Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have cashed in on a £36million bonanza by reaching the knockout stage of the Champions League.
The three English clubs are the top earners among their European rivals and according to a new study each could double their income from prize money, TV cash, merchandise, sponsorship and ticket sales by winning the tournament.
Professor Simon Chadwick, who carried out the research into Champions League income for tournament sponsors MasterCard, said: "Few people realise that UEFA has increased prize revenues for the UEFA Champions League this season quite significantly and, coming out of a downturn, that is a real boost to clubs.
"Over a calendar year, our research suggests that the UEFA Champions League is worth as much as six billion euros (£5.3billion) to the European economy, with England, Italy and Spain enjoying the greatest economic boost in the last 12 months."
That means that the annual UEFA Champions League 'economy' is comparable to the last FIFA World Cup finals in Germany.
The draw will be see the sides that finished top of their group - including Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United - paired with a runner-up.
That means there is a good chance of another encounter between an English club and Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side.
Mourinho's Inter crossed swords with Sir Alex Ferguson's United at the same stage last season but ended up losing 2-0 in the second leg after a goalless draw at the San Siro.
Among other possible opponents, Inter's city neighbours AC Milan have plenty of European Cup pedigree, although they are having some struggles this season.
Bayern Munich and Lyon, who effectively put paid to Liverpool's European campaign, will also be ones to avoid.
The two Spanish giants - reigning champions Barcelona and group stage top-scorers Real Madrid - also topped their groups meaning there is no possible clash with Cristiano Ronaldo before the quarter-finals.
Bordeaux, the club with most parsimonious defence and most points from their group, are also out of the equation until the quarter-finals.
£36million for Arsenal, Chelsea and United | ESPNSTAR.com
