Juventus' Marchisio fired up after return from injury

Italian football champions Juventus' midfielder Claudio Marchisio has outlined his "great desire" and claimed that he is in the "best possible shape" after making a comeback from the left knee ligament surgery in April.

The 30-year-old played in Juventus' wins against Sampdoria and Napoli and was used cautiously by head coach Massimilano Allegri.

"It's been great to taste victory again with my team-mates. I need to train with a degree of caution because I'm returning from a long-term injury, but I'm delighted to be back playing," he told Juventus' website.

"I've a huge desire to give everything I've got for my colleagues, who've started the season before me. My return so far has been a positive one," Marchisio, who has been part of the Turin giants since 2006, added.

"I'm aware that it's not always easy to maintain energy levels to the maximum after injuries such as the one I had. But I'm focused on working hard every day to make sure that I'm in the best possible shape out on the pitch."

Juventus are four points clear at the top after 11 games in Serie A in their bid to become the first club to win six consecutive domestic league titles.

They are also sitting comfortably at the top of their group in the European Champions League. But Marchisio said they need to keep getting better.

"Each year and with every passing day we're looking to improve the way we play," the Juventus' second vice-captain noted.

"We're still at a relatively early stage in the season, but we need to keep raising the bar in order to make sure that we're in perfect shape for when we enter the business end of the campaign and face top-quality opposition."

Talking about their next match against French club Lyon here in the Champions League: he said: "It's a very important match. They're a great side, as we saw a couple of weeks ago when they gave us a tough game.

"We need to take advantage of the fact that we're playing at home and that three points would see us into the knockout stages."

--IANS

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