Juventus director Beppe Marotta backed Antonio Conte’s radical changes against Real Madrid, but sees “mental fatigue.”

The Bianconeri have switched to a 4-3-1-2 system at the Bernabeu this evening, shelving his usual three-man defence. Click here for the line-ups.

“This is a top game, so everyone is fired up, from the club and fans to the players,” director general Marotta told Sky Sport Italia.

“The difficult thing of the last few days was forgetting the defeat to Fiorentina, but these things happen. We have turned over a new leaf to reach this important page of our campaign.”

Martin Caceres makes his first appearance since August, while Angelo Ogbonna also receives a very rare start.

“The decision came from evaluating the devastating strength of our opponents, but also the psychological aspect of which XI to field. Conte did that with conscience and care.

“I don’t want to get into the tactical issues too much, as those decisions are down to the Coach. Caceres is returning from an injury and Ogbonna hasn’t played recently, but they are both in good shape and can provide guarantees.”

Marotta was asked why Juventus are dropping so many points in both Serie A and the Champions League.

“This team is paying psychologically for two years of being out in front, but also that many of these players are called up for international duty, so there is mental fatigue. That is true of all teams with many internationals.

“We are going through an unusual moment where things aren’t going very well in terms of goals conceded, that is just a statistical fact. I think it is primarily a psychological issue.”