Alex Ferguson backs Juventus to win the Champions League ahead of Barca and Madrid
Alex Ferguson believes Juventus have all the qualities required to challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid’s Champions League domination.
Between them the LaLiga rivals have won Europe’s elite club competition four times in the last six years, and the sides are favourites to challenge for the title again this season.
Atletico Madrid pushed their city rivals close in 2013-14 and last season but were unable to stop them moving onto 11 European crowns, while Juve were beaten in the 2014-15 final by Barca.
Bayern Munich and Chelsea are the only other teams to have won the Champions League in the last six seasons, and Ferguson expects the former to push for a sixth title under Carlo Ancelotti.
But it is Juve who the former Manchester United manager sees as the main rival to the Spanish clubs, having been particularly impressed with coach Massimiliano Allegri.
“Football is a matter of cycles, and at this time Barcelona and Real Madrid have something more than the others,” he is quoted as saying by the Gazzetta dello Sport.
“But I think that Juventus, like Bayern Munich, can be one of those teams capable of winning anything, even the Champions League.
“A strong point [for Juve] is Massimiliano Allegri, he is a great coach, another is the stadium, it is very beautiful and that is a rarity in Italy.”
Juve begin their Champions League campaign against Sevilla on September 14, with Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb also with them in Group H.
