Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio has called on his teammates to stay focused during Tuesday's crucial clash at home to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

The Italian champions need to avoid defeat if they want to join their Spanish counterparts in the last 16.

Marchisio believes that Juve must reach the next round of the competition if they want to consider themselves as one of Europe's elite sides.

"We've got to be very focused because regardless of the group standings, it's not going to be easy," he is quoted as saying by UEFA.com. "We've got to think of this game now as it's very important and we want to go through, whether it be as first or second in the group. We want to be among the elite in Europe and this is our objective.

"We've worked a lot and hard these months to get to this point – the most important game of the year – and we can't get anything wrong now. Fortunately we're at home and have our fans on our side and we're ready for this big game."

Juventus failed to get beyond the group phase last season, winning just one of their six matches.