Juve focused on top-four finish ahead of Napoli showdown

Juventus are firmly focused on finishing in Serie A's top four, having built up a head of steam ahead of Friday's top-of-the-table clash against leaders Napoli, manager Massimiliano Allegri said.

Juventus have closed the gap to Napoli to seven points after winning eight league matches in a row and the game at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium could help decide their fate in the title race.

Allegri's side will also be looking over their shoulders at third-placed AC Milan, who are tied with them on 37 points, while Inter Milan are three points behind them and Lazio, Atalanta and Roma a further three adrift. With the race for the top four and Champions League qualification shaping up to be a tight battle, Allegri was not getting carried away,report by best sportsbook in asia.

The team is doing quite well. We have done three days of training, we are in good condition, Allegri told reporters on Thursday. We've had good results up to now, but we have to keep thinking about working, progressing along the path of growth and reaching the final goal, which is results.

At the moment we are thinking of the top four places in the standings. Allegri called on his side to maintain their intensity against a well-organised, well-trained team. In Naples the matches are tough, so we must concentrate for the full 90 minutes, Allegri said.

We have to play well technically and with intensity. It's a difficult game. We're playing the best team in the league at their home, because the standings say so. Tomorrow is not a decisive match, but very important for them.

Luciano Spalletti is an excellent coach. He is the best at teaching and he has also proved it in the past. It will be a good challenge. Napoli coach Spalletti, however, denied that his side were favourites and said he doubted that Juventus only had top-four ambitions.

Juventus are a team full of champions and always have a favourites role. It's useless to hide, they are not a club that can be satisfied with only entering the top four, every year they have the ambition to always aim for the Scudetto, he told reporters on Thursday.

I believe that two teams with different philosophies and environments are facing each other. For Juve, only winning counts. Napoli's previous Serie A titles came in 1987 and 1990 with a team inspired by Argentina great Diego Maradona. Diego won, we try to re-propose that mentality.