Juventus warmed up for its crunch Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday with a thumping 4-1 Serie A win over Udinese.
Massimiliano Allegri could scarcely have cherry picked a more accommodating opponent as a first-half double from Moise Kean set the Bianconeri on their way to opening up a whopping 19-point lead over Napoli at the league summit.
With one eye on the visit of Diego Simeone's side – which holds a 2-0 advantage from the first leg – Allegri opted to leave Cristiano Ronaldo on the substitutes' bench and his replacement, Kean, marked his first league start of the campaign with a well-taken brace.
A 67th-minute Emre Can penalty and Blaise Matuidi header four minutes later added gloss to the scoreline against an insipid Udinese side.
Kevin Lasagna's fabulous late consolation was sharply at odds with the overall display from Davide Nicola's men, who remain seven points above the relegation zone in 15th.
Juve started in typically dominant mood and forged ahead in the 11th minute.
Alex Sandro surged down the left and picked out Kean, who applied an assured finish from six yards for his first league goal of the campaign.
Daniele Rugani flashed a header wide soon afterwards and Kean doubled his side's advantage six minutes before the interval.
The 19-year-old powered into the penalty area and clipped into Juan Musso's bottom-right corner via a deflection off Ben Wilmot.
Federico Bernardeschi fired wide of an open goal after a poor Musso punch shortly after the restart before Kean was tripped by Nicholas Opoku, giving Can the chance to stroke home his fourth league goal of the campaign from 12 yards.
Matuidi got in on the act soon after, meeting Rodrigo Bentancur's precise cross with a downwards header that gave Musso no chance.
Lasagna netted in style six minutes from time, taking Rodrigo de Paul's pass on his chest and lashing a half-volley past Wojciech Szczesny, but it did little to detract from the most routine of victories for Allegri's side.
What does it mean? All eyes on Atleti visit
With an eighth consecutive Scudetto all but wrapped up, Juve's attention now turns squarely to the mouth-watering clash against Atletico.
Given the LaLiga side's two-goal lead and its formidable defence, the odds are stacked firmly against Allegri's men. The prospect of elimination has even prompted speculation over the Juventus coach's future this week, but you would not bet against a fresh Ronaldo writing his name all over European football's premier competition once again.
Kean takes his chance
He has barely tasted first-team action this season, but Kean showed exactly why he is one of Italy's most exciting prospects with an impressive double. Allegri might even consider resting Ronaldo more frequently if Kean continues to prove this able a deputy.
Key Opta facts
- This was Juventus' 200th game at the Allianz Stadium in all competitions and its 159th win.
- At 19 years and eight days, Kean is the youngest Juventus’ player to score at least two goals in a Serie A game since Giuseppe Galderisi (18 years, 329 days) in February 1982.
- Juventus has scored three or more goals in four consecutive Serie A home games the first time since 2014 under Antonio Conte.
- Lasagna's goal was Udinese's first on the road since November, ending a barren run of 543 minutes.
What's next?
After Tuesday's tie against Atlei, Juve returns to domestic action with a visit to Genoa. Udinese has little let-up in its schedule as it travels to second-place Napoli.
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