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It's an old cliché. If a team plays in Europe on a Tuesday or a Wednesday they suffer a "hangover" the following weekend.

It is a cliché that has acted like a precursor to Liverpool FC's return to the Champions League this season and as a warning to Brendan Rodgers and his players as they prepare to make an assault on the Premier League, as well as competing in Europe's premier competition next term.

It is a warning that comes as an asterix on qualification to European competition, but is it true?

Are clubs' performances really affected by prior European competition?

Not exactly.

The Trinity Mirror data unit crunched the numbers and they looked at the results of Premier League clubs playing in the Champions League over the past five seasons. The data showed that the cliché may well be a myth.

Clubs competing in the Champions League have a 61% win ratio following a game in Europe - compared to a 59% win ratio on the weekend before the game.

The data unit also looked at the Europa League and discovered that this competition does have an impact on a team's performance.

Those clubs have a 47% win ration - but that's compared to a 44% win ratio before Europa League excursions.

So effectively, both times the clubs have improved after European competition, not suffered a hangover.

Myth busted.