The Valencia player Juan Bernat hopes that the team can get closer to Barcelona and Real Madrid

The Valencian player Juan Bernat, who plays for Bayern Munich, said that this season Valencia, the club where he trained, has the opportunity to get a little closer to Barcelona and Real Madrid if they maintain the great level shown during a good part of the last campaign.

This was indicated in statements to EFE just before leaving for China, where on Saturday he will participate in a preseason friendly match between his current team and Valencia, where he played until the end of the 2013-14 season.

"I have followed Valencia a lot during the past year, in which they had a great season. Although they suffered a bit in the end, they achieved their goal, which makes me very happy. Now I hope they will be in the Champions League after going through the qualifiers," continued the international defender.

Regarding the upcoming season, he insisted that competing with Barcelona and Real Madrid is "almost impossible", but he remembered that Atletico Madrid had managed to win the league and insisted that Valencia has the possibility of getting closer to these clubs.

This year, Bernat will be in his second season under Pep Guardiola's command after establishing himself last season at the German club, being the second most used player, behind goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and tied with forward Robert Lewandowski.

For this season, the Valencian player will try to improve his performance, despite believing that he adapted well in his first year in the Bundesliga.

"One of my goals is to fight to achieve as many titles as possible," he said, although he warns that it is still "too early to talk about them".

Despite his ambition, the left-back believes that not winning a title "is not a failure", although he admitted that "Bayern is a great club and always wins some title," so it would be "strange" to end the season empty-handed.

Bernat, who already knows what it feels like to win a Bundesliga, as he achieved it in his debut in the German competition, admitted that he is "very happy to have been able to achieve the first title as a professional at 22 years old" and he trusts that "it will be the first of many", he stated.

He also referred to his debut with the Spanish national team, for which he thanked the confidence that the coach Vicente del Bosque has given him and confirmed that his goal with the national team is "to remain in the plans of the coach", for which he will have to fight in his club to earn a place in the European Championship in France.

Regarding the generational change in the national team, he assured that there are "young players who are doing very well and who are making a lot of noise with their clubs and in the national team" and added that the goal is to "qualify" for the European Championship to try to repeat the successes that have occurred in Spanish football lately.

As for the friendly match that will be played next Saturday at the National Stadium in Beijing (China) against his former team, Bernat admitted feeling "very happy" to meet again with those he considers "more than just teammates" after fifteen years at Valencia and said it will be "an honor" to face them.