Chelsea boss Antonio Conte says it takes luck to win the Champions League in light of Liverpool's surprising run to the competition's final this season.
Conte has never reached the semifinal stage of Europe's biggest club tournament but has a number of league titles on his resume, including last year's Premier League.
When asked, the former Juventus manager told reporters on Friday that league campaigns better reward deserving teams.
"I think that, in the league, you have 38 games to show you deserve to win the league. To show you are the best during the season," Conte said.
"In the Champions League, when you reach the last 16 or quarterfinals or semifinals, one situation -- positive or negative -- can change your future in this competition. For this reason, I think that to win the Champions League you must be more lucky.
"You must be good to deserve it, but at the same time you must be lucky. One referee's decision can settle your future totally. In the league, over 38 games, usually the team who deserves to win it wins it.
"Luck is always important in every competition, but when you have the possibility to play 38 games you can show you are the best. In a little tournament, like the FA Cup or EFL Cup or Champions League or Europa League, sometimes one decision can move your future.
"Sometimes you are lucky or you are unlucky."
Liverpool narrowly advanced past Roma at the UCL semifinal stage 7-6 on aggregate earlier this week, buoyed by a blistering 5-2 victory at Anfield in the first leg.
The final berth is Jurgen Klopp's second as a coach and first at Liverpool, who visit Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Speaking of his counterpart, Conte said: "For sure, we are talking about a coach who is showing in every moment great passion for football.
"I have great respect for Jurgen. You can see that he's present during the game. He wants to help his players during the game. You can see that he's always present, in a positive or negative situation, so I have great respect for him.
"But every coach has his own style to follow the game. Every coach wants to try to pick the best situation to follow his team."