Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has expressed his belief that his side can win the Champions League this season.
The Italian giants have been absent from Europe's premier competition since 2009 and have only featured three times in the last seven seasons - a meagre tally for the seven-time finalists.
However, tomorrow's match against reigning champions Chelsea will mark their return to the competition, and Buffon believes that the Blues' success last season proved that the best team don't always win.
"Before Chelsea won the Champions League, in the previous years, they were always the team to beat and they always failed. And then, when they started struggling, when they were in a declining phase, that's when they actually won the Champions League. What's beautiful about football is that it's not always the team that's considered the stronger one that's actually going to win," said the veteran keeper.
"Obviously, we're an emerging team at the moment. We've got many young players but they're all coming up strongly.
"It's a team that's got a great future and, regardless of the fact that you definitely need experience in the Champions League, we also take into consideration that many of our players have also played international games with their national squad and they've got experience, confidence, and I think you can probably put on the same level playing international games with playing in the Champions League. So, in that respect, we think we're at a very good point at the moment."
Buffon, 34, was part of the Juventus side that lost the Champions League final on penalties to AC Milan in 2003.
