Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has insisted that the Premier League is still the best domestic competition in the world.

The Gunners, Manchester City and Manchester United all lost the first legs of their respective last-16 Champions League ties, with only Chelsea avoiding defeat as they claimed a draw from their trip to Turkey to face Galatasaray on Wednesday.

However, Wenger believes that the bottom half of the league table gives a clear indication that the Premier League is still ahead of its European rivals.

"I honestly think the Premier League is the most difficult in the world because it is the league where the level is really good from the first to the 20th position," Wenger told journalists in a press conference.

"It's the only league in Europe that has that. After that, there are 10 others teams in Europe who can beat the Premier League teams.

"Everyone has the right to have an opinion, but I maintain that the Premier League is [the best]."

Earlier this week, Roy Keane suggested that the Premier League had slipped behind other leagues.