Max Allegri insists Juventus face a stiff challenge for Serie A title

Juventus head coach Max Allegri has insisted that the club can no longer their Serie A title for granted following a 2-1 home defeat to Lazio. Ciro Immobile struck twice for the Capital outfit on Saturday as they condemned the Italian champions to their first defeat at the Allianz Arena in 57 matches across all competitions.

The streak could have been preserved for another game, but Paulo Dybala failed to convert a penalty kick in the 97th minute, which happened to be his second failure in as many games following his miss in the 2-2 draw versus Atalanta.

As a result, the likes of Napoli and Inter Milan have created a small gap at the top of the table, and Allegri insists that Juventus' dominance in the Serie A is under serious threat, he told Mediaset Premium: "We had the warning signs against Torino, Sassuolo, and Atalanta. We have these drops in concentration and pay a heavy price for them. Between Bergamo and today, we have dropped five points and haven't realised yet that to win the Scudetto you must fight every single day. It's a hard slog. Some were a little tired, others carrying knocks, but these are not excuses, as we dropped five points."

Lazio sealed their first triumph over the Old Lady in 14 years, and former Juventus youngster Immobile was pleased to have played his part in what he reckons as an exceptional performance, he told Sky Sport Italia: "I want to enjoy it with my team-mates, as we put in an exceptional performance. I am a striker, it's my job to put it in the net and a pleasure to play with them."

Juventus will now shift their attention towards Champions League football where they face a potentially tricky tie against Sporting, who are undefeated in the Primeira Liga. Allegri's men have already lost Barcelona in the competition's opener, and they cannot risk dropping any points at home if they are to make the knockout phase.