Marchisio eager to lower Napoli morale

Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio hopes his team can deal Napoli a ‘psychological blow’ when they meet on Saturday.

Unbeaten in 46 Serie A games, Juventus host Napoli in a blockbuster top-of-the-table clash which Marchisio is eagerly anticipating.

The Italy international said Napoli had grown a lot over the past few years, but believes Juve are the better side overall.

“In a single game, anything can happen, but we’re superior to Napoli on the long term,” Marchisio told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“We have the better players, a more impressive history and are used to winning.

“We have to stay alert, though. They are a team on the rise and showed in the Coppa Italia final what they can do.

“We want to beat them in order to deal their morale a blow. The title race is still long, but it would be a psychological blow for them if we grab the full three points.”

Juventus and Napoli sit joint top of the league on 19 points from seven matches ahead of the clash in Turin.