Juve and Milan look to close gap as Napoli stumble in Serie A

Juventus may be in turmoil off the pitch but they are slowly clawing their way back into the Serie A title race, which has opened up after leaders Napoli suffered their first defeat of the season this week.

When all eyes were on the World Cup in Qatar, Italian prosecutors were looking into the Italian club over alleged irregularities linked to player transfers and wages, leading to Juve's board resigning in November.

Chairman Andrea Agnelli's long reign - during which they won nine straight league titles - came to a sudden end but coach Massimiliano Allegri stayed despite pressure from media and the fans for him to be sacked after a poor start to the season.

The club lost five of their six Champions League matches in the group stage to slip into the Europa league playoffs, where they face Nantes next month, while they were eighth in Serie A after losing to AC Milan in October.

But Wednesday's 1-0 win at Cremonese, which Allegri described as "another little step", extended their winning streak to seven games - without conceding a goal - in the league where Juve sit third, seven points off top spot.

The squad was nowhere near full strength as the season resumed after the World Cup break but Allegri could afford a smile when Arkadiusz Milik scored an added-time free kick to seal all three points.

With World Cup winner Angel Di Maria, Dusan Vlahovic, Juan Cuadrado and Paul Pogba set to return from injuries, Allegri is satisfied with Juve's squad depth despite question marks over how the new board tackles the January transfer window.

"Some important young players have come through and I would say we should be happy. There is work to be done," Allegri said as Juve look ahead to a home game with eighth-placed Udinese on Saturday.

INTE