Juve chief delighted to be back among elite

By FOX Sports staff

Juve, who won the Serie A title for the first time since 2003 last term, are currently also challenging to win the UEFA Champions League, with an enticing quarter-final clash against Bayern Munich to come in the next couple of weeks.

While Marotta admits it is heartening to see the Bianconeri reclaim their place among Europe's top clubs, especially following the Calciopoli scandal in 2006 which saw them relegated to Serie B, he insists retaining the Scudetto remains high on their list of priorities.

"We feel pride and satisfaction at reclaiming our place among the most important European clubs," he said on the club's official website. "But also absolute determination to reclaim our Scudetto title.

"Last season we just had the championship [to focus on], whereas this year we've also got the Champions League. The most difficult aspect is managing the group on a physical and psychological level."

Despite a healthy nine-point lead at the top of the table, the Juve chief was quick to warn against complacency, although he conceded progress in Europe's premier club competition is a completely different proposition.

"There are still 27 points to play for in the league and we'll need to sustain our good form," Marotta added.

"Perhaps there's a little more luck involved in the Champions League, because incidents can play an important role over 180 minutes.

"The Bayern clash, however, will be very useful to work out our strength and at what point we are at."

Following the international break, Juve return to action on March 30 with a trip to rivals Inter Milan, before travelling to Munich for the first leg of their last-eight clash three days later.