Champions League round-up: Manchester City duo among the best rated

No team is yet to guarantee their place in the next round of the Champions League after gameweek four, but a host of teams are close to doing so. Real Madrid are one of those after their 5-0 win over Viktoria Plzen on Wednesday night. Los Blancos were impressive in the resounding victory as interim head coach Santiago Solari ams to prove his credentials as he seeks a permanent appointment. 

Indeed, Los Blancos have three players in our Champions League team of the week, with central midfielder Toni Kroos the pick of the bunch. The Germany international had a direct hand in three of the five goals Real Madrid scored in the Czech Republic, with Kroos’ one goal coming from three shots and two assists from six key passes. All in all, it was a performance that saw the 28-year-old return a WhoScored rating of 9.96. 

Kroos pips Manchester City Rihad Mahrez to top spot in the best-rated players this week, with the Algerian excelling as City secured a 6-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk. Like Kroos, Mahrez had a direct hand in three goals in midweek, scoring one and assisting two, those coming from returns of three shots and three key passes, while one successful dribble saw the 27-year-old land a WhoScored rating of 9.81. 

And with a WhoScored rating of 9.41, Gabriel Jesus rounds up the top three best performing players in the Champions League this week. The Brazilian ended his six-match goalless run in emphatic fashion as he netted a hat-trick against Shakhtar, hitting the back of the net with three of his six shots. An additional two key passes guarantees Jesus a spot in the Champions League team of the week. 

City were ruthless at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday night, scoring with six of their eight shots on target. Experienced goalkeeper Andriy Pyatov may have made two saves, but he was powerless to keep the City attack at bay and after shipping six, the 34-year-old returned a WhoScored rating of 4.56, the lowest in the Champions League this week.