Allegri says Juventus are not the favourites to win the Champions League
Juventus manager Max Allegri has dismissed reports claiming that the Old Lady are the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League this season.
Many pundits have backed Juventus to replicate their domestic dominance on the European front following Cristiano Ronaldo’s move to Turin back in the summer.
Allegri, however, is unimpressed with the hype created by the Italian media, with the Italian dismissing such claims as simply ‘crazy’.
Juventus travel to the Wanda Metropolitano to take on Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League on February 20.
“The Madrid match will be a good game but a very difficult one. Here, we are talking as if we just have to wait until June 1 to win the Champions League,” he said.
“It is a crazy thing and football and competitions like that don’t happen like that. Unexpected things are part of the norm and it isn’t like a 38-game league season, where you can afford some slips.
“Of course it is our goal to take it home but we aren’t among the mega favourites. That isn’t written anywhere. We have played in two finals in the last three years and we’d like to bring the cup back so hopefully, it will be a good year.”
Juventus return to action on Wednesday when they travel to Atalanta in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals.
