Claudio Marchisio Missing Bayern Munich Tie a Major Blow to Juventus Hopes

When the whistle blows at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday evening, Claudio Marchisio will arguably be the one man most eager to see Juventus overcome Bayern Munich. Born in Turin, the midfielder has been with the Bianconeri since 1993, comfortably making him the longest-serving player in the current squad.

Sadly for all concerned, he will miss the match with a calf injury and has been ruled out for 20 days according to the club's official website, a desperate blow for both the team and Marchisio himself, so important is he to their tactical approach.

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Over the course of his time with Juventus, he has experienced incredible peaks and troughs, from being part of the side that was relegated in the aftermath of the 2006 Calciopoli scandal to a member of the starting XI for last season’s UEFA Champions League final against Barcelona.

In the intervening years, Marchisio has won four Serie A titles, the Coppa Italia and three Supercoppa Italiana crowns over the course of 337 appearances for Juventus in which he has netted an impressive 35 goals.

Recent seasons have seen an alteration in his style of play, the 30-year-old going from an all-action box-to-box midfielder to a calculated passer at the heart of head coach Massimiliano Allegri’s side.

According to statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com, Marchisio has made an average of 67.5 passes per game this season, a sharp rise from his 2013/14 mark of 37.2.

Claudio Marchisio stats via WhoScored.com

Always a diligent and tactically aware player, the same source shows his number of tackles has remained consistent—2.2 per game in both 2013/14 and 2015/16—while his interceptions have risen from 1.4 to 2.9 per match.

The shift began last season as Allegri opted to deploy him as a deep-lying playmaker when Andrea Pirlo was out injured, and that has continued this term after the bearded genius joined Major League Soccer side New York City FC.

His performances in the role saw Marchisio rewarded with a new contract that expires in 2020, with club president Andrea Agnelli praising the player as he proudly announced the deal at a press conference in July last year:

"

Claudio’s is the dream that every kid wants to have. He joined Juve at the age of seven, rose through the academy ranks, became part of the first team and has also worn the captain’s armband. Claudio’s already a legend: his shirt is in the museum and he’s up there alongside the Bianconeri greats.

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The Italy international has continued to improve this term, with the side improving markedly when Marchisio returned to action in October following his own injury lay-off. Indeed, Juventus have lost just once in his 28 2015/16 appearances—a 1-0 reverse away to Sevilla—notching a staggering 22 victories and five draws in the remaining matches.

His influence was visible in their most recent outing, helping the Bianconeri to a narrow 1-0 victory over Sassuolo on Friday evening.

As the graphic in the tweet below highlights, Marchisio was a strong defensive presence as he registered four tackles, four interceptions and one clearance in his 90 minute display.

Always providing an outlet to his team-mates, the midfielder also connected with 45 of his 56 pass attempts (80.4 percent) and completed each of his three take-ons.

That win allowed Juve to maintain their lead over Napoli at the top of the Serie A standings, but—speaking to Sky Sports Italia and Mediaset Premium—Marchisio quickly moved on to focus on Wednesday’s mammoth Champions League task (h/t Juventus.com):

"

Bayern are an excellent side but our revival this season and the way we have improved in Europe in the last few years show that we are too.

There is plenty to learn from the first leg: we saw firsthand just how good they are but the second half proved that we have what it takes to reach the quarter-finals. Overturning a two-goal deficit like that was no mean feat.

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Going on to note that both teams have “brilliant squads,” he added that Juventus “have to go to Munich looking to win,” but there is little doubt that without Marchisio, the chance of upsetting the Bundesliga giants has faded somewhat.