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The former Real Madrid boss believes the departures of key players will stop Juve replicating the exploits of last season in Europe, but a title charge is still on the cards.
As a Goal columnist, Carlo Ancelotti will provide his expertise and insight on this season’s Champions League through an exclusive series of columns and videos.
Carlo Ancelotti has written off Juventus' chances of going all the way in this season's Champions League following the summer departures of Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo.
The Bianconeri reached the final last term, losing 3-1 to Barcelona in Berlin, but have started the current season terribly after losing three of their key men.
"I think it’s going to be really hard for them to reach the final again as they have lost so many good players," Ancelotti told Goal.
"They signed a number of very good and young talented players who will surely do well, but they need time to understand the system. That’s why I think they won’t reach the final like last year."
Although they are well placed to reach the Champions League knockouts, Juventus are currently languishing in 10th position in Serie A after 11 games - already nine points behind joint league leaders Fiorentina and Inter.
However, Ancelotti insists the Bianconeri can re-enter the race for the Scudetto - even if he believes Roma are the favourites to take the crown this season.
"I do not think Juventus are out of the fight for the Scudetto," he stressed.
"It is a strange and very balanced championship this season. The average points won will be lower than usual and for this reason I think Juve still have time to recover.
“The team that has the best chance of winning the title is Roma because their offense is probably the most dangerous. I think [despite their win over Roma on Saturday] Inter will still have some issues because they changed a lot this summer and it’s not easy to get all the new players on the same page.
"Then there is Napoli, who have started very well the season. I think Napoli can only improve further. The players are learning Maurizio Sarri’s system and will do better as they get to know it. I like Sarri’s philosophy because it’s an attacking one."
Ancelotti says he would reject the chance to return to Juventus should the struggling giants approach him to replace under-pressure coach Massimiliano Allegri.
The ex-Real Madrid boss, who is currently unemployed after departing the Santiago Bernabeu this summer, coached Juventus from 1999 until 2001.
He has been linked with a potential return to Turin following the Bianconeri's worst start to a domestic season in almost 30 years.
"What if Juve approach me? It is natural there is talk about me going back to Italy, but I have already been there [at Juve]," Ancelotti said. "Also, I am attached to one team only in Italy [AC Milan].
"At Juve I had a good experience and I got on well with directors Luciano Moggi and Antonio Giraudo. There was a nice atmosphere and I got to understand how important the relationship is between a club and its coach.
"But I prefer an experience abroad as my next job. I had a very good time in England and appreciated the environment, the stadiums and the respect from fans. I would love to go back to England."
Ancelotti also compared three of the big name presidents he has worked under during his coaching career - AC Milan's Silvio Berlusconi, Chelsea's Roman Abramovich and Real Madrid's Florentino Perez.
"The thing they have in common is they all love football," he explained.
"The differences are that Perez and Berlusconi were born with a team in their heart. Abramovich became fond of Chelsea later. Perez and Berlusconi are more fanatical about the game, while Abramovich is a little more detached."
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