Marchisio respects fighting Palermo

Claudio Marchisio expects a challenge when his Juventus side face Palermo next weekend in search of the point they need to secure the Scudetto.

The Old Lady are now on the verge of retaining the title after a 2-0 win over Torino in the derby on Sunday.

“Aside from the goal I scored, I’m happy about the victory which takes us to within a whisker of lifting the title,” the midfielder noted.

“We’ve now got the opportunity to celebrate the Scudetto with our fans at home, even though we’ll be up against a Palermo side fighting for survival.”

Juve left it late to wrap up the points at the Stadio Olimpico in Turin yesterday afternoon.

“It was a similar game to this season’s first encounter,” added the Italian international. “We also had difficulty in breaking the deadlock at the Juventus Stadium...

“It was the same again this time around, but then we managed to score and claim the points by showing great character.”

Palermo are launching a late attempt to stay up after winning three and drawing two of their last five games.