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Chelsea won the first battle of EPL heavyweights on Sunday when the Blues knocked off defending champion Manchester United, and while the victory didn't help Chelsea take over the top spot in the SBI European Club Top 25, it has the Blues piling even more pressure on No. 1 Barcelona.
Manchester United tumbled down to fifth after the loss and those wondering why Chelsea didn't move into the No. 1 spot, look no further than its mid-week 2-2 draw vs. Atletico Madrid. Yes, Barcelona drew against Rubin Kazan, but Rubin Kazan is proving to be a very good team and moves up to eighth in this week's rankings.
Several teams moved up this week, including red-hot Arsenal, which moved past Manchester United in the EPL standings and our Top 25.
Two new teams entered the Top 25 this week, with FC Twente shooting up the list after its victory against Ajax, and with Valencia continuing its winning ways in Spain. The week's biggest gainers, aside from Twente, were AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen. Milan continued its unbeaten run with a draw vs. Real Madrid and Serie A victory, while Leverkusen increased its lead atop the Bundesliga standings (and yes, its lack of European competition is why Leverkusen isn't ranked higher).
Here is how this week's SBI European Club Top 25 shakes out:
SBI European Club Top 25
1. (1) BARCELONA (8-0-2)
2. (2) CHELSEA (10-2)
3. (5) ARSENAL (8-2-1)
4. (4) INTER MILAN (9-1-2)
5. (3) MANCHESTER UNITED (8-2-1)
6. (7) REAL MADRID (8-1-1)
7. (9) JUVENTUS (7-2-3)
8. (10) FK RUBIN KAZAN (18-5-5)
9. (8) SEVILLA (7-2-1)
10. (6) BORDEAUX (8-3-1)
11. (12) Werder Bremen (6-1-5)
12. (15) Fiorentina (6-3-3)
13. (17) AC Milan (6-2-4)
14. (13) Lyon (7-2-3)
15. (19) Bayer Leverkusen (7-0-5)
16. (11) Olympiakos (8-0-2)
17. (14) Hamburg (6-1-5)
18. (21) Shakhtar Donetsk (8-0-4)
19. (NR) Twente Enschede (11-0-2)
20. (22) Fenerbahce (8-1-1)
21. (16) Dinamo Kiev (10-0-2)
22. (24) Panathanaikos (9-0-1)
23. (NR) Valencia (6-1-3),
24. (20) Braga (8-1-1, l)
25. (23) Benfica (7-1-1)
OTHERS RECEIVING CONSIDERATION:
Tottenham (7-4-1), PSV Eindhoven (10-0-3), Sampdoria (6-3-3), Ajax Amsterdam (9-2-2), Galatasaray (8-1-1), Aston Villa (6-3-3), Wolfsburg (6-3-3), FC Porto (6-2-2), Marseille (5-2-4), Bayern Munich (5-2-4), Manchester City (5-1-5), Schalke 04 (6-2-4)
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What do you think of this week's rankings? Think Chelsea should have moved into first place? Starting to believe in Rubin Kazan as one of the top teams in Europe? Which team missed out on the Top 25 that you think should be there?
Share your thoughts below.