Massimiliano Allegri is busily preparing his Juventus team for the first of the two games he believes will determine the final destination of the Serie A title.
Should Juve beat Atalanta in Bergamo tonight and then conquer Torino in the following weekend’s derby, second-placed Roma will be all but out of the race, or even resigned to defeat.
Neither match will be easy for Allegri’s men, however, as Atalanta are riding high in fifth place and looking to leapfrog Lazio and take an automatic place in the Europa League group stage.
Torino are a tough top-half force and boast the league’s joint top scorer, Andrea Belotti.
In between times Juve must visit Monaco in the first leg of a Champions League semi-final but for now Allegri is fully focused on domestic matters.
“This will be one of the two crucial matches in our bid to win the league,” he told juventus.com.
“There’s this game, and then the derby against Torino.
“Atalanta are having an extraordinary season and all compliments must go to coach Gasperini and everyone at the club. Since our first meeting with them (a 3-1 Juve victory in Turin), they have improved in terms of awareness.
“For Atalanta this match represents another step towards Europe, while for us it is a step towards the Scudetto. It’s a very important game.”
Winger Marko Pjaca and defender Daniele Rugani are definitely absent through injury, while 17-year-old Moise Kean is likely to feature in a youth game instead of travelling to Lombardy.
Ervin Zukanovic and Boukary Drame will require late checks by the Atalanta medical staff, but Gian Piero Gasperini otherwise has a fully-fit squad.
The former Genoa boss has worked wonders with a Nerazzurri side which had struggled to escape mid-table obscurity in recent campaigns, and with continental competition now as good as secured, media talk has turned to his long-term future at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia.
“A contract extension is not important,” he said.
“Respect and confidence are the important things.”
Serie A fixtures
Today: 20.45 Atalanta vs Juventus.
Tomorrow: 20.45 Torino vs Samp.
Sunday: 12.30 Roma vs Lazio. 15.00 Bologna vs Udinese; Cagliari vs Pescara; Crotone vs Milan; Empoli vs Sassuolo; Genoa vs Chievo; Palermo vs Fiorentina. 20.45 Inter vs Napoli.