Alberto Zaccheroni says if Juventus do not qualify for the Champions League, then this season can be deemed a failure.

Juve's defeat at Sampdoria has seen them slide to sixth place.

"This team needs to recover its strength and grit, elements that have been missing up until now," said Zac.

"I think that we are still in the race for a Champions League spot. If we do not finish fourth, then I will have failed my mission."

It has been a nightmare week for the Coach, whose men threw away a 3-0 lead for 3-3 against bottom of the table Siena, were knocked out of the Europa League by Fulham and are now leapfrogged in the table by Samp.

"I didn't think Juventus played too badly, especially in the first half when we still had some energy to boss the midfield," added Zac.