Ranking the 8 teams remaining in the Champions League

With the Champions League field being sliced down to the final eight, we rank the contenders vying for Europe's most coveted club trophy. Using three tiers to separate the octet, here's how the clubs stack up.

Related: Bayern gets Real Madrid, Barca meets Juve in heavyweight quarter-final tilts

Fairy tale's Over

It's been a captivating ride, but the fun stops here.

8. Leicester City

The sparkle that made the King Power Stadium such an intoxicating, magical venue during Leicester's improbable title run last season finally returned this week, as the Foxes wrote the latest chapter in their evolving tale. It was drab and dreary for much of the season, but whether it's a matter of the players showing renewed vigour after the firing of Claudio Ranieri, or simply a case of luck arriving at just the right time, Leicester is back in the ascendancy, knocking off Sevilla to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament on Tuesday.

Amid a loaded field of perennial contenders, Leicester's presence - as the last English side remaining, no less - is a lovely counterbalance to the monotony of the Champions League. That's all it is, though. As a last-eight tango with a vastly superior opponent will show, the Foxes are easily the weakest side left.

Outside Chance

If all the pieces fall into place, then maybe, just maybe, it could happen.

7. Borussia Dortmund

Experience? Who needs it. Borussia Dortmund, led by its electrifying collection of baby-faced assassins, is clicking at just the right time, winning five of its last six matches, scoring 20 goals in the process.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is enjoying yet another prolific campaign, while the likes of dribbler extraordinaire Ousmane Dembele and American saviour Christian Pulisic offer support by putting defenders on skates at seemingly every opportunity. Incredibly efficient at creating clear-cut, high-percentage chances inside the opposition penalty area, Dortmund is capable of cutting Europe's stingiest backlines to shreds.

6. Monaco

Speaking of intoxicating sides loaded with high-flying young talent ... Monaco looks destined to get picked apart in the transfer window this summer, which makes it all the more imperative that we enjoy this exhilarating freight train of an attack as much as possible over the next few months.

Kylian Mbappe is on the express route to superstardom, Thomas Lemar and Bernardo Silva are dribbling wizards, Fabinho is seemingly everywhere all the time, and the fullback duo of Djibril Sidibe and Benjamin Mendy are powerful as they are energetic. As the Ligue 1 leader proved against Manchester City, once the kids get revved up, it's almost impossible to slow them down. Sure, the defence can be exposed and Danijel Subasic is a sieve, but that makes Monaco more fun to watch, not less. Will Leonardo Jardim's men win the competition? Probably not. Will they make some noise on their way out? Absolutely.

5. Atletico Madrid

Don't look now, but a campaign that was annoyingly unconvincing in the early stages is back on track, and of late, it has all the hallmarks of a successful Atletico Madrid season: namely, a watertight defence and a potent Antoine Griezmann.

The Rojiblancos coasted into the quarter-finals by suffocating Bayer Leverkusen with a second-leg performance that has become standard when the Champions League anthem blares at the Vicente Calderon; Atleti has kept 17 clean sheets in its last 20 home matches in the competition. Diego Simeone's side has conceded just one goal in four matches this month, while Griezmann is once again firing up front, the little Frenchman netting six times in his last eight appearances.

True Contenders

This quartet is a class above the competition.

4. Juventus

It's been 21 long years since Juventus last tasted glory in this competition, and despite making it all the way to the final hurdle - and falling - on several occasions since then (1997, 1998, 2003, 2015) you could argue that this is the best the Old Lady has ever looked since that triumph over two decades ago.

The defence is arguably the best in Europe, but the real cause for optimism in Turin centres around a rebuilt attack that is capable of getting on the front foot and taking the game to the opposition. Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain are legitimate gamebreakers, while the creative presence of Miralem Pjanic in midfield links the sturdy backline to the attacking quartet. Is this the year Gianluigi Buffon finally gets his hands on Ol' Big Ears?

3. Real Madrid

Perhaps Real Madrid will enjoy the lack of attention, but it's impossible to escape the feeling that the defending European champion is being criminally ignored heading into the last eight of the competition.

Maybe that has more to do with the nature of the victory over Napoli than anything else; a straightforward 6-2 dispatching of a tournament darling was impressive, but it was very much a case of "as you were." Continued excellence can sometimes lead to apathy among fans and pundits alike. That'll be just fine for Zinedine Zidane and his men if they're on the pitch in Cardiff on June 3.

2. Barcelona

Exactly how the hell Barcelona is still alive in this tournament remains something of a mystery - a blend of Paris Saint-Germain incompetence, Neymar brilliance, and some fortuity, no doubt - but the Blaugrana are indeed in the quarter-finals, and that's bad news for everyone else.

Questions remain both in midfield and defence, but Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and their aforementioned Brazilian partner-in-crime are capable of turning those concerns into moot points.

1. Bayern Munich

For all the ridicule Arsenal has been hit with of late - not to mention the disarray at the club caused by continued speculation over Arsene Wenger's future, the Gunners still boast one of the most talented sides, at least on paper, in Europe. And Bayern Munich absolutely ragdolled them.

After a quiet start to the campaign, the Bavarian behemoth is out of its post-Pep Guardiola slumber, and boasts the most balanced lineup of all the legitimate title contenders. Pairing a formidable backline - anchored by Manuel Neuer - with a downright silly collection of free-scoring forwards, Bayern should be considered the favourite to capture its sixth Champions League crown.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)