Former Juventus winger Massimo Mauro concedes the Bianconeri are not the favourite to win the Champions League ‘but the same was true of Chelsea last season…’
The Bianconeri host Villarreal in the second leg of the Champions League Round of 16 in Turin tomorrow. They picked up a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Spain three weeks ago.
Giorgio Chiellini said last week that Juventus believe they can lift the trophy in May although they are not the best team in Europe. Ex-Bianconeri winger Massimo Mauro shares the defender’s opinion and urges Max Allegri’s men to follow the example offered by Chelsea last season.
“Juventus lost two finals against Barcelona and Real Madrid, who were the best teams in Europe at that time,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Bayern Munich won more recently, but they were not the best team and the same goes for Chelsea last season. Tuchel’s team was not the best but didn’t play worse than their opponents, including Pep Guardiola’s Man City in the Final.
“Chelsea were not among the favourites. Perhaps, they were in the top eight. But they were concrete and managed to go all the way through. They proved that a perfect defence is the key to overturning predictions.
“Juventus can do the same, but they really need to be perfect at the back.”
But who are the favourites to win the competition this season?
“I see Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Real Madrid. History, personality and tradition count in the Champions League. Somebody else can be included in the race and I hope for Italian football that it will be Juventus.”
The Bianconeri are the best Serie A team in 2022, with 22 points collected in ten league games. They will be looking for their first qualification in the Champions League quarter-finals in three years as they were eliminated in the Round of 16 in the last two campaigns under Maurizio Sarri and Andrea Pirlo.
Mauro: "Champions, la Juve non è tra le favorite. Ma neanche il Chelsea lo era…" https://t.co/pFYQJdgpFU
— La Gazzetta dello Sport (@Gazzetta_it) March 15, 2022