Here we look at how the English top flight shapes up against Spain's La Liga, the Italian Serie A, the German Bundesliga and the French Ligue 1.

PREMIER LEAGUE

There are question marks over whether the league possesses the strength in depth of other countries, with the big four of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool utterly dominant. The league's critics argue the biggest clubs have built their success on foreign stars, but it is difficult to argue against the league's position of power when three of this season's four Champions League semi-finalists hail from England.

COMMENT: "Clearly we think the Premier League is a decent platform from which to launch a European campaign such as this and well done to all of them. I can tell you that we are very happy. Here we are 21 days away knowing that the Champions League will have an English winner - we can't even say that about the FA Cup!" - Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.

LA LIGA

Real Madrid and Barcelona have traditionally dominated La Liga and Real remain the record winners of the European Cup, but the league does appear to possess greater strength in depth with Sevilla and Espanyol contesting last season's UEFA Cup final and Villarreal - going well in La Liga this term - reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2006.

COMMENT: "The level of English teams is high. It is very difficult to beat them because they are very strong. They are very organised and all get behind the ball. It is very tough to beat an English team," Barcelona coach Frank Rijkaard after his side's defeat to Manchester United.

SERIE A

Italy was not represented in the last four, a far cry from the heyday of the 1990s when Serie A teams dominated the Champions League, Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup. The domestic game has been tainted by scandals and while in the past the best overseas stars always made for Italy, the Premier League and La Liga now outspend Serie A clubs in the main.

COMMENT: "In the last five or six years, English clubs have improved a lot and are now at a consistently high level," Brazilian star Kaka, whose AC Milan side were knocked out by Arsenal.

BUNDESLIGA

Bayern Munich spent big in the summer to reassert themselves as the domestic top dogs but the acid test will be how they perform in the Champions League next season. Schalke made it to the last eight but the Bundesliga is very much a clear fourth in terms of prestige behind England, Spain and Italy, despite continued healthy crowds.

COMMENT: "You can see all these fantastic players in the Premier League and that is the key to success. If you look at the Champions League (quarter-finals) there are four teams left from England, so English football is still in the leading position in the world," Bayern president Franz Beckenbauer earlier this month.

LIGUE 1

Lyon are the dominant force in France but they could not make it past the last 16 in Europe, while Marseille failed to get out of their Champions League group.

COMMENT: "To have three English teams in the semi-finals is good. It's proof of the quality of the Premier League; England has the best league in the world at the moment by far," Manchester United's French defender Mikael Silvestre.