Champions League 2014-15 Standings, Contenders, Power Rankings: Real Madrid, Bayern Munich Among Best Teams; Manchester City, Roma Among Worst
Match Day 3 of the 2014-15 Champions League has come and gone and some interesting narratives have started to appear throughout the groups.
Here is a look at how the tournament stands as well as the best and worst teams of the day:
Group A
Olympiacos is shocking the world while leading Group A. The team was shelled by Juventus and yet came away with a convincing 1-0 lead that now has the Greek side at six points, a tie with Atletico Madrid for first. But the tournament is not over just yet. The Greeks still have to visit Turin and will also head to Madrid. They also lost against Malmo in their second game, so anything is possible at this point. This group is wide open.
Group B
Real Madrid embarrassed Liverpool, but the Reds still have hopes of qualifying out of the group despite losing two straight. With FC Basel's loss on Tuesday, there are three teams with three points in the group. But things are far from simple. Ludogorets Razgrad has proven to be a formidable foe for all three teams, Madrid included, and looks likely to upset some teams in the remaining three games. It should be a fun fight for second.
Group C
Benfica sits in last place with one point. In a group that they should win.
That tells you everything.
And yet, there is still hope. The Portuguese side has two more home games left to play and should easily regain some ground on the rest of the teams in the group. Regardless, this group is wide open and should be exciting to keep tabs on.
Group D
Arsenal was minutes away from continuing its nightmarish season. But the team showed some resilience and is now in complete control of qualifying. Two more wins or even a win and a draw would be enough for the team to finish in second. Three wins and this side is probably taking the group.
Group E
That escalated quickly.
Everyone had Roma as a shock pick to make a deep run. And despite humbling CSKA Moscow and drawing at Manchester, the team looked like an amateur squad while getting bullied at home against the mighty Bayern Munich.
Speaking of which, the Bavarians look even better this season than last and are making it look easy.
Who is not making it look easy? Manchester City. Another blown lead in a game they should have won and now the English side has two points in three games. And they still has to face Munich again and visit a hurting Roma team that will want to take out its anger one someone. Bad days lay ahead for this side.
Group F
Paris Saint-Germain remains atop this group because of some late magic from Edison Cavani. But the team needs to be better if they plan to remain atop Group F. Especially at Camp Nou.
Barcelona continues to look good while APOEL is proving its worth thus far. Not a particularly interesting group, to be completely honest.
Group G
Everyone knew this would be a cakewalk for Chelsea. And after a false start against Schalke, the Blues are looking dangerous. Schalke, on the other hand, is looking rather weak defensively and could be a rather easy opponent for the team that draws them in the Round of 16.
Group H
Where is everyone who had Athletic Bilbao taking the group? The Spanish side continued to disappoint, this time by losing against Porto.
However, the big story is Luiz Adrian and his five goals in Shakhtar's 7-0 drilling of BATE Borisov. That is scintillating form.
Best of the Week
The top three teams of the week are undoubtedly Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Real Madrid. When you blow out teams the way these sides did, you cannot be denied a place on this list, especially if you blow out a team that is supposed to be good, as Madrid and Bayern Munich did.
Biggest Disappointments of the Week (Not Worst, Because That Would Be Too Easy)
Roma, Liverpool and Manchester City.
Roma might never have had a chance in this game. But to be demolished 7-1 on your own home turf? That is beyond words.
Liverpool never looked competitive against Real Madrid. And the fans were quiet for most of the evening. That tells you everything you need to know about the Reds' performance.
Manchester City. What is left to say? The team made the Round of 16 last year before being handled easily by Barcelona. This year, the team was expected to do bigger and better things. Through three games they have yet to win a single match. And they blew a 2-0 lead in the most recent game.
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