Vialli backs Juventus for Champions League glory

Gianluca Vialli believes Juventus are Champions League favourites this season after assembling the strongest squad in Europe.

Juve have not lifted European club football's top prize since 1996, when Vialli captained the Bianconeri to a penalty shoot-out victory over Ajax in Rome.

Under Massimiliano Allegri, Juve have reached two of the last four Champions League finals, only to be beaten by Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Three games into the 2018-19 competition, Juve are sitting pretty with nine points in Group H after wins over Valencia, Young Boys and most recently Manchester United.

"Juve are the strongest team in Europe," Vialli told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I'm not just talking about the starters but also the squad depth.

"Sometimes you look at the players they have on the bench and you're amazed. The club did so well, they've added Cristiano Ronaldo to a structure that allowed them to win in Italy and to reach two Champions League finals in four years.

"Let's just say the team 22 years ago had the merit of winning the Champions League, but in everything else this team has superior quality, simply because they can field one of the best players in the world.

"Allegri has two teams at his disposal. [Vialli's boss Marcello] Lippi had a granite block, we were solid, tactically prepared and at the peak of our powers.

"But Marcello didn't have CR7. Now that [Zinedine] Zidane isn't working, Allegri is better than anyone. The results say that."