'The Premier League is the best in the world', says Burnley midfielder Jack Cork ahead of European finals

With all four European finalists coming from England, including Cork's former club Chelsea, the 29-year-old believes the proof is in the pudding.

The English have conquered the continent this season and, for the first time in history, the final four across both competitions are from the same country.

Maurizio Sarri's side meet Arsenal in the Europa League showpiece in Azerbaijan capital Baku, at the Olympic Stadium, on Wednesday evening while Liverpool take on Spurs in the Champions League finale, staged at The Estadio Metropolitano, home to Atletico Madrid, on Saturday.

"The league keeps changing and it keeps progressing; the athleticism of the players and the quality keeps going up," said Cork.

"The Premier League is the strongest at the minute. That's really clear to see. With the two teams at the top of the league, on 97 and 98 points, it proves how strong they are.

"If you look below them the teams are in the European finals. It's difficult to get results against the top sides but we've given them a run for their money every time we've played them.

"About 10 years ago you could go to teams like Man City and other top teams and have a lot of the ball. That's not the case anymore, they dominate the ball and they've got players who do a lot of running now.

"The standard has gone up and you can see that from the four teams that are in the European Cup finals.

"It's the Premier League, you're playing against some of the best football players in the world."