Diego Forlan says Juventus is one of the favourites to win this season’s Champions League despite their poor form in the league.

The Bianconeri have been struggling in Serie A, but they topped their Champions League group even though it had Chelsea in it.

That helped them to earn a considerably favourable draw against Villarreal in the round of 16.

The Spanish side is one of the unfancied clubs still left in the competition and they would be keen to make an impact in the fixture.

Forlan insists that in the history of the Champions League, clubs have won it or even gone far in the competition despite doing poorly in their local leagues.

He said via Football Italia: “Very often we make the mistake of evaluating teams based on their performance in the national leagues. History teaches us that the Champions League has been won by clubs that were struggling at home, we can give several examples of this.

“As I said, Juve’s history and tradition are always to be respected and taken into account. For me they are always to be considered as one of the favourites for the final victory.”

Juve FC Says

The Champions League is a different ball game when compared to domestic leagues.

On Champions League nights, a club that is struggling domestically could turn up and deliver some fine performances.

That is why upsets are readily available in the different rounds of the competition.

Juve will be keen to ensure they remain focused on both legs and avoid Villarreal getting the upper hand from the first match.

If we can beat a tricky opponent like them, we can go far in the competition.