Massimiliano Allegri has urged Juventus to use anger at their Champions League failure as motivation to succeed in the Europa League.

A 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in Turin saw Juve become only the second Italian side to lose five of six group stage matches in the competition, after Roma in 2004-05 – though their elimination had already been confirmed.

Juve required a victory to cement their spot in the knockout stages of the Europa League but ultimately must be thankful to Benfica for firing five second-half goals against Maccabi Haifa to prevent the Allegri's side from exiting continental football entirely.

In the Europa League, Juve will be considered to be among the favourites to go all the way and Allegri has urged his side to use their anger to propel them to better results in UEFA's second-tier club competition.

"We played a good game, it's a shame about the result," he told reporters after the defeat.

"We are in the Europa League, from tomorrow we must turn the page for the championship. We must be angry and immediately resume work and walk.

"On one hand there is reason to be satisfied to have reached the Europa League, on the other hand there is anger for the elimination from the Champions League.

"I'm still very angry and we have to carry this anger inside us in the next games in Europe."

One positive from the defeat to PSG was the return of Federico Chiesa from injury, who had not featured since January, though his recovery will not be rushed.

"He has a lot of desire, he must be managed until the World Cup. We have to take time to have him in the best condition in January," Allegri added.

Kylian Mbappe conceded Paris Saint-Germain did not do enough to top their Champions League group, which Benfica topped in dramatic circumstances on Wednesday.

Goals from Mbappe and Nuno Mendes at Juventus, either side of Leonardo Bonucci's equaliser, seemed to have Christophe Galtier's side on course to top Group H courtesy of a 2-1 triumph.

However, Benfica scored five unanswered second-half goals at Maccabi to win 6-1, the latter of which from Joao Mario in the 92nd minute snatched top spot on away goals scored.

For the first instance in Champions League history, PSG and Benfica could not be separated by their head-to-head record, goals scored or conceded, though Mbappe suggested his side should have done more.

"During the match, we did not know, but in the end they tried to warn us" the World Cup-winning forward told RMC Sport.

"But that was the end, it doesn't matter, we qualified. We came to do the work, that's not enough, we'll watch the draw and we'll play to win."

Galtier pinpointed PSG's 7-2 win over Maccabi on matchday five as a warning sign and lamented the fine margins that saw his side finish second.

"When we were winning 7-2 last week, we stopped playing at the 90th minute," he told Canal+. "We conceded too many goals during the group stage from set-pieces, as we did against Maccabi.

"If we'd conceded one goal fewer, we would have finished top of the group."

PSG failed to top their Champions League group for a second straight season after finishing first in each of the previous four, but Galtier insisted his side have still performed well in Europe's top competition.

"We could consider everything. We knew this possibility. Congratulations to Benfica, who scored more away goals than us," he added.

"Afterwards, I congratulate my team and my group. We had a good group. We scored a lot of goals. That's the history of the Champions League. This competition is sometimes irrational and we saw that.

"We had an exceptional journey. We've beaten Juventus twice and we were very happy until the 92nd minute.

"But if you want to go far in this competition, you have to beat big teams. Let's wait for the draw and see who we get in the last 16."

Super-sub Nuno Mendes scored the winner for Paris Saint-Germain in a 2-1 victory against Juventus, though it was not enough to clinch top spot in Group H.

Kylian Mbappe fired home to open the scoring but his goal was cancelled out by Leonardo Bonucci's equaliser before the break in a tight encounter in Turin on Wednesday.

PSG looked to have secured progress to the last 16 as group winners, though, when Mendes changed the picture midway through the second half.

However, a remarkable result for Benfica against Maccabi Haifa saw the Portuguese side score the six goals they required to pull level on goal difference with PSG and snatch top spot courtesy of away goals scored.

PSG's quality showed after 20 minutes when Mbappe latched onto Lionel Messi's pass, nutmegged Frederico Gatti and drilled in off the right-hand post for his seventh Champions League goal of the season.

Yet PSG were pegged back five minutes before the break – Bonucci sliding in to meet Juan Cuadrado's diving header and convert from close range.

Chances continued to be hard to come by for both teams after the restart until the 69th minute, when Mbappe fed through substitute Mendes, who finished crisply across Wojciech Szczesny.

Manuel Locatelli saw a goal correctly disallowed for offside and Federico Chiesa – making his long-awaited return from injury as a substitute – had a penalty appeal waved away as Juve's comeback attempts proved fruitless.

Juve were at least saved the embarrassment of an exit from European football entirely thanks to Benfica's win in Israel, and the Bianconeri will fight for a place in the last 16 of the Europa League in the new year.

Salzburg will have to do what no other Austrian side has done before at Milan to qualify for the Champions League knockout stages, while Jude Bellingham has his eyes on an achievement managed by only two players previously.

The Rossoneri need only a point from the game at San Siro and the historical facts suggest they will achieve their aim to make it out of Group E.

For Bellingham, he can put his name in the record books alongside former team-mate Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe by scoring for Borussia Dortmund at Copenhagen.

There is plenty to play for as the Champions League group stage wraps up on Wednesday, and Stats Perform has trawled through the data to shine a light on the most interesting angles.

Milan v Salzburg

With a win, Salzburg will advance to the knockout stages for the second consecutive season after never making it out of the group stage previously.

They will need to defy the odds on their trip to Milan, where the Italian side are undefeated in home fixtures against Austrian opponents in the competition (W4 D1), while averaging 3.8 goals per game.

Salzburg have never beaten Milan in their three previous Champions League meetings, but after losing the first two, they collected their first point with a 1-1 draw in this campaign's reverse fixture.

While Olivier Giroud became the oldest player in Champions League history to reach 20 goals (36 years old) during Milan's win at Dinamo Zagreb last time out, Salzburg boast the youngest starting XI in the competition with an average age of 22 years and 279 days.

Shakhtar Donetsk v RB Leipzig

Shakhtar have only won one game in the group stage, but sit three points behind second-placed. A win would see them through to the knockout stages for the third time in the past four seasons.

The reverse-fixture was a memorable one for Shakhtar and exciting young winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who showed why he is so in-demand with a goal and two assists in a 4-1 away win.

Unfortunately for the Ukrainian side, that was their only victory from their past 12 Champions League matches (D6 L5).

Meanwhile, Leipzig have found some form in the competition, with back-to-back victories against Celtic before making it three wins in a row when they beat Real Madrid 3-2.

Manchester City v Sevilla

City are eyeing an undefeated group stage when they host Sevilla, having only conceded one goal in total from their five games until this point.

English sides have given Sevilla trouble for years now, with their last Champions League win over a Premier League team coming back in 2007 against Arsenal. 

If Jorge Sampaoli's side are to stand any chance of a shock win, they will need to pay special attention to Jack Grealish, who has impressed in the group stage with 10 chances created from open play, the most in Pep Guardiola's squad.

Maccabi Haifa v Benfica

If Juventus can salvage even a draw in their clash with Paris Saint-Germain, then Benfica will be able to win Group H by defeating Maccabi Haifa.

It has been a special run of form for Benfica, who for the first time since 1990 have gone six Champions League games without a loss (W3 D3).

Maccabi will have their backs against the wall, as only Malmo have a worse winning percentage (17 per cent) than their 24 per cent among teams to have played at least 15 Champions League games.

Also working in Benfica's favour is manager Roger Schmidt's record in the competition. Between his time with Bayer Leverkusen (2014-2017) and Benfica in this campaign, his run of 13 games unbeaten is the most by any active manager qualified for this season's Champions League.

Other fixtures:

Juventus v Paris Saint-Germain

5  - Juventus are looking to avoid becoming the second Italian side to ever lose five matches in a Champions League group stage, after Roma in 2004-05.

6  - Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe has six goals in the group stage. With one more he can tie Christopher Nkunku (last season) for the most by a French player in a single group stage, while with two more he can tie Zlatan Ibrahimovic's club-record of eight in 2013-14.

Copenhagen v Borussia Dortmund

60  - Despite Copenhagen still being without a win in Group G, they have kept a clean sheet in 60 per cent (nine-of-15) of their Champions League home games – the best ratio of any team with at least 10 appearances.

3  - With a goal, Bellingham can become just the third teenager to ever score in all three away games in a Champions League group stage, following Mbappe (2017-18) and Haaland (2019-20).

Chelsea v Dinamo Zagreb

10  - Chelsea are undefeated in their past 10 group stage games in the Champions League dating back to September 2019 (W6 D4). Over that period, they are averaging 2.3 goals per game.

10  - Along with City's Grealish, Chelsea's Mason Mount is the only other Premier League player from this Champions League campaign to tally at least 10 shots and 10 chances created.

Real Madrid v Celtic

20  - Since the beginning of last season's Champions League, no player has been involved in more open-play sequences that have resulted in a goal than Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior (20).

14  - Celtic's Matt O'Riley has attempted the most shots in the Champions League this season without scoring, with no goals from his 14 shots.

Jude Bellingham has plenty of admirers following his outstanding performances this season for Borussia Dortmund.

Bellingham is contracted with Dortmund until 2025 and the eight-time German champions are eager to ward off interest in him.

The 19-year-old midfielder has scored nine goals in 19 appearances in all competitions this term.

TOP STORY – LIVERPOOL LOOK TO INJURED LEIPZIG MIDFIELDER FOR REINFORCEMENTS

Borussia Dortmund may demand a Premier League-record fee of £130million (€151m) for Jude Bellingham, claims The Sun.

Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Liverpool are all looking to secure the playmaker's services.

It had previously been expected that the Premier League clubs would bid around £87m (€100m) for Bellingham.

Manchester City's £100m-plus signing of Jack Grealish remains the most a Premier League club has forked out for a transfer fee.

ROUND-UP

– Fichajes claim Chelsea are in pole position in the race to sign Juventus' midfielder Adrien Rabiot. The Frenchman is out of contract at the end of this season and was linked with Manchester United in the last window.

– David de Gea is willing to accept reduced terms to extend his stay with Manchester United, according to The Athletic. The Spanish goalkeeper's current contract expires at the end of this season.

– Uruguay international winger Facundo Pellistri is set to leave Manchester United in January, claims Nicolo Schira, with some interest from Spanish and Italian clubs.

– Tottenham are weighing up a January move for Atalanta forward Ruslan Malinovskyi, reports Il Giorno.

– CBS Sports claims Everton and Newcastle United are keeping tabs on Chelsea's 21-year-old striker Armando Broja.

Christophe Galtier feels Juventus have been "deprived of their best players" this season as his Paris Saint-Germain side prepare to face them in the UEFA Champions League.

The French outfit will look to end their Group H campaign on a high note, locked in a battle with Benfica to take top spot heading into the last-16.

It has been a dire season on the continent for Juventus, however, who could crash out of Europe entirely if they fail to get a result and Maccabi Haifa do on Wednesday.

Galtier thinks that no matter the effort that Massimiliano Allegri's side have put in this season, they were always going to come up short without several of their biggest stars.

"Juventus lack success because they have never had their first-choice team available," he stated. "When you have world-class players, like Paul Pogba or Federico Chiesa missing, you are quickly weakened and diminished.

"Even with temperament and desire, you need players who have experience and international class. Juventus have been deprived of their best players this season."

With their superstar squad arguably in greater sync than they have ever been, PSG are hoping to finally claim the Champions League crown this term, two years on from coming up short against Bayern Munich.

Galtier is aware of the anticipation to end their European hoodoo, noting: "There is a lot of expectation around Paris Saint-Germain. It is normal, when you see how our squad is made up.

"We have world-class players, with a lot of experience. But it is a trophy that is very difficult to win. We hope it will be this year. There is a lot of hope, a lot of expectation, but we are doing everything possible to win one day."

Sergio Ramos has described the prospect of returning to Luis Enrique's Spain squad for the World Cup as a "dream" after enjoying a strong start to the season with Paris Saint-Germain.

Ramos has won an incredible 180 caps for Spain – more than any other player in the country's history – and has played at each of the past four World Cups.

However, the defender was left out of Luis Enrique's squad for Euro 2020 after an injury-plagued final season with Real Madrid, and only made eight Ligue 1 starts in his first campaign with PSG.

Having already made 10 league starts this season, Ramos is targeting a first international appearance since March 2021 against Kosovo and believes he will play at the highest level for several more years.

"Everyone knows what it means to me to defend the colours of my country," Ramos said at a news conference ahead of PSG's Champions League fixture against Juventus on Wednesday.

"After a difficult season, I feel good again, I'm playing again and I'm available. I still hope to return to the selection, and I dream of the World Cup. 

"But we have to wait and continue to play at the best level to convince the coach. I hope I will have the chance to play in another World Cup.

"Last year was difficult. I was injured, I had to adapt after spending most of my career at Real. At no time did I think it was the end of my career. It was a challenge. 

"Last year is forgotten. There have been changes and I'm happy, I'm totally adapted to Paris and I'm hungry for titles. 

"If I think it is over, I will stay at home to take care of my children, but I think I can last a few more years at the best level in football."

Ramos became the first player in PSG's history to remain unbeaten through their first 30 appearances for the club with Saturday's 4-3 win over Troyes, a game in which Lionel Messi scored his seventh league goal of the season.

Like Ramos, Messi appears to have hit his stride at the perfect time with the World Cup just around the corner, and the defender says he is fortunate to have him as a team-mate.  

"My relationship with Messi is excellent," Ramos added. "We can see on the field. There is great respect between the players and a good state of mind.

"Messi is always at the top level. He continues to be one of the most decisive players in the world. It's a privilege to have him in our team. I see him very focused, like last year. 

"Maybe he has the World Cup in the back of his mind, but he's focused on being good on the pitch."

Juan Cuadrado is struggling to sleep because of Juventus' poor Champions League form, but the versatile winger is determined to at least qualify for the Europa League.

Juve were eliminated from UEFA's primary club competition with a game to go – at home to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday – following a 4-3 loss to Benfica last week.

The Italian giants have lost four group matches for the first time in their history and are only above Group H's bottom side Maccabi Haifa on goal difference.

Massimiliano Allegri's men must therefore match or better the Israeli side's result against Benfica if they are to drop into the Europa League via the backdoor.

Either way, it has been a humbling experience for the two-time European champions after missing out on the knockout stages for the first time since the 2013-14 campaign.

"We have played some good matches," Cuadrado said ahead of facing PSG. "When you play well and don't win, there are no questions.

"But there is time to improve further. It's difficult to sleep when certain things happen, but they did happen. We have the strength of a good team here.

"We know this is an important match for us because we are playing for qualification for the Europa League."

Juve are looking to avoid becoming only the second Italian side to lose five Champions League matches in a single group-stage campaign after Roma in the 2004-05 season.

Cuadrado has started 15 games for Juve in all competitions this season, including all five European games – only Danilo (16) has started more regularly.

The Colombia international, who is expected to feature at the World Cup, has spent seven years in Turin but is set to be out of contract at the end of the campaign.

"I'm happy to be here. I feel like this team is my family," he said. "I've almost spent my entire career as a professional here and am grateful to Juventus. 

"As for my future, I try to move forward in order to do the best for the team and then we will see."

Massimiliano Allegri says there is no point in dwelling on the absence of Paul Pogba after the Juventus midfielder was ruled out of the World Cup.

It was announced on Monday that Pogba will play no part in France's bid to retain their title in Qatar due to a knee injury.

Pogba has not played a competitive game for Juve since returning to the Serie A club as a free agent in July after his Manchester United contract expired.

The 29-year-old underwent surgery last month and although he recently returned to training, he must now undergo further rehabilitation.

Bianconeri head coach Allegri says Pogba has been sorely missed, but felt it had looked increasingly unlikely he could play in the World Cup.

He said: "It is useless to repeat what has already been said: once the decision was made not to have an operation at the beginning of the season, it was normal for the hopes that he could return with Juventus and France. They were reduced to a flicker.

"He is sorry for Juventus and the World Cup, it is normal, we have been penalised for not having him available."

Juve will also be without Weston McKennie and Dusan Vlahovic when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday due to injury.

Allegri revealed he is hopeful striker Vlahovic will return against Inter on Sunday, with Angel Di Maria and Gleison Bremer also set to be back for that Serie A match

The Turin giants will attempt to secure a Europa League spot when they face Group G leaders PSG at Allianz Stadium, while fourth-placed Maccabi Haifa are also in the hunt for third place when they take on Benfica. 

Allegri expects his players to use the anger of being knocked out of the Champions League to drive them up the Serie A table.

He said: "I'm angry, not comparing with the best from March onwards creates anger. It has to give us incentives, it has to create a reaction, but we think about the championship after the matches with Inter, Verona and Lazio.

"It is normal that the matches in the Champions League, as results, they are very bad and this shows the results in the league in a more negative way. But we will think about the championship from the day after tomorrow."

Paul Pogba will miss France's World Cup campaign, the Juventus midfielder's agent has confirmed.

The 29-year-old, who was a member of Didier Deschamps' triumphant squad at Russia 2018, had been expected to figure once more for Les Bleus if fit.

But having returned to Turin from Manchester United during the close season, Pogba has struggled with a knee injury, with delayed surgery keeping him stuck on the sidelines.

Now, the player's agent Rafaela Pimenta says he will not return to either domestic duty with Juventus, nor make the plane to Qatar with France, in what is one of the biggest injury blows ahead of the tournament.

"Following yesterday and today's medical review in Torino and Pittsburgh, it is extremely painful to [say] Paul Pogba will still need recovery time from his surgery," Pimenta told Telefoot on Monday.

"For this reason, Paul will not be able to join [the] Juventus squad before the World Cup break, nor the French national team in Qatar. If wishful thinking would change things, Paul would be playing tomorrow.

"But what changes things are hard work, resilience and discipline, all of which are the only things in Paul's mind [during] these challenging times.

"Paul will continue working [and] giving his very best to be back on the pitch for the fans and his team as soon as possible."

Less than three weeks out from the World Cup, Juventus also provided an update on the fitness of injured United States midfielder Weston McKennie.

"Weston McKennie underwent radiological examinations at J|Medical which showed muscular overload in the rectus femoris of the right thigh," the statement read. "His condition will be evaluated daily."

France begin their World Cup defence against Australia on November 22, before facing Denmark and Tunisia in their other two Group D matches.

Newcastle United's Bruno Guimaraes has only played 27 games for the club since arriving from Lyon, and he has been so impressive that he is now a target of Barcelona.

Guimaraes, 24, spent three seasons with Lyon before Newcastle secured his services in a £40million move in January.

He scored five goals in just 11 starts this past Premier League campaign, and has added two goals and two assists this season, with Newcastle unbeaten in the 10 games he has started.

The Brazil international with eight senior caps to his name is a key part of why Newcastle currently occupy fourth place in the Premier League table, but they will now reportedly have to fend off interest from Barca.

TOP STORY – BARCELONA INVESTIGATE A MOVE FOR GUIMARAES

According to The Sun, Barcelona have officially moved on from their chase of Manchester City's Bernardo Silva and are instead focusing their attention on Newcastle's Guimaraes.

The report claims Barcelona were "priced out" of a move for Silva after City slapped a price tag of £80m on him and Guimaraes would certainly not come cheap.

With his contract tying him to Newcastle until 2026, it would need a huge offer to land the 24-year-old. 

While their spending spree will eventually need to be balanced out with some sales, the Magpies are said to be offering Guimaraes a new contract that will pay him £200,000 per week to put any questions about his future to bed.

ROUND-UP

– Calciomercato is reporting both Roma and Juventus are expected to pursue 23-year-old Sassuolo midfielder Davide Frattesi, who is valued in the region of €30m.

– According to The Mirror, Sporting will attempt to bring in Cristiano Ronaldo in January, and are preparing a second contract offer despite previously stating they can not afford the Portugal legend.

– Relevo claims N'Golo Kante is seen by Barcelona as a potential successor to Sergio Busquets, with the Chelsea midfielder's contract set to expire at the end of the season.

– It could be a busy January for Barcelona as Sport are reporting they hope to sell Memphis Depay, while Fichajes believe Franck Kessie will push for a move back to the Serie A.

– According to IG Esporte, Brighton and Everton are interested in 25-year-old Monaco left-back Caio Henrique.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta is known to be desperate for Lionel Messi to finish his career at his long-time club.

The 35-year-old Argentine forward departed Camp Nou hastily in August last year due to Barcelona's financial issues.

Messi joined the Blaugrana in 2000 and had an association with the club for more than two decades, scoring 672 goals across 778 first-team appearances.

TOP STORY – LAPORTA PLOTTING JANUARY MOVE FOR MESSI

Laporta is planning a move for Barcelona club legend Lionel Messi in the January transfer window, according to Sport.

The report states that Barcelona want to take advantage of the Fair Play situation in January, rather than wait for the off-season where the 1/4 rule will make any move more difficult.

However, Laporta's plan is full of obstacles for the Blaugrana to overcome, not least LaLiga's financial restraints, along with convincing Messi and his current club Paris Saint-Germain to part midway through the season.

Messi has publicly said he has deferred any decisions on his club or international future until after the World Cup.

ROUND-UP

– Sporting CP head coach Ruben Amorim may have distanced the club from links with Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo in midweek but The Mirror reports that the Portuguese club will make a bid for him in January.

– Brighton and Hove Albion are open to selling Moises Caicedo amid interest from Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle United but have slapped a £85m price tag on the 20-year-old Ecuadorian midfielder, reports the Sunday Mirror.

– The Express claims that Arsenal are leading the race ahead of Manchester United to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans. The Belgian could move to the Gunners for free, as he is out of contract at the end of the season and unlikely to pen a new deal.

– Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante - whose contract is also up at the end of June 2023 - is a major target for Barcelona who are looking at replacements for veteran Sergio Busquets, reports Relevo.

– Sport claims Barcelona are looking to offload Memphis Depay in January, with Juventus interested in signing the Dutch attacker.

– Wolves are set to approach ex-Sevilla boss Julen Lopetegui again, having failed to convince him previously to become their new manager, claims The Sun.

Massimiliano Allegri hailed Nicolo Fagioli's "great quality" after the young Juventus midfielder hit a stunning goal to earn a 1-0 victory at Lecce.

If head coach Allegri was feeling mounting pressure during a tense, largely drab game at the Stadio Via del Mare, that was lifted at least briefly when substitute Fagioli whipped a brilliant strike past Wladimiro Falcone.

The 73rd-minute winner means Juventus have strung together three consecutive victories and clean sheets in Serie A for the first time since February 2021. 

Those wins have come against Torino, Empoli and Lecce, rather than the elite, but with Juventus mired in injury trouble any win is welcome just now as they cling to top-four aspirations.

They are heading out of the Champions League and may even fall short of parachuting into the Europa League, with Allegri's second season of his second spell in charge not going to plan.

Yet amid the gloom, a new hero emerged. Fagioli became the first player born in 2001 onwards to score for Juventus in Serie A, with the 21-year-old settling a game that would otherwise not have lived long in the memory.

Indeed, the total expected goals (xG) tally for Saturday's game was just 0.81, taking both teams into account.

The xG metric considers the quality of a team's chances and their likelihood of scoring, and this combined tally was the lowest of all matches so far in Serie A this season.

For the winner, Samuel Iling had been on the field for just 41 seconds when he fed a short pass to the roving Fagioli, who turned sharply and fired from the left of goal into the top far corner.

"Nicolo has great quality," Allegri told DAZN. "His path was particular. He was a bit bastardised in the role, and he still has to learn to play in front of the defence because he never did it, but Iling was also very good in assisting. All the guys were good."

Juventus are missing a string of stars due to injury, including Dusan Vlahovic, Paul Pogba and Federico Chiesa, and it was a much-weakened side that faced Lecce, Allegri deploying more youngsters than is ideal.

Fagioli came on for the start of the second half in place of Weston McKennie, who had been poor before the break.

"The idea was to send Fagioli to the pitch during the game when their intensity dropped," Allegri said. "In football and in life you get up. Everything can not always go wrong, nor always is everything well.

"And just when things go wrong you have to be mentally strong and be good at weathering the storm. Healthy madness must always be maintained, only rationality does not make its way."

Home captain Morten Hjulmand hit the foot of the left post in the closing moments with a skidding shot from 20 yards, Lecce's best effort of the game in which they failed to put a shot on target.

The result will come as a relief to all involved at Juventus, including vice-president Pavel Nedved, who said ahead of the game that Allegri continues to have the club's full support.

Italian media have speculated Juventus could look to bring Antonio Conte back to the club at the end of the season, when his Tottenham contract expires.

However, Nedved offered some reassurance regarding the board's backing, telling DAZN before kick-off: "Our position does not change: Allegri has the full confidence of the club and of the players themselves.

"I think it is normal that when the results do not arrive many names come up and many others will come out, but I repeat our position does not change."

Nicolo Fagioli lit up a drab game with a classy winner for Juventus as Massimiliano Allegri's team scrambled a 1-0 victory at Lecce on Saturday.

The substitute made the breakthrough in the 73rd minute, turning in the penalty area after a short pass from the left flank by Samuel Iling before curling an exquisite shot in off the far post.

Juventus had all the pressure leading up to that, but they rarely threatened a breakthrough, with an injury-hit team playing with little confidence.

Amid their Champions League group-stage failure, this result, however scrappily it was obtained, gives Juventus a third successive win and clean sheet in Serie A.

The quality was poor in the opening half hour, but the tackles were thunderous at times, with four early bookings for the Juventus quartet of Juan Cuadrado, Federico Gatti, Arkadiusz Milik and Fabio Miretti.

Cuadrado, captaining the injury-weakened visitors, slashed a cross-shot well wide, before Adrien Rabiot's ambitious 30-yard attempt in the 32nd minute fizzed along the turf into the grateful arms of Wladimiro Falcone.

Rabiot had the best chance of the half in the 43rd minute, with his powerful header from Filip Kostic's left-wing corner pushed aside by Falcone, whose goal was coming under a growing threat.

Lecce, having won just four of their previous 32 Serie A matches against Juventus, carried next to no threat before the interval and last season's Serie B champions were almost behind early in the second half when Gatti's header from a free-kick nearly gave Milik a tap-in.

It was a game that was almost interesting, nearly distracting. A flick from Milik was gathered by Falcone as Cuadrado closed in, then Milik had a low shot from 20 yards that the goalkeeper had to dive to palm away.

Juventus substitute Moise Kean headed meekly wide when he should probably have scored, and Gatti nodded over, before Fagioli, on since the start of the second half, made his decisive contribution.

Lecce captain Morten Hjulmand hit the post with a skidding shot in the 89th minute as the visitors clung on.

Chelsea are reportedly the latest Premier League club to signal their interest in 25-year-old Inter striker Lautaro Martinez.

Martinez, who has also scored 21 senior goals for Argentina in 40 international appearances, is coming off a career-best season in the Serie A.

He set a new personal-best with 21 league goals in 35 games in 2021-22, and has started this season in similar fashion, netting six times in 11 Serie A fixtures.

Martinez also showed his quality with a goal and an assist in the dramatic 3-3 Champions League draw against Barcelona.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA LOOK TO INTER FOR STRIKER SOLUTION

According to InterLive, what separates Chelsea's chances from Martinez's other Premier League suitors is their potential to include current loanee Romelu Lukaku in their bid.

The report states Inter's starting point for an acceptable price tag will be €90million, which is what Tottenham are said to have offered before the beginning of last season.

Tottenham are one of the other Premier League teams named in the report, while Manchester United and Newcastle United have previously been connected with a pursuit of Martinez.

Inter will have all the leverage in any negotiations, with Martinez's contract tying him to the club until 2026.

ROUND-UP

– De Telegraaf claims PSV are in such a dire financial situation that they will be forced to accept a €30m bid for 23-year-old breakout star Cody Gakpo. 

– According to Calciomercato, Arsenal, Newcastle and West Ham are all circling 21-year-old Midtjylland winger Gustav Isaksen.

– Diario Sport is reporting Paris Saint-Germain are the favourites to land prized 16-year-old Palmeiras prospect Endrick, while Real Madrid are also said to be all-in, and Barcelona may turn their attention to more pressing matters.

– Spezia are looking for €30m to part ways with 22-year-old centre-back Jakub Kiwior, with Milan, Juventus and West Ham said to have strong interest, per Tuttomercatoweb.

– The Chronicle is reporting Newcastle are weighing up a move for 18-year-old winger Eguinaldo, who plays for Vasco Da Gama in the Brazilian second division and has a £26m release clause in his contract.