difficult to play against for any team in the world.

In the Champions League, after victories against Lille and Napoli, there was now a 2:2 draw against FC Bayern München. Against the strong-at-home Bavarians, they played on equal terms for long stretches and deservedly earned a point. Another indication that Arteta's team is maturing.

Last year, they were already close to the "Henkelpott" (Champions League trophy); currently, Arsenal seems to be PSG's biggest challenger again.

The best football team in the world, no discussion.

Against ManCity and Barcelona, there were 4:2 victories each - with impressive performances. In contrast to the last two years, the CL title holders are already putting their full potential on display in the early phase. Especially the central midfield around Vitinha and the attack with Dembele and particularly Doué have shone so far.

Enrique's team's intense man-to-man pressing, including the now-typical kick-offs into touch, poses incredibly difficult challenges for every team in the world.

However, we don't want to ignore their performances in the league (14 pts. from seven games). Nor the fact that the Parisians can rotate more for the Champions League than anyone else.

Only three outfield players were in the starting XI for both the last league game against Strasbourg and against Barca. The week before, there were even only two outfield players.

As a result, PSG players go into the tough international matches fresher. Enrique's team admittedly utilizes this advantage perfectly. However, it is also a privilege that no other top team otherwise possesses.