There’s really not much change in the rankings from two weeks ago. The changes that there are derive from movement at the top of the table in the English Premier League. There also has been action in the past two weeks in the Portuguese League Cup and the Spanish Primera Division but the Portuguese League Cup doesn’t affect the rankings and the top of the Spanish Primera Division table never changes.
More interesting is what’s coming up. The Italian Serie A returns to action at midweek as does the Greek Super League. The Portuguese Liga Sagres returns this weekend and we have cup action at various points this week in England, Spain, France and Portugal. Also, we will have matchups between WCR Top 25 Clubs this week as Arsenal and Man City face off on Wednesday and Sunday sees matches between Real Madrid and Villarreal as well as Juventus and Napoli.
To the extent there has been action in the past week, it’s discussed below as well as the matches coming up in the next week. Enjoy!!
World Club Rankings – Top 25 Clubs in the World – January 3, 2011
1. Manchester United (Eng) (1) – Manyoo slipped up at midweek with a 1-1 draw against Birmingham City, but bounced back to make it four away points when it beat West Bromwich Albion 3-1 this weekend. Coming Up: On Tuesday, United continues its quest for the Premier League Title at home against Stoke City. On Sunday, the Red Devils will host Liverpool in the marquee matchup of the upcoming round of the FA Cup.
2. Barcelona (Esp) (2) – Barça continued going through its Spanish competition like a knife going through butter with a 2-1 victory over Levante. Coming Up: On Wednesday, Barcelona plays its return match against Athletic Bilbao, where the current score is 0-0, in a Copa Del Rey match. In La Liga competition, Barcelona will take on Deportivo La Coruña on Saturday.
3. AC Milan (Ita) (3) – No matches in past week. Coming Up: The Serie A returns with a vengeance this weekend as AC Milan takes on Cagliari on Thursday and hosts Lecce on Sunday in a pair of league matches.
4. Borussia Dortmund (Ger) (4) – No current matches.
5. Real Madrid (Esp) (6) – Earlier today, Real Madrid continued to demonstrate that it’s the second best club in Spain with a 3-2 victory over Getafe. Coming Up: I suppose it doesn’t matter who is on the field for Real on Thursday when it takes on Levante in a Copa Del Rey match since Real Madrid is entering the match with an eight goal lead. It’ll be more important on Sunday when the royal club hosts Villarreal at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
6. Manchester City (Eng) (10) – Mansee has established itself for the moment as the second best club in England with a 4-0 victory over Aston Villa followed by a 1-0 win over Blackpool in the past week. Coming Up: To solidify the claim as England’s number two, City will have to come away with at least a point against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday. On Sunday, Man City will take on Leicester City in its FA Cup debut.
7. Porto (Por) (7) – For the first time in 37 matches in any competition, Porto lost this weekend, falling 1-2 to Nacional in Portugal’s League Cup. Coming Up: The Liga Sagres returns to action this weekend and Porto will host Maritimo upon its return.
8. Napoli (Ita) (8) – No matches in past week. Coming Up: Napoli’s return to Serie A action promises to be one of its toughest weeks of the season as it takes on Inter Milan on Thursday and hosts Juventus on Sunday.
9. Arsenal (Eng) (5) – A slip-up against Wigan Athletic in a 2-2 draw at midweek means a drop for the Gunners in the rankings despite its bounce-back 3-0 victory over Birmingham City this weekend. Coming Up: Arsenal can earn its way back up the rankings with a home victory over Manchester City on Wednesday. In FA Cup action, Arsenal will host Leeds United on Saturday.
10. Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukr) (9) – No current matches.
11. København (Den) (12) – No current matches.
12. Lille (Fra) (11) – No matches this past week. Coming Up: Lille returns to action this week with a Coupe de France match against Korbach on Saturday.
13. Villarreal (Esp) (15) – With a 2-0 victory over Almeria, the Yellow Submarine was able to keep pace with Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Primera Division. Coming Up: Villarreal will host Valencia in the second leg of its Copa Del Rey matchup with Valencia. In league action, Villarreal will take on Real Madrid on the road on Sunday.
14. Mainz 05 (Ger) (13) – No current matches.
15. Lazio (Ita) (16) – No matches in past week. Coming Up: Lazio’s pair of Serie A matches this week will be at Genoa on Thursday and at home against Lecce on Sunday.
16. Benfica (Por) (17) – In a League Cup match, Benfica defeated Maritimo 2-0 this weekend. Coming Up: Benfica is pulling double Cup duty as it hosts Olhanense in a Taça da Portugal match on Wednesday. On Sunday, Benfica returns to league action to take on União de Leiria.
17. Olympiakos (Gre) (18) – No matches in past week. Coming Up: Like the Italian Serie A, the Greek Super League returns to action this week with two matchdays. Olympiakos will face Iraklis on Wednesday and Kerkyra on Sunday.
18. Juventus (Ita) (19) – No matches in past week. Coming Up: Juventus will host Parma on Thursday but the bigger test should be its away match against Napoli on Sunday.
19. Tottenham Hotspur (Eng) (NF) – The Spurs return to the rankings after picking up six points in EPL play, beating Newcastle United 2-0 at midweek and taking down Fulham in a 1-0 match on the weekend. Coming Up: Tottenham heads to Liverpool to take on Everton on Wednesday. In their FA Cup debut, the Spurs will host Charlton Athletic on Sunday.
20. Chelsea (Eng) (14) – The Blues continue to sputter. After defeating Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at midweek, Chelsea could manage only a single point at home with a 3-3 draw against Aston Villa. Coming Up: Chelsea will look to turn things around on Wednesday away against Wolverhampton. In its FA Cup match on Sunday, Chelsea will host Ipswich Town.
21. Bayer Leverkusen (Ger) (21) – No current matches.
22. Fluminense (Bra) (22) – No current matches.
23. Trabzonspor (Tur) (23) – No current matches.
24 Paris St.-Germain (Fra) (20) – No matches in past week. Coming Up: Paris St.-Germain finishes it’s winter break on Saturday when it hosts Lens in a Coupe de France match.
25. Estudiantes (Arg) (24) – No current matches.
Bubbling Under: Dynamo Kyiv (Ukr), Metalist (Ukr), PSV Eindhoven (Ned), Valencia (Esp), Zenit St. Petersburg (Rus).
Next Five: Bayern Munich (Ger), Palermo (Ita), Sporting CP (Por), Stade Rennes (Fra), Vélez Sarsfield (Arg).
Matches Between WCR Top 25 Clubs This Week:
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