Marchisio picks ‘favourite’ Juventus striker and compares Yildiz to Lamine Yamal | OneFootball

Juventus legend Claudio Marchisio believes that Juventus’s mental strength got them through their 4-4 draw with Borussia Dortmunt in the Champions League, believes that Dusan Vlahovis is the club’s strongest centre-forward and has compared Turkish talent Kenan Yildiz to Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal.

The former Bianconeri and Italy midfielder spoke in depth to La Gazzetta dello Sport in an interview published on Saturday morning.

Marchisio spoke to the Pink Paper ahead of Juventus’s return to Serie A action away against Hellas Verona on Saturday. Igor Tudor and his players are coming in off the back of a chaotic 4-4 draw with Borussia Dortmund, a game in which the Bianconeri had trailed 4-2 in injury time.

TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 16: Manuel Locatelli and Dusan Vlahovic celebrate after Lloyd Kelly (not pictured) scores his team’s fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund at Juventus Stadium on September 16, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

“If you’re not a solid group, mentally, you don’t recover in certain games, especially in the Champions League,And certain refereeing decisions didn’t help Juventus against Borussia Dortmund, ” Marchisio said of the European thriller on Tuesday night.

“It’s in the club’s DNA to not concede goals, but it’s also true that scoring a lot of goals means having a lot of quality up front. After all, the club has invested in attack with David, Openda and Zhegrova.”

Marchisio: Yildiz ‘perfectly symbolises Juventus’s values’

Locatelli believes that Kenan Yildiz is already among Juventus’s ‘leaders’ despite being just 20 years of age.

“Loctatelli takes on responsibilities on and off the pitch. Bremer is a leader, and don’t forget Yildiz. Kenan is 20 years old and is proving that he has the attributes.

“He’s not just a playmaker who creates, he is one who creates his own chances. Such a young guy with so much quality, who gives his heart and soul which infects everyone, starting with his teammates.

TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 16: Karim Adeyemi of Borussia Dortmund battles for possession with Kenan Yildiz of Juventus during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund at Juventus Stadium on September 16, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

“Bremer is right to say that Kenan’s impact makes him like Juventus’s Lamine Yamal. Yildiz would have played for the Juventus of my era.”

Does Marchisio believe that Yildiz deserves a new contract extension, which would presumably come with a significant increase in wages?

“Yes, because despite being from abroad, he perfectly symbolises all of Juventus’s values,” he replied.

“It’s not easy these days to find a player who is so strong, and sought-after in Europe, but dreams of staying with his club to win. Yildiz is like that and deserves an economic reward from the club.”

Marchisio also went on to give his opinion on the current form of Dusan Vlahovic, who had been widely expected to leave the club over the summer, but is currently boasting the beating the likes of Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane in terms of goals per minute this campaign.

TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 16: Dusan Vlahovic celebrates scoring his team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Juventus and Borussia Dortmund at Juventus Stadium on September 16, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

“You either love or hate Dusan for his time at Juve,” Marchisio said.

“He’s always scored goals, but sometimes you expect him to play or for his attitude to be different. He’s strong and he has shown it. Just look at his goals-per-minute ratio. If he keeps this calmness, he’ll score every Sunday.”

When asked to pick a ‘favourite’ striker of Juve’s current selection – Vlahovic, David or Openda – Marchisio replied: “Of the three, Dusan is the ‘real’ no.9. David and Openda have other characteristics.

“Last season, Dusan had the weight of the whole attack on his shoulders, but now he doesn’t. I’d be happy if I were Tudor, with three strikers, compared to Thiago Motta who only had Vlahovic for six months last season.”