Continent's best out to stop EPL elite

Champions League knockout stage kicks off this week after Cup break

PARIS — The Champions League knockout stage kicks off this week with a blockbuster showdown between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich topping the bill, as doubts surrounding all of the English contenders and talk of a breakaway Super League resurface.

Three-and-a-half months have passed since the group stage ended, an unprecedented pause in the Champions League season caused by the break for the World Cup.

Since the tournament in Qatar there has been another transfer window with record spending by Premier League clubs. The 815 million pounds ($1 billion) outlay on new players in January represented 79 percent of the total across Europe's five biggest leagues, according to analyst Deloitte.