It might be the Christmas break but there’s no pause for our Power Rankings. Who sits top of the festive tree?
📈 Power Rankings: Porto arrive, Aston Villa keep winning
10. Porto 
Porto are powering clear at the top in Portugal, with a five-point gap opened up on defending champions Sporting Lisbon.
It’s nine wins in 10 games across all competitions for Francesco Farioli’s side, who are unbeaten in the Primeira Liga all season. A 3-0 win at Alverca secured a seventh straight league win at the weekend.
What a beauty 🤩 by Borja Sainz #FCAFCP pic.twitter.com/a2XO64JnWk
— FC Porto (@FCPorto) December 22, 2025
9. Real Madrid ⬆️ (last week: 10)
Real Madrid ended the calendar year on a high, with a 2-0 win over Sevilla maintaining recent momentum. Jude Bellingham opened the scoring at the Bernabeu, before Kylian Mbappe’s penalty sealed the win.
Mbappe’s goal equalled Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record for goals in a calendar year (59). The Frenchman is primed for a big 2026.
8. Lens ⬆️ (last week: 9)
Lens celebrated a seventh win in a row at the weekend after earning progress in the French Cup. The surprise Ligue 1 leaders made light work of fourth-tier SC Feignies, with a 3-1 win in the Round of 64.
Momentum is with Lens, who are bidding to beat European champions PSG to France’s big prizes this season.
Amadou Haidara joins Lens 🇲🇱😍 pic.twitter.com/xjxNMzuo3e
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) December 23, 2025
7. Atletico Madrid ⬆️ (last week: 8)
Atletico Madrid head into their winter break in good form, securing a fourth consecutive win at Girona. Koke, Conor Gallagher and Antoine Griezmann were all on target for Diego Simeone’s side, who climbed up to third in La Liga as a result.
6. Paris Saint-Germain ⬆️ (last week: 7)
Paris Saint-Germain certainly did not take a French Cup tie with fifth-tier Vendée Fontenay Foot lightly at the weekend.
Luis Enrique played plenty of his big guns and was rewarded with a 4-0 win and progress. The head coach will have been delighted to see the recently returned Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue on the scoresheet.
5. Aston Villa (No change)
No side across Europe’s top 10 leagues can better Aston Villa’s form in all competitions over the last 10 games. The Villans have a perfect record across that period, securing 10 consecutive wins for the first time in over a century.
Third in the table and just three points from the top in the Premier League, Villa are emerging as title contenders. Their purple patch is no flash in the pan. Across the last 12 months, only Arsenal and Manchester City have won more Premier League points, by a margin of just four.
Unai Emery has built a very, very good team.
✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅✅ pic.twitter.com/7AagcYQPCo
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 21, 2025
4. Barcelona (No change)
Barcelona passed an acid test at the weekend with a 2-0 win at high-flying Villarreal. The Yellow Submarine had won six consecutive La Liga games heading into this one, and were unbeaten at El Madrigal for nine months.
It was the first time since April that Villarreal had failed to score in front of their own fans and a first defeat in 14 home games.
A big win for Barca.
3. Manchester City (No change)
Manchester City are swatting aside opponents with ease right now. Since conceding four goals in a bonkers win at Fulham last month, the Citizens have kept four clean sheets in five games, winning them all.
At the weekend, the inevitable Erling Haaland scored twice as West Ham were beaten 3-0 at the Etihad, while the performance of Rayan Cherki has increased excitement levels around the club. With rumours increasing that Antoine Semenyo’s set to join the ranks, there’s a feel-good factor around Pep Guardiola’s team.
🪄 Most big chances created in the Premier League this season:
◉ 10 – Rayan Cherki
◉ 9 – Declan Rice
◉ 9 – Jeremy Doku
◉ 8 – Bruno Fernandes
◉ 7 – Bukayo Saka pic.twitter.com/RzBl2Khpw8— WhoScored (@WhoScored) December 23, 2025
2. Arsenal ⬇️ (last week: 2)
A harsh fall from the summit for Arsenal, despite two important wins. A Viktor Gyokeres penalty ensured Arsenal left Everton with the points at the weekend, before eight players were required to score spot-kicks in a shootout win against Crystal Palace in the cup.
Arsenal are ticking along and remain favourites for the Premier League, but recent performances have not entirely convinced. Maybe, however, that’s the sign of potential champions.
1. Bayern Munich ⬆️ (last week: 2)
Bayern Munich will celebrate Christmas in the position that matters most (in our eyes at least), at the top of the Power Rankings! The Bundesliga leaders thrashed Heidenheim 4-0 on Sunday, with the tantalising trio of Michael Olise, Harry Kane and Luis Diaz all scoring.
Nine points clear, the Bundesliga looks like a one-horse race.
Read – Our Premier League Christmas XI
See Also – Fantasy Premier League: The best Bruno Fernandes replacements
