Massimiliano Allegri has already labelled Barcelona as a clear favourite to win the 2018/19 Champions League and he is sticking with that prediction despite the fact the Catalan club have been struggling in LaLiga Santander.
The Juventus coach pointed out that current form doesn't matter so much and that the most important thing is who reaches the knockout stages playing well.
"I think when we evaluate teams we shouldn't look too much at what they're doing right now," he said at a press conference on Monday.
"I said last year that Real Madrid were the favourites to win the Champions League and I wasn't wrong.
"For this Champions League, Barcelona are the favourites for me.
"But there are two or three teams just behind and we're there.
"There are expectations surrounding us because of the arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo, who has won the Champions League multiple times."
He spoke about Juventus' current form, dismissing the suggestion that the Serie A title race is over and also discussing their European ambitions.
"There are lots of matches to go and it's always open given that there are three points per win," he said.
"As for the Champions League, we need to go step by step.
"We'll try to earn a victory [against Valencia] to top the group.
"We are playing against a team that has 10 matches where they've not conceded goals.
"They'll do whatever they can to earn a result.
"We shouldn't sleep as we did against Manchester United."
Juventus currently have nine points in Group H, ahead of the seven of Manchester United and the five of Valencia.