Juventus GM Beppe Marotta has defended the omission of Stephan Lichtsteiner from their Champions League squad.

The Swiss has been demoted after the arrivals of Daniel Alves and Juan Cuadrado.

Marotta said: “We are very grateful to Lichtsteiner for all he has done, but the thing about a football team is there's competition for places. All players should be happy when champions arrive, as it strengthens the team overall and increases chances of success.

“He cannot take part in the early phase of the tournament, but could potentially come back in later. His contract is about to expire, but we do have an option to extend it. This is not a disciplinary move."