Title holder PSG, Mourinho”s Madrid aim to resist big-spending English rivals in Champions League

LONDON: (Sep 7) (AP) The Champions League starts this week with five Premier League clubs in the 36-team lineup, chasing a first title for England in four seasons after yet another transfer window of heavy spending amid an affordability crisis for most of European soccer.

Two-time defending title holder Paris Saint-Germain and record 15-time European champion Real Madrid each has lifted the trophy as many times this decade, twice, as Premier League clubs have combined.

Manchester City, the last English team to win the Champions League in 2023, starts Tuesday at Porto armed with a new $440 million midfield: Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi.