Your Site' writers assess where Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich would finish in the Premier League in the aftermath of their nine-goal thriller in the Champions League on Tuesday night.
Bayern have already cruised to their 35th Bundesliga title with three games to spare, while PSG sit six points clear at the top of Ligue 1 as they approach the run-in.
Their match-up in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals showed why. A dazzling display of world-class talent led to one of the greatest games of all time unfolding at the Parc des Princes, opening up the discussion of how both teams would fare in the Premier League.
Here, Your Site analyses exactly that...
PSG beat Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal en route to winning the Champions League last season. This time, they have beaten Chelsea and then Liverpool again to reach the semi-finals. There is no question that they could cope.
In fact, it would be hard to see anyone in the Premier League being fancied ahead of them as favourites with the current squads.
Bayern Munich have a starting XI that could go toe-to-toe with anyone but their lack of depth would make repeating the current treble charge they are on hard to envisage.
Their bench included just seven outfield players compared to PSG's 10 on Tuesday night and two of those were teenagers. Filip Pavic, a 16-year-old yet to make his senior debut, and Deniz Ofli, a 19-year-old who has played five minutes in the Bundesliga.
Injuries are, of course, a factor with Lennart Karl and Serge Gnabry out, but one that would have to be navigated if Bayern were in the Premier League. Vincent Kompany's side would be up there, just not able to fight on all fronts as they are now.
Sure, they look good on the Champions League stage but can they do it on a wet and windy night in Sunderland? The question was originally posed about Lionel Messi, and it was Stoke not Sunderland. But if you ask me, the answer is a firm yes in both cases.
I don't doubt that the Premier League poses some different challenges to other leagues in terms of its physicality, but Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are quality outfits on all levels. Technically, physically, they are outstanding. I think they would show it in the Premier League.
I do see some of the logic in the argument that they benefit from being in less competitive domestic leagues when it comes to the Champions League. They can keep their players fresher than their English rivals. But put them in the Premier League, and I have no doubt they would be title-challengers at the very least.
There is no question that both teams would be in the title race.
Albeit it seems pertinent to remind that Arsenal thumped Bayern Munich in the league phase of this year's Champions League. And it strikes me that for all Bayern's attacking talent, they might struggle against the banked-up defensive systems that have become commonplace in the Premier League.
PSG are on another planet under Luis Enrique, and I think it would be hard for any team in Europe to get close to them at their best - consistency might suffer with a greater volume of games, though.
The quality in the starting line-up for PSG and Bayern is enough to convince me that both teams would be able to compete for the Premier League title.
The pedigrees of Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz in the top-flight of English football speak for themselves. A curated trio of talent that have shown they perform regularly in the league.
As my colleague mentioned, you can add the missing duo of Karl and Gnabry to that list, too.
World-class talents like Ousmane Dembele and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia for PSG transcend countries and the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea have already felt their wrath. There are also plenty more to maintain those lofty standards.
Bradley Barcola, Fabian Ruiz and Lucas Hernandez appeared off the bench, while rumoured Premier League targets Goncalo Ramos and Ibrahim Mbaye didn't get a game. It's an obscene amount of quality at the disposal of both teams that would likely overwhelm any opponent in any league on any given day.
The argument can be made that league leaders Arsenal have already beaten Bayern but a repeat of that fixture, which ended 3-1 to the Gunners in November, may tell a different tale if they were to meet now given the form both sides are in.
The world-class quality littered throughout the squad is what is needed to compete consistently within a jam-packed fixture schedule.
Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich would run away with the Premier League, and it wouldn't even be close.
The proof is in the Champions League, not so much when the two have met their English counterparts, but the level of quality they can maintain.
PSG's win at Bayern was a show of individual quality, something that the Premier League has come under criticism for this season.
In Bayern's case, alongside their wealth of talent, experience on English soil would boost them above their competition. Harry Kane already showed his level, as did Michael Olise and Luis Diaz at times.
While you can't say the same for PSG, the fact that across the field they have some of the finest players in their position would suggest that they would not only seamlessly transition to the rigours of English football but also thrive.
The question of whether the current league's best sides have players who can start for either team is a pertinent one.
No argument would suggest wholesale changes for either PSG or Bayern. That alone should tell us all that they would be comfortable in the Premier League.
