Claudio Marchisio has failed to rule out Juventus” data-scaytid=”2″>Juventus as serious contenders for the 2012-13 Champions League.
The Old Lady will return to the competition after winning Serie A last term and the midfielder is in optimistic mood.
Claudio Marchisio has failed to rule out Juventus as serious contenders for the 2012-13 Champions League.
The Old Lady will return to the competition after winning Serie A last term and the midfielder is in optimistic mood.
“We’ll be in the third pot of seeds so we run the risk of being drawn into a really difficult group,” Marchisio told the Gazzetta dello Sport.
“However, it will be up to us to believe. With the hunger that we showed last season, nothing is impossible.”
Juve were the revelation side in the championship last term by going undefeated in the League and only losing in the Italian Cup Final versus Napoli.
“Now we have to defend our Scudetto, even if we have the Italian Super Cup against Napoli first,” he added.
“I’m going into the new campaign having won the title and having played in two Finals – those for the Coppa Italia and the European Championship.
“That was an important step for Juventus and now the next one is the transfer market. Players with quality, quantity and character have arrived.”
Italian football has been accused of becoming weaker after the sales of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva to Paris Saint-Germain.
“Rather than Serie A as a whole, Milan have become poorer,” he added. “However, we still have to keep an eye on them.
“Napoli too, even without Ezequiel Lavezzi, are strong, and we’ll have to watch out for Inter and Roma, who will make a good start under Zdenek Zeman.”
Marchisio is one of the outfit’s new flag bearers after Alessandro Del Piero left the outfit. “We’ll miss him,” the 26-year-old added.
“His No 10 shirt? The club and the Coach will decide who gets it, but I’m very attached to my No 8…”