Juventus GM Beppe Marotta says Italian football is still trailing their European rivals.

Juve meet Real Madrid in the first-leg of the Champions League semifinals tonight.

Marotta said, "Today the gap between Italy and Europe is substantial. Ten years ago Italy was a country that people aspired to come to.

"When revenue is very high, your salaries can correspond to that. In the last few years Italy has been in decline, so we have to get back up.

"As a team and as a representative of Italian football we stand as intermediaries. We have a few advantages thanks to the stadium, which help us to balance our books.

"Juve took some risks in terms of investments, the club deserves credit for that."