Champions League 2021-22 Power Rankings: PSG & Dortmund slide as Liverpool make a statement

After taking six points off Real Madrid last season, Shakhtar have been unable to repeat the trick this time around, and despite a spirited display at Santiago Bernabeu they are now staring elimination in the face.

Young Boys continue to compete at a higher level than many expected pre-tournament, with that opening-night victory over Manchester United keeping them in contention heading into the final two matchdays.

However, they are going to have to start winning more games if they are to gatecrash the knockout stages.

Zenit will be hoping for a Juventus win at Stamford Bridge on matchday five and a victory of their own over Malmo to keep their qualification dreams alive after back-to-back defeats against the Bianconeri.

Narrow as the defeats may have been, Dynamo Kyiv's failure to pick up any points against Barcelona will likely spell the end of the Ukrainian champions' hopes in the competition for another year.

Sheriff were finally toppled from the top of Group D on Wednesday as they were beaten at home by Inter, and it remains to be seen whether the Moldovan minnows can now bounce back in their final two games following their successive losses against the Italian title holders. 

There is no shame in being outclassed by Manchester City, and given PSG's failure to beat RB Leipzig on Wednesday, Brugge will still believe there is a path for them to reach the knockout stages.

They will almost certainly need a favour from City and a win over PSG themselves, but performances so far suggest that is not out of the question.

Despite having just one point from their opening four games, Milan are not yet out of the running for the knockout stages, though it is concerning that their performances in the competition are starting to wane.

Anything less than a victory over Atletico Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano will now see them eliminated.

As things stand, Sevilla will not even get the chance to drop into their beloved Europa League after defeat to Lille on Tuesday left them bottom of a group most expected them to win.

Still without a victory in the competition, Julen Lopetegui's side must turn things round fast if they are to avoid the embarrassment of an early exit.

Sporting have rocketed themselves right back into qualification contention after two heavy wins over Besiktas, and will now host Dortmund in three weeks knowing a win could be enough to secure a place in the knockout rounds.

They will still be the underdogs going into the game against the Bundesliga giants, but momentum is certainly in their favour.

Lille had offered next to nothing in the competition ahead of their trip to take on Sevilla, meaning that their 2-1 win in Spain was one the surprise results of the matchday four slate.

All of a sudden the French champions are well and truly in the running to qualify from what has turned into the tightest group in the competition.

With Mark van Bommel having been sacked following a disappointing run of results, Wolfsburg are looking to breathe new life into their campaign, and victory over Salzburg on Tuesday will go a long way to doing just that.

Luis Diaz again showcased why he will likely be one of the most wanted young forwards in Europe over the next 12 months with his performance for Porto against AC Milan, though it was not enough to secure what would have been a huge win for the Portuguese outfit.

News of Liverpool's early qualification could, however, give them a boost ahead of their trip to Anfield on matchday five, with a win on Merseyside likely to set up a final-day showdown with Atletico Madrid.

Though they shipped nine goals across the two games, Benfica showed enough in their Bayern Munich double-header to suggest that they can bounce back and still reach the knockout rounds.

To do that, though, they will likely need to win at Camp Nou on matchday five, though given the way their first game against Barcelona went, that is far from out of the question.

Barcelona continue to edge themselves back into the running for the knockout stages after their second successive narrow win over Dynamo Kyiv.

Their match winner in Ukraine, Ansu Fati, continues to show that 10 months away from football has not dampened his spirit or performance level, and he could yet be the key to them progressing further in the competition.

Atalanta must be wondering how they came away from their double-header with Manchester United having picked up just a solitary point given how long they led both games for.

Gian Piero Gasperini's side now know that anything less than a win against Young Boys next time out could be terminal for their chances of reaching the knockouts for the third straight season.

Just as it looked like Salzburg were about to run away with Group G, defeat against Wolfsburg dragged them right back towards the chasing pack.

The Austrian champions will still be confident of reaching the knockout stages, though with this being uncharted water for them, it will be interesting to see how the competition's youngest side handle the pressure.

It has been a good week for Villarreal, who got the result they wanted by seeing off Young Boys before manager Unai Emery confirmed that he was staying with the club despite overtures from Newcastle.

Victory for the Yellow Submarine over Manchester United on matchday five, then, could be enough to seal qualification ahead of the final round of games.

Surely Dortmund can't mess this up, can they?!

Shorn of the injured Erling Haaland and reeling from the controversial red card given to Mats Hummels, they failed to hold out at home against Ajax, and now head to Sporting on matchday five knowing a defeat could end their hopes of qualifying all together.

A point, however, would leave them in pole position heading into a home match against Besiktas on the final night, meaning their European future is on a knife edge.

Atletico Madrid were up to their old tricks at Anfield on Wednesday, but it was not enough for the Rojiblancos as they fell to a 2-0 defeat against Liverpool.

Diego Simeone's side have not proven the usual tough nut to crack so far in this competition, and will need to improve in their final two group games to be assured of qualification.

After the European disappointments of the Antonio Conte era, Inter now look on course to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League for the first time since 2012.

Back-to-back wins over Sheriff have put them in that position, and a win over Shakhtar on matchday five could well be enough to secure their progress.

If there were any doubts over Cristiano Ronaldo's crown as the king of the Champions League then they have been scrubbed away over the course of the past six weeks as he has gone about routinely grabbing the headlines in the competition with his last-minute goals.

Whether the king can carry what continues to look like a Manchester United team that is less than the sum of its parts all the way to the trophy this summer, however, is another matter entirely.

Four games, four wins, and Ajax are through to the knockout stages without really breaking much of a sweat.

Erik ten Hag's reputation continues to skyrocket with his team's performances, and any 'bigger' teams who might finish as runners-up and be eyeing Ajax in the next round (presuming they win the group) will probably want to think again if they go back and watch some of their performances so far.

Things are not going well for Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain, and as such the pre-tournament favourites are not taking the Champions League by storm as many predicted.

Their draw in Leipzig now leaves them vulnerable to finishing second in Group A unless they can beat Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in three weeks' time, and right now that does not look particularly likely.

Juventus continue to quietly go about their business in the Champions League and Federico Chiesa's goal against Zenit was one of the biggest highlights of this round of matches.

The Bianconeri have now booked their place in the knockout rounds, and know avoiding defeat at Stamford Bridge on matchday five will be enough to see them top the group.

Though it was solid rather than spectacular, Chelsea got the job done in Sweden against Malmo, and barring any unexpected hiccups should now qualify for the knockout stages.

The only issue is that unless they can beat Juventus in three weeks, they will only be able to do as runners-up, setting the defending champions up for a potentially tough last-16 tie.

Consistency still might be an issue for Real Madrid, but they are certainly moving in the right direction under Carlo Ancelotti.

Karim Benzema and Vinicius Junior are developing into one of the most feared attacking duos in Europe while their veteran midfield trio continue to hold off any real signs of ageing.

Madrid know what it takes to win the Champions League, and for that reason alone they should be feared.

When the draw was made for the group stages, many expected Group B to be the tightest of the lot, likely to come down to the final round of games.

Instead, Liverpool have navigated 'the Group of Death' so expertly that they are assured of topping it after just four matches having picked up maximum points along the way.

Ominous signs, then, from Jurgen Klopp's side in a competition they have experience of winning.

Though they were only level at the break, City eventually cruised to their second straight victory over Club Brugge on Wednesday, and then received an added bonus when PSG failed to win in Leipzig.

That leaves the Premier League champions top of the group heading into their meeting with the Ligue 1 giants, with a win in that game now enough to secure progression as group winners.

Four games, four wins, 17 goals scored: Bayern Munich have not made heavy weather of this Champions League group stage, and look to be Europe's outstanding team right now.

Julian Nagelsmann has got his team playing superb attacking football, and they should now just be able to cruise through the final two weeks of the first round while putting their focus on building a lead in the Bundesliga.