Juventus manager Fabio Cappello said: "Liverpool won the European Cup and they should have the right to defend their trophy.
"The champions should be involved but I think they should have to qualify like Brazil have to qualify for next year's World Cup."
Juventus players agree with their boss. Pavel Nedved said: "Everyone wants to see how Liverpool go about defending the title. Everyone wants Liverpool to be in it and of course everyone wants to beat the defending champions."
And Del Peiro added: "In my opinion, Liverpool should be able to defend their cup. They must be let in."