Nedved: 'Juventus are surely among UCL favourites'

Juventus Vice-President Pavel Nedved admits they are one of “the Champions League favourites” and calls Cristiano Ronaldo “a leader.”

“There are always four or five favourites for the Champions League at the start of the season. This year we are in that group and we won’t hide from it,” Nedved told Sky Sport Italia.

“We hope to be ready, as Champions League nights are always wonderful experiences. The other contenders are the usual suspects: Barcelona started very strong, Real Madrid are the title holders, then there’s PSG and Manchester City.

“The Champions League is an unpredictable tournament, so we have to be ready for anything. A single game can change it all.”

Max Allegri left Paulo Dybala and Douglas Costa on the bench this evening, while Rodrigo Bentancur is in the stands.

“There are always difficult choices for the Coach, but he works the best way for the club and for all of us. We want to go far and also play good football.”

The main reason why Juventus got a lot more international attention was the arrival of Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid.

“He is a leader without even saying a word and the Number 1 player in the world,” continued Nedved.

“You can see from the way he trains, he leads his teammates and makes them give more. We are all very happy with how the season has started.”