Marchisio: The Champions League is the most important competition

Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio was relieved but suitably delighted after the Bianconeri secured their passage into the Champions League knockout stages with a home victory against Manchester City.

An early Mario Mandzukic finish was enough to seal all three points come the final whistle, but the match was altogether a tense affair with the two group favourites battling to finish the night in top spot.

“It wasn’t easy, we could have closed the game off but also they could have hurt us at any time,” reflected the Italian to Premium Sport.

“We are continuing on the right track, we remained concentrated right up until the 90th minute.”

Juventus endured a very poor start to the season but have seen a positive upward movement in their form recently.

“Our new arrivals at Juventus must understand that the Champions League is the competition that matters most in the world.”

The Bianconeri reached the final of last year’s competition, but lost out to Barcelona, who thrashed Roma 6-1 on Tuesday.