Italy's Marchisio suffers season-ending knee injury

Juventus and the Italian national team suffered a massive injury blow Friday with news that Claudio Marchisio suffered a serious knee injury and will miss the rest of the season.

The Italian Football Federation confirmed that the midfielder suffered a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee during a training session with the national team ahead of their Euro 2016 qualifier with Bulgaria. He will likely need up to six months to recover from the injury.

“An MRI scan was performed immediately at the Fanfani Institute in Florence, which showed a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament," the Italian Football Federation announced.

“After consulting with the medical staff of Juventus, it was decided that the player will return to his club for treatment.”

It's yet another costly injury for Juventus ahead of their Champions League quarterfinal with AS Monaco. The club will be without Paul Pogba for the first leg after injuring his hamstring, but he's expected to return in time for the second match in Monaco.

Marchisio has appeared in all but one of Juve's 28 Serie A matches, scoring two goals and providing five assists in the process.