Barcelona keeper Victor Valdes said on Monday his side's chances to retain the UEFA Champions League title didn't get any better after the dismissal of Juventus and AC Milan from the tournament. Juventus and Milan were found guilty in the sports fraud scandal and both of them won't be featured in next season's Champions League competition. "Of course Juventus and Milan are difficult sides to beat, they've always reached the competition's final stages and everybody will feel their absence," Valdes told El Mundo Deportivo. "However, I'm sure that there'll be other rising teams who will make it difficult for us." With Juventus playing in the second division next year, Barcelona are already linked to land some of the Italian team stars including defenders Gianluca Zambrotta and Lilian Thuram. "They are two great players who have played at the highest levels, and it'd be great if they can join Barcelona," Valdes said. Despite enjoying a great success last season after securing both the Spanish title and the Champions League trophy, Valdes insists that Barcelona have to get better this season. "We did very well last year. Yet, we weren't able to achieve some goals, so we should improve this season," he said.
