Spalletti: Serie A top-four race ´going down to the wire´

Luciano Spalletti conceded that the Serie A top-four race is going “down to the wire” after Juventus’ careful approach earned a 0-0 draw with AC Milan.

Both teams needed a win to tighten their grip on their respective places in the top four, but instead, they played out a 0-0 draw that did not provide much help to either of them.

Khephren Thuram saw a first-half goal disallowed for offside for Juventus, who finished the game with more shots (10) and attempts on target (five).

However, they were also lucky to come away with a point after Alexis Saelemaekers smacked the crossbar in the second half.

It is a result which leaves Juventus in fourth, having missed the chance to leapfrog Milan with a win, and just three points ahead of Como and Roma below them.

“I think it will go down to the wire or very close to it, because these are the games,” Spalletti told DAZN Italia.

“Roma and Como won, so we still have quite a few matches left to win before we can deserve our place in that tournament.

“It’s time for the final sprint, and at this stage is where the fatigue of a long season starts to build up; that is where you can tell who belongs at Juventus and who doesn’t.

“We must confirm the culture of self-discipline, hard work and determination that inhabits this club, giving our all every day and letting nothing go by.”

Juventus are still given a 77.4% chance of qualifying for the Champions League, with only Napoli (98.2%) and Milan (94.8%) having a strong chance.

This is the fourth 0-0 draw in the last five Serie A matches between Milan and Juventus, as many times as this result occurred in the previous 41 meetings between these two teams in the top-flight.

It is the first time the teams have drawn both of their games 0-0 in a single Serie A season.

Juventus are unbeaten in their last eight Serie A matches (W5 D3), however, and are the only unbeaten team in the top-flight since the beginning of March, though Spalletti admitted he asked for a more cautious approach to protect that run.

“We continued our journey, we tried to take the initiative. A bit too slowly and predictably in the first half, we never managed to get past their men, so they were always in position,” Spalletti said.

“You have to be wary with Milan, as you feel like you are in complete control, and then they suddenly burst forward with three or four to make it difficult for you. The danger is when you feel comfortable against them.

“When building out from the back, we worked on the preventative marking to ensure those counter-attacks didn’t happen. There were a few situations where we could’ve done better, including a foul on Jonathan David, but it was missed.”