News analysis: How powerful is England's attack on Europe

With football fans around the world anxiously waiting for the start of this season's Champions League on Tuesday, only fading memories are left when it comes to the last victory of a Premier League club.

It was the amazing night of 19 May, 2012 when Chelsea beat FC Bayern Munich 5-4 on penalties in the German's living room, the Munich Arena. Since then clubs from the so-called "Continent" have been bossing the competition.

In 2013 it was Bayern Munich, 2014 Real Madrid and then FC Barcelona won the title in 2015. Additionally, no Premier League club made it into the round of the last eight of last year's competition. Reason enough to suggest Premier League clubs will be eager to reverse the situation and exact some revenge. "England to attack Europe" was the headline in "Sport Bild", one of Germany's leading football magazines.

As the Premier League spent up to 1.2 billion euros (207 million went to Germany, more than to any other league) for new players for the current season, things seem to be clear cut: England's clubs are flexing their muscles in an attempt to reach the 2015/2016 final at the Guiseppe-Meazza-Stadium in Milan. That's at least the impression in Germany and most of the rest in Europe.

And with the new TV contract next season (2.3 billion euro per year) Europe's clubs are expecting bigger things from England. But are English clubs strong enough this season to challenge the big continental favorites like titleholders FC Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich?

For most German fans things are clear: Barcelona with its magic triangle of Suarez-Neymar-Messi (49.9 percent according to a "Bundesliga-barometer" survey) is the one to beat. Second most fancied is Bayern Munich (25.3/semifinalists in the past two years) and Real Madrid (15.2).

The German fans have less faith in English clubs than in for example Paris St.-Germain (quarterfinalists on three occasions) which is still ahead of ambitious Chelsea.

No side has been able to retain the Champions League in the last 24 years. Only four titleholders have reached the final in the following year (AC Milan/1995 - Ajax Amsterdam/1996 - Juventus Turin/1997 - Manchester United/2009).

With five clubs in the competition Spain is, club-wise, the superpower this season. It is the biggest number of clubs from the same country in Champions League history.

"It does not surprise me that English clubs are not among the best in the survey, it's not whom you sign and the more expensive the better, it is how is your team growing together," said Bayern defender Jerome Boateng.

"As for Manchester United, I am not quite sure what they can deliver," said Bayern's Director of Football Matthias Sammer.

Bayern's head coach Pep Guardiola has firmly stated his and Bayern's goal: "I'm here to win the treble." But the Spaniard knows as well as Sammer, "you win the Champions League with a good team spirit and you are top fit in the important games."

As far as team spirit and a fluent game are concerned, Sammer has doubts about Manchester United and Manchester City but is keeping an eye on Arsenal (can Petr Cech solve the keeper problem?), Atletico Madrid (new start with new team and more offensive power?), Paris (with Angel Di Maria and new keeper Kevin Trapp) and Juventus, who kept Paul Pogba despite offers of up to 100 million euros, but has to replace Vidal, Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez.

For other German clubs besides Bayern it seems almost impossible for them to go as far as the semi-final.

Borussia Moenchengladbach (league third) can hardly expect to survive the group stage next to Juve, Man City and Euro League winner Sevilla.

Bayer Leverkusen will have to perform on a top level to get past Barcelona, AS Rome and Bate Borisov.

Expectations are especially high for the league runners-up and 2015 German Cup winners VfL Wolfsburg against PSV Eindhoven, CSKA Moscow and ManUnited. Though they lost striker Kevin de Bruyne (80 million euro to Man City), they bought the top German talent Julian Draxler and Bayern defender Dante. But the team with the powerful sponsor "Volkswagen" in the background, still has to prove its international class.

The Germans and Bayern fear the Spanish clubs most of all despite Munich's Spanish coach Pep Guardiola, who is thought to be making a third and final attempt to lift the Champions League crown after being beaten by his Spanish compatriots in the last two seasons.

Having added Arturo Vidal (37 million euro from Juventus/with the clear role as the bad man), Douglas Costa (30 million from Schakhtar Donetsk to replace the injured Franck Ribery) and Kingsley Coman (Juve as an alternative to Arjen Robben on the wing), Bayern feels ready to close the gap on Real and Barcelona. Chelsea (with their "special one" Jose Mourinho and his outstanding tactical skills), Barcelona and Real (with their incredible striking power) are Bayern's biggest threats.

The decisive aspect will be if Bayern can manage be convincing going forward and find a healthy balance changing defense into attack. Especially the midfield allows Guardiola several possibilities - but one big task will be to keep all his stars motivated.

And for himself to reach the final, after all success in the Champions League will decide how Guardiola's era in Munich will be rated. Looking at the facts (players) Bayern are one of the big favorites for this year's football spectacle. Endi