English sides seek redemption from Champions League reality check
The Hindu
English clubs face daunting Champions League challenges, trailing by three goals against top European teams after disappointing first legs.
Kings of the league phase, England's six Champions League sides were made to look like paupers in the first legs of the last 16 as they failed to muster a win between them.
Manchester City, Chelsea and Tottenham have seemingly insurmountable mountains to climb, even with home advantage this week, as they trail by three goals against Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid respectively.
Liverpool and Arsenal will expect to still get past Galatasaray and Bayer Leverkusen, while Newcastle are dreaming of shocking Barcelona in the Camp Nou after outplaying the Spanish champions in a 1-1 draw at St. James' Park.
But after unprecedented domination of the early stages of the competition, AFP Sport looks at the reasons behind a reality check for the Premier League's best.
The Premier League's financial advantage over Europe's other major leagues, thanks to far more lucrative television rights deals, has not been reflected in the latter stages of the Champions League for some time.
Only three of the last 13 Champions League winners have come from England.
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