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Juventus 'obliged' to reach knockouts of Champions League - Marotta

Juventus' general manager Beppe Marotta says the Serie A club are "obliged" to reach the knockout stages of the Champions League after the 2015 finalists were drawn in a group with Sevilla, Olympique Lyon and Dinamo Zagreb.

The Bianconeri got the better of the Spaniards a year ago, finishing second in their group behind Manchester City and condemning Sevilla to a place in the Europa League, which they went on to win for a third straight season.

Without the presence of City this time around, Juve and Sevilla will be favourites to progress and Marotta said that he expects nothing less from a club who have invested heavily in the transfer market this summer.

"We are obliged to qualify for the knockout stages of this cup, and possibly to win this group," he said on Juventus.com. "We know one of our opponents -- Sevilla -- well while we faced another of them -- Lyon -- just a few years ago.

"The third, Dinamo Zagreb, are packed full of talented young players and we know all about that, since we signed [Marko] Pjaca from them [this summer]."

Pjaca is one of five big-name signings this summer, together with Gonzalo Higuain, Miralem Pjanic, Dani Alves and Medhi Benatia and it is due to that investment the Serie A champions, who are also aiming to win their domestic league for a sixth straight season, are so optimistic about progressing in Europe.

They reached the final of the competition two seasons ago, losing out to Barcelona, but the last 16 was as far as they got last season with just a matter of minutes separating them from victory over Bayern Munich.

"We feel ready for what will be a journey which will be challenging, but which will also reserve us plenty of satisfaction," said Marotta. "We want to go as far as possible and improve on what we did last year.

"This is precisely why we have strengthened our squad with many foreign players, but also a very strong Italian spine, which is fundamental to win here and abroad.

"The Champions League is a special competition and being the best isn't enough to win it -- you have got to be in top condition when the games arrive whereas in the league, the value of the winning team always emerges over the distance."