Juventus' win over Napoli in midweek will be rendered "meaningless" if they do not follow it up with another three points against Genoa on Sunday, according to head coach Andrea Pirlo.
The Bianconeri bounced back from a 2-2 derby draw against Torino last weekend with a slender 2-1 victory over Gennaro Gattuso's Napoli on Wednesday to move to within one point of second-placed Milan.
They host Genoa at the Allianz Stadium looking to achieve a fourth consecutive Serie A win against Davide Ballardini's men for the first time since 2008.
Pirlo was pleased with his side's approach against Napoli and says it is imperative his players have the same attitude on Sunday.
"It's perhaps much easier to find the right spirit in a big match like Napoli, but we need the same attitude even against smaller clubs, starting from tomorrow," he told a media conference.
"We need to find some consistency and that means facing tomorrow's game with ferocity. Beating Napoli is meaningless unless we follow it up with the same performance against Genoa."
Paulo Dybala came off the bench to score the decisive goal against Napoli, steering a fine finish past Alex Meret after Cristiano Ronaldo's first-half opener.
He has scored seven league goals against Genoa, including his first Serie A hat-trick in August 2017 – only against Udinese (eight) has he scored more in the competition.
With a year to run on his contract, it has been suggested Juve could look to move Dybala on after this season, but Pirlo insists the Argentina international remains a key part of his plans.
"I don't think Dybala will start, because he was out for three months, so he needs another slightly longer spell as a substitute first," he said.
"I've always said Dybala is an important player and unfortunately I haven't had him at my disposal very much this season. Let's look at the present, because that is more important than the future.
"He still has a year left on his contract, so we will have him here next season. Dybala is a player who makes the difference.
"I do hope to be able to use Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata and Dybala together at some point. I can say it's probable Dejan Kulusevski will start tomorrow."
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Saints go marching in: St Catherine High to contest first-ever Manning Cup final after penalty shootout win over Jamaica College
St Catherine High School will contest their first-ever ISSA/Digicel Manning Cup final, as they prevailed 5-3 in a dramatic penalty shootout against many-time champions Jamaica College (JC) at the National Stadium on Tuesday.
In a game defined by determination and resilience, the teams played out a tense 1-1 draw in regulation time before the St Johns Road-based school held their nerve from 12 yards to edge past their storied opponents.
Romaine Walters (11th) for St Catherine and Nashordo Gibbs (40th) for Jamaica College got the goals in open play.
The victory was met with jubilation from the St Catherine camp as players, staff, and supporters celebrated their school’s historic feat, which left an almost emotional Head coach, Anthony Patrick, at a loss for words.
For Patrick, it was not just a victory over one of the competition’s giants but a testament to their grit, belief, and teamwork throughout the season.
“Words alone can’t explain how I feel. I must say kudos to the youngsters because they fought hard and dug deep. I must also laud our goalkeeper [Omarion Brown]. He came up big for us, and we know once it gets to penalties, it will work out in our favour. We asked them to stick behind the ball and force Jamaica College to play the long ball so our goalkeeper can come into play because we know once it got to penalties, it would be difficult for them,” Patrick said post-match.
St Catherine began brightly and took an early lead in the 11th minute when Walters calmly converted a penalty after Gentles' shot struck the hand of Jamaica College’s defender Javaun Mills inside the box. The goal marked Walters’ third of the season and gave his team the momentum, despite Jamaica College dominating the early exchanges.
However, the lead did little to deflate Jamaica College, who quickly regrouped and pushed for an equalizer. Their relentless probing eventually paid off in the 40th minute when Giovanni Taylor delivered a precise pass across the box for Nashordo Gibbs to tap home from close range.
Jamaica College almost took the lead on the stroke of halftime when Gibbs broke free and crossed for Taylor, who squandered the opportunity, as the score remained unchanged at the break.
On the resumption, Jamaica College had opportunities to win the contest but failed to find the decisive breakthrough due to a combination of faulty shooting, poor decision-making, and good glove work by Omarion Brown in goal for St Catherine.
In fact, their best chance to steal victory came in the 87th minute when Jamoy Dennis found himself in behind the defence with time and space but somehow fired his effort wide, much to the relief of St Catherine’s supporters.
St Catherine then delivered a flawless display from the spot, with Walters, Nathel Ellis, Dwight Gentles, Josh Reid, and Kadean Young all converting their kicks.
Jamaica College, the tournament’s most successful team, saw Dontae Logan, Dyllan John, and Javaun Mills find the back of the net. However, the pivotal moment came when Jahmarly Bennett’s effort cannoned off the crossbar, sealing the Old Hope Road school’s fate.