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"With three English sides already in the Champions League quarter-finals and Liverpool likely to make it four, there is no disputing that the Premier League is the strongest in Europe.

Unfortunately it is not helping English football. If you look at the nationality of the players left in the competition, you will only find a handful of English players in the four teams' starting line-ups.

You can't really blame the clubs. They are trying to win, and Sir Alex Ferguson would obviously rather have Anderson and Nani at his disposal than Kieran Richardson and Alan Smith.

But I think it is right that the authorities are looking at imposing limits on the number of foreign players that clubs can use.

Arsenal's result in Milan was about as good as it gets in the Champions League. Manchester United have played Milan a few times and never got close to beating them, as they sat off them and maybe showed too much respect.

However, Arsenal used the right tactics. They played with no fear, used their quality and pace, and ended up running the legs off them.

It was like a heavyweight title fight where one boxer wears his opponent down and then knocks him out in the 12th round.

United lacked energy against Lyon because Sir Alex employed conservative tactics, and they made hard work of it.

There is a reason why Sir Alex is a manager and I only talk about it - he knows what he is doing. But that said, from the outside it looked as if they never quite got the right balance.

Chelsea look the best-equipped side to win the Champions League because they start from the back, look not to concede and then power their way past teams.

They don't have all the creativity in the world, but they have decisive goalscorers like Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard so you know that if they get a chance they have every chance of scoring.

The other English sides struggle a little more to close sides down and have weak links - like Philippe Senderos at Arsenal. It is hard to see any weakness at the back from Chelsea.

I hope the English sides are kept apart in the last eight because recent games between the top sides have not been the best.

Look at last season's FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester United, or the Champions League semi-final when Chelsea played Liverpool. I can't imagine any all-English tie producing a lot of goals or excitement.

Of the other contenders, we know all about Barcelona but I fancy Roma as a dark horse. They are the form side in Serie A and were very impressive beating Real Madrid in the last 16. The Italian press believed they would get the job done and they delivered.

They have learned a lot after their 7-1 hiding at Old Trafford last season and look like a good bet to go all the way, particularly with the way Italian sides seem to step it up in the latter stages of competitions.

You don't want to write off a German side but Schalke hardly look exceptional, while Fenerbahce will be simply delighted to have made it as far as they have. It is a golden opportunity for an English side to win the Champions League."

* Paul Parker was talking to Alex Chick / Eurosport