Marchisio wary of Manchester City ´backlash´

Claudio Marchisio has warned his Juventus team-mate not to underestimate Manchester City ahead of Wednesday’s Champions League encounter in Turin.

The Premier League side were beaten 4-1 by Liverpool at the weekend, and have already qualified for the knockout stages, but Marchisio thinks their surprise defeat will only serve as motivation to get back to winning ways as soon as possible.

“Manchester City suffered a heavy defeat in the league so we’ll have to be wary of any potential backlash,” the Italy international said at a news conference.

“We’ll give it everything we’ve got and fight all the way to claim top spot in our group. We’ve maintained our consistency from last season’s Champions League run.

“They’ve got real strength in depth, it will be a difficult game irrespective of who plays.”

Juventus have lost just one out of their last 10 games in all competitions after a disappointing start to the season and Marchsio is pleased with the way they have bounced back.

“We needed to knuckle down and work hard and now we’re doing what was required: stringing together a run of wins,” he added.

Juventus sit second in Group D ahead of Wednesday’s game with eight points from four games, trailing leaders City by one point.