CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TOP SCORERS: RONALDO OUT IN FRONT OF NEYMAR & KANE

As Europe's elite battle it out for team glory, individual players are engaged in a fight to come out on top as the best goalscorer

The 2017-18 Champions League has returned for the knock-out stage and the race to see who will finish as the tournament's top goalscorer is back on.

Cristiano Ronaldo was last season's top scorer with 12 goals as Real Madrid clinched their second Champions League title in a row and he narrowly edged out long-time rival Lionel Messi, who scored 11.

The likes of Paris Saint-Germain's Edinson Cavani, Bayern Munich star Robert Lewandowski and the precocious Kylian Mbappe were also among the contenders last term.

With the tournament already serving up plenty of goals in the group stage, we bring you the latest Champions League top scorer ranking.

WHO IS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TOP SCORER IN 2017-18?

C. Rolando and Harry Kane

Ronaldo currently leads the way with nine goals in six games, while Tottenham star Harry Kane is up into second place after taking his tally to seven with a goal against Juventus. In joint-third place are Paris Saint-Germain duo Neymar and Edinson Cavani, Liverpool's Roberto Firmino and Sevilla's Wissam Ben Yedder on six goals.

Interestingly, Messi is some way off the pace, scoring a relatively paltry three goals in six matches, so he will have to find his scoring boots in the knock-out stage if he is to stand a chance of taking the crown from his Real Madrid rival.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2017-18 TOP GOALSCORERS:

Correct as of games played on February 14, 2018.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TOP SCORER ODDS

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Ronaldo is the favourite to finish as the top scorer in the 2017-18 Champions League, according to Oddschecker . The Portuguese is rated at 4/5 to repeat the feat this season.

Ronaldo is followed by Harry Kane , who is priced at 7/1, while Neymar comes in at 9/1. Edinson Cavani is priced at 8/1 and Messi is a long-shot at 10/1. Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku is 33/1and Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski is another outside bet at 20/1.

The chances of Barca's Luis Suarez (100/1), Manchester City's Sergio Aguero (33/1) or Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain (66/1) winning the award are fairly slim.