Conte not getting carried away

23 April 2012 05:33

Juventus may have earned Champions League qualification with five rounds to play but manager Antonio Conte has warned against complacency.

The Serie A leaders thrashed Roma 4-0 on Sunday to remain unbeaten and move three points ahead of rivals AC Milan.

It was a dominant performance with Arturo Vidal snaring a brace within the first eight minutes before the Turin side comfortably dominated the rest of the game.

But Conte stressed his side must maintain their ascendancy before they could dream of Champions League success.

"There are five more games to play and 15 points to gain and just three weeks ago we were behind Milan, so, I cross my fingers, but another overtake could happen, even if we wish it won't," Conte said.

"Obviously we made a step forward today, but we know that we have another important game on Wednesday against an opponent that could seem done for on paper, but the experience must teach us that games need to be played and won.

"We have to look only at ourselves. We are in front right now and therefore our fate is in our hands. We don't need to pay attention to how the other teams are doing."

Conte has been something of a lucky charm for Juventus, who have not lost during his 11 months at the helm.

"This has been an extraordinary campaign for us, who are still unbeaten after 33 games. Do I like that? Oh definitely, I love it! Bologna took points off both us and Milan, so they balanced it out," Conte said.

"Naturally we are now up here and will not set any limits on our ambition, as we can dream with the club, the players and fans."

Serie A preview: Juve closing in on Scudetto

21 April 2012 02:07

Juventus can bolster their Serie A title push on Sunday with three points against Roma, the last top-eight opponent in their run home.

Juve have taken advantage of AC Milan's recent dropped points with a run of five wins, and now lead their nearest rivals by a point with five games to play.

Milan's Champions League commitments coincided with a 1-1 draw against Catania and 2-1 loss at home to Fiorentina, putting undefeated Juve firmly back in the box seat.

A win would put Juve's destiny in their own hands with matches against the bottom three - Cesena (20th), Novara (19th), Lecce (18th), as well as Cagliari (14th) and Atalanta (ninth) to come.

That AC Milan are still in the picture is impressive given their season has been threatened by key injuries to the likes of Thiago Silva, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Alexandre Pato, Massimo Ambrosini, Mathieu Flamini and Gianluca Zambrotta.

Milan host Bologna on Sunday, with coach Massimiliano Allegri hoping to see some of those players return for the run-in.

"The Scudetto (title) will be won by the team with the strongest nerve," he said this week.

Napoli's ailing push for the last Champions League spot could all be over if they suffer a fourth consecutive loss to Novara on Saturday.

Walter Mazzarri's men have failed to win in any of their past five league games.

Third-placed Lazio are in the prime position to secure the play-off Champions League place.

They host lowly Lecce on Sunday, with Udinese, who are away to Chievo on Saturday, three points behind.

Parma and Cagliari do battle in the other Saturday fixture, with both looking to pull further clear of the relegation zone.

Fiorentina are another side alarmingly close to trouble, three points above the drop zone, ahead of their home match with seventh-placed Inter Milan on Sunday.

In the other Sunday matches, last-placed Cesena host Palermo, while Genoa are at home to Siena desperate for a win to steer clear of the drop zone.