Giorgio Chiellini acknowledged there are “big expectations” around Juventus, but the trip to Valencia is an ideal wake-up call.
It kicks off on Wednesday at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT), in a group with Manchester United and Young Boys.
“I certainly feel proud and over the years I’ve seen more or less everything here. We have grown exponentially in recent years,” said the man who replaced Gigi Buffon as captain of both Juventus and Italy.
Giorgio Chiellini acknowledged there are “big expectations” around Juventus, but the trip to Valencia is an ideal wake-up call.
It kicks off on Wednesday at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT), in a group with Manchester United and Young Boys.
“I certainly feel proud and over the years I’ve seen more or less everything here. We have grown exponentially in recent years,” said the man who replaced Gigi Buffon as captain of both Juventus and Italy.
“I do speak to Buffon regularly, but it’s to remain as friends and not to ask for advice. I can’t wait to see him back playing in the Champions League.
“Tomorrow will be a very complicated match and a truly difficult test awaits us, because few teams win at the Mestalla. There are big expectations around us and we feel stronger than in previous years, but then we have to do our talking on the pitch.
“We feel stronger than before and have done every year, but that’s a long way from being favourites for the Champions League. We know full well the difficulties of this tournament and it’ll be a good taste tomorrow for those who aren’t yet sure what it’s like.
“There are at least five or six teams on our level, and anything can happen in the head-to-head clashes. Last season Roma and Liverpool got to the final four and nobody thought they were among the favourites.
“We believe, the way we always do, but we also know the difficulties. It’s all about the form of the various sides in March. For a team like ours, with our experience, we can’t talk about extra pressure. We must prove on the field that we’ve grown, that we have reached the level necessary to win the trophy.
“It’s not an obsession, though. Our strength has always been balance and that is what we must rely on going forward.”
Douglas Costa has been given a four-match Serie A ban for spitting at Sassuolo winger Federico Di Francesco. Did Chiellini tell the Brazilian off in his role as captain?
“Not as a captain, no. We are just close to him, as over the year he has always behaved well with us. He knows he got it wrong, he apologised and will pay the price, but he shouldn’t be crucified.
“He made a mistake and everyone makes mistakes. He understood that and we hope he can help us out during the month in the Champions League. He’s a lovely lad, he just lost his head.”