Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger (C) celebrates with Jerome Boateng (L) (AFP)
Bayern Munich have caught Manchester United and claimed third place in our European Power Rankings this week.
The German side, who are running away with the Bundesliga after another domestic win over the weekend, took advantage of Manchester United's 55-point drop to jump one place.
United's controversial defeat by Real Madrid at Old Trafford was enough to see them slip, and with their Bavarian rivals still in the Champions League - and likely to progress further still when they welcome Arsenal this week - the mere two points separating the teams is likely to be extended during the run-in to the end of the season.
Barcelona still top the table, but once again Madrid have closed the gap after a bumper 58-point haul over the past seven days, including of course that result in Manchester. The gap between the two Spanish sides is now down to 112 points.
Meanwhile, Manchester City crept up into fourth place behind United, more by virtue of Borussia Dortmund's minus-20 points than any of their own efforts, which saw them lose six points this week.
Elsewhere, Chelsea dropped 40 points and fell a place into 11th while Zenit St Petersburg were the week's biggest losers, dropping 72 points, although the Russian club limited the damage by just falling one spot to 19th.
HOW IT WORKS
To determine our Power Rankings, we use the Euro Club Index, which scientifically analyses hundreds of thousands of matches from the top divisions in all European nations as well as Europa League and Champions League games.
The Index takes into account all matches played over an eight-year period but with recent results carrying more weight than older ones.
The performance of a league's teams in the Champions League and Europa League reflects the rise or fall of the sporting level in that league.
So, for example, if English teams perform well in Europe, all Premier League teams receive a small bonus in their ECI score. The ranking and its predictive power are thus made even more accurate.
European Power Rankings 12 May 2013