Saint Petersburg's "Zenit" defender Domenico Criscito believes that this season in the UEFA Champions League, "Barcelona" will triumph once again. The Catalans lifted the Champions League trophy last year by defeating Turin's "Juventus" in the final with a score of 3-1, but as history shows, it will be harder for them to win trophies this year - no team has successfully defended the title since 1992. However, the Italian believes that his team can also reach the final, which would help him break into the national team for this summer's European Championship. The 29-year-old footballer missed the 2012 championship due to a betting scandal, but the allegations against him were later dropped. "I hope to go far in this tournament and that this attention will help me return to the national team," - Criscito told Goal.com. "It is one of the main goals that I set at the beginning of the season. I hope to achieve it because I really care about Azzurri." "I would like to distance myself from past misunderstandings and start everything anew and experience that feeling again that only these tournaments can provide." "However, in the Champions League, there are truly excellent teams with exceptional players. I believe that 'Barcelona' will once again win the tournament because they are simply on another level." Criscito also wished good luck to Turin's "Juventus" and "Roma" clubs, playing against Munich's "Bayern" and Madrid's "Real" respectively. The defender said that he would gladly escape to the pitch in his homeland in the further stages.
