Turin, Feb 8 : Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio believes their hard fought win over Frosinone is good preparation for their crucial Serie A tie against league leaders Napoli on Saturday.
On Sunday, both Juventus and Napoli won as the former remained two points behind in the title race. Napoli registered a slender 1-0 win away against Carpi at the Stadio Matusa to fend off the defending champions.
And Marchisio admitted that the match against Maurizio Sarri's side at the Juventus Stadium may go a long way in deciding the league.
"We both enter the match in great form. They're ahead of us at present and we lost our first head-to-head at the San Paolo earlier in the season," Marchisio told juventus.com.
"So it's undoubtedly a very decisive match for us and one we can't afford to lose."
Talking about the match against Frosinone that saw two late goals from Juan Cuadrado and Paulo Dybala, the 30-year-old said that their patience paid off.
"Our strength lies in knowing that sooner or later a goal will come," Marchisio said. "We had chances in the first and second halves, but the most important thing was to win to ensure that we remain hot on the heels of Napoli ahead of next Saturday."
Coincidentally, Marchisio began his professional career a decade ago with a league match at home to Frosinone, shortly followed by a trip to Naples to face next weekend's opponents.
Commenting on his time as a player to date, the Italian international admitted there had been a few missing ingredients since emerging from the Bianconeri youth ranks all those years ago.
He concluded "I remember that match against Napoli in 2006 very fondly. When looking back at my career, I've been fortunate to realise my greatest dream: that of becoming a professional footballer.
"If anything is missing at all, I'd say the Champions League; it's an important trophy for the fans and also for us."
