Gigi Buffon said “it’s a Champions League semi-final level of difficulty” between Juventus and Bayern Munich.
The first leg in the Champions League Round of 16 kicks off on Tuesday at 19.45 GMT.
“I expect a very complicated game, because we respect Bayern, consider them a very strong side with no weaknesses.
“However, we too are growing and on this journey of victories over the last four or five years have found a certain solidity in Europe too.
Gigi Buffon said “it’s a Champions League semi-final level of difficulty” between Juventus and Bayern Munich.
The first leg in the Champions League Round of 16 kicks off on Tuesday at 19.45 GMT.
“I expect a very complicated game, because we respect Bayern, consider them a very strong side with no weaknesses.
“However, we too are growing and on this journey of victories over the last four or five years have found a certain solidity in Europe too.
“Compared to three years ago, we reach this encounter more aware of our own strengths and the Bayern quality too. When we met them three years ago, we thought it was perhaps a simpler task than it proved to be, as they turned out to be practically unbeatable.
“We lost 2-0 home and away, but despite people shouting at us, that wasn’t a bad result considering sides like Barcelona were beaten by three or four goals.
“Much like Juve, Bayern have been dominant on home turf, but unlike us they have always been among the two or three contenders for the trophy in Europe too.
“When things went badly, they always stopped at the semi-finals, so hardly a collapse. This means that in five or six years they have earned their place on at least the podium of Europe’s best teams.
“We realise that, but a good objective is to play the second leg with a good chance of qualifying. That in itself would be gratifying. This is the Round of 16, but the difficulty level is a semi-final.
“Just having two balanced encounters would be satisfying and confirmation of the good work we’ve done.”
Juventus saw their 15-round Serie A winning streak terminated on Friday by a 0-0 away to Bologna.
“I’ve never seen a team that wins indefinitely and that’s good, because the joy of sport is that every game starts from 0-0 and you have to find the energy to overcome obstacles. The other good thing is that the next test is always a new opportunity, and what more stimulating challenge than facing Bayern Munich?”
If Juve failed to win the Scudetto or progress in Europe, would this season be considered a failure?
“We’ve got the Coppa Italia and have already won the Super Cup, so it wouldn’t be that bad! In my view you need to evaluate everything, as if a side like Juventus were to play a balanced game with Bayern – whether we qualify or not is another matter – and fight to the end with Napoli after a six-round handicap, I don’t think it’d be a disaster.
“I’ve seen many goalkeepers over this long career and to be honest I’ve been fortunate enough to admire some very solid goalkeepers with great reliability and quality.
“Manuel Neuer is among them and is a goalkeeper who plays in a very brave manner, that is undeniable. He is a key figure. Of course when I talk about goalkeepers I think of Iker Casillas, Petr Cech, Oliver Kahn and others, so we need to evaluate many elements and not just this moment in time.”
Buffon has conceded only one goal in 2016.
“I will admit I had noticed I haven’t conceded a goal in a while… This means we have a great movement in defence, which is different to just having a great defence or goalkeeper. It helps to have individuals who are reliable and top quality, but as they say when you concede few goals it’s because the entire team is working to neutralise the opposition attacks.
“Something does certainly change whether it’s three or four at the back. When it’s four, I play more with my feet, whereas in three Leo Bonucci takes my role in that sense.”