Lazio v Juventus: Marchisio ready for tough trip

​Juventus are ready for an intimidating atmosphere when they travel to the Stadio Olimpico to face Lazio on Saturday.

Serie A champions Juve overcame the disappointment of suffering a first league defeat since March at Genoa last month by bouncing back with back-to-back victories.

Massimiliano Allegri’s side claimed a routine 2-0 win at Empoli before thrashing Parma 7-0 last time out.

However, Juve midfielder Claudio Marchisio is wary of the threat posed by a Lazio team who are in good form themselves having lost just one of their last seven Serie A fixtures.

“Is the challenge of Olimpico a trap? Yes it’s true, and then after the international break it’s always very difficult, regardless of your opponents,” Marchisio told Il Messaggero.

“You never know how to return from international duty.

“It will be a tough away match, Lazio can hurt us. We will find ourselves in a tough environment, against a great team who are tough, competitive, well-trained and are doing very well.

“We aren’t just going on a trip, we want the three points.”

Lazio will undoubtedly hope that Juve have one eye on next week’s crucial UEFA Champions League meeting with Malmo, with the Turin’s club’s hopes of reaching the last 16 of Europe’s premier club competition hanging in the balance.

Juve have not lost at Lazio on their last nine Serie A visits to the OIimpico, though, but did need a Fernando Llorente equaliser to snatch a point after Gianluigi Buffon had been sent off in the corresponding fixture last season.

Since that game in January, Lazio have lost just two home league matches.

And while forward Filip Djordjevic knows they face a tough task this weekend, he is keen to continue that impressive run.

“They [Juventus’ players] are all quality players,” he told Sky Sport Italia. “They are the best in Italy and we are motivated to do well.

“It is a tough game, but we want to win because we are at home.”

Juve will hope to have Andrea Pirlo and Angelo Ogbonna back after the duo sustained injuries during the international break, while Kwadwo Asamoah and Patrice Evra are close to full recovery after knee and thigh issues.

Lazio coach Stefano Pioli, meanwhile, is boosted by the return of Stefan Radu.