Cagliari were relegated from Serie A after only managing a draw against Venezia as Salernitana retained their top-flight status despite being thrashed by Udinese.

Salernitana looked in serious danger of going down when Davide Nicola took charge in February, sitting bottom of the table with three wins from 23 games.

Nicola inspired a resurgence, though, with his side picking up 15 points in a run of seven league games to head into the final matchday two points clear of Cagliari.

However, Udinese were rampant as Gerard Deulofeu, Ilija Nestorovski and Iyenoma Destiny Udogie put Nicola's side 3-0 down before half-time on Sunday.

Udinese captain Roberto Pereyra added a fourth after the interval as the Friulians achieved their best Serie A points haul (47) since the 2012-13 season (66).

That meant Cagliari would have stayed up with a win at already-relegated Venezia, but Alessandro Agostini's could only muster a draw as the Rossoblu were relegated to Serie B for the sixth time in their history.

Cagliari's failure handed Salernitana their first-ever Serie A survival, having failed to do so on their other two attempts in 1947-48 and 1998-99.

Salernitana also became the first team to stay up despite conceding at least 78 goals in a single top-flight campaign after Livorno (79 in 1929-30) and Lucchese (82 in 1947-48, 79 in 1949-50).

Meanwhile, Cagliari join Venezia and Genoa in Serie B and the trio will aim to bounce straight back up next season.

Three matchdays remain in Serie A, and yet there is plenty still to be decided at both ends of the table – not least which side will be crowned champions.

Milan occupy top spot in their quest for a first Scudetto since 2011, but fierce rivals Inter are just two points behind and arguably have an easier set of fixtures to conclude the campaign.

Napoli and Juventus are not officially out of the title race just yet, though they are seven and eight points off first place respectively, therefore requiring a remarkable set of results.

Both Napoli and Juventus are already assured of a top-four finish, but there are several other teams still battling it out for the three remaining European spots.

Venezia appear doomed at the opposite end of the table after losing to fellow strugglers Salernitana on Thursday, with the latter's victory lifting them out of the bottom three – in all, six teams remain in trouble.

But just how will the remaining two and a half weeks of the season unfold? Using the Stats Perform League Prediction Model, we can try to forecast the final standings.

Created by Stats Perform AI using Opta data, the model has analysed the division to assign percentages to potential outcomes for each club.

The model estimates the probability of each match outcome (win, draw or loss) based on teams' attacking and defensive qualities, which considers four years' worth of results.

Weighting is based on recency and the quality of opposition, with the rest of the matches then simulated 10,000 times to calculate the likelihood of each outcome.

Let's take a look...

MILAN TO SEE THE JOB THROUGH

Milan still have Hellas Verona (ninth), Atalanta (eighth) and Sassuolo (11th) to face, whereas Inter's final fixtures are against Empoli (14th), Cagliari (18th) and Sampdoria (15th).

However, it is worth noting that if they finish level on points, Milan would be crowned champions by virtue of a superior head-to-read record against their rivals this term.

With that in mind, while Inter are only two points behind, they essentially need to take three more points than Milan over the final three matchdays.

And our model suggests the Rossoneri have a 62 per cent chance of retaining top spot, compared to a 37.7 per cent chance of defending champions Inter overtaking them.

Just to highlight how unlikely it is either Napoli or Juventus will pip the current top two to the summit, they have a 0.2 and 0.1 per cent chance of winning the title respectively.

A ROME ONE-TWO FOR EUROPA LEAGUE?

The Champions League places may now officially be wrapped up, but five teams are still battling it out for the three remaining European berths.

The sides that finish in fifth and sixth, currently occupied by Roma and Lazio, will qualify for the Europa League group stage.

Roma, according to the model, have a 59.1 per cent chance of nailing down fifth place – though if they were to drop to seventh, the Europa Conference League finalists could get into the Europa League by winning UEFA's third-tier competition.

Lazio would take great enjoyment from finishing above their neighbours and have a 36.9 per cent chance of doing so.

The first priority for Maurizio Sarri will be locking down sixth, though, and there is a 46.7 per cent likelihood of achieving that with Fiorentina three points further back.

ATALANTA TO PIP FIORENTINA

While the top six are forecast to remain where they are, our model predicts seventh-placed Fiorentina will miss out to Atalanta in the Europa Conference League play-off position.

After losing three games in a row, La Viola now have a 31.2 per cent chance of staying seventh, compared to 47.6 for Atalanta, whom they are currently level with on 56 points.

Verona are four points further back and that appears to be too big a gap to bridge, with the Gialloblu seemingly certain to remain in eighth.

Indeed, the 80.8 per cent likelihood of Verona finishing in that position is bettered only by the chances of Empoli staying 14th (90.2 per cent) and Venezia remaining bottom (87.4 per cent) given the points margin either side.

VENEZIA AND TWO OTHERS TO DESCEND

Thursday's 2-1 defeat away to Salernitana looks to have spelled the end for Venezia's brief stint back in the top flight as it leaves them seven points from safety. Their chances of escaping the drop sit at 0.1 per cent.

Salernitana still have a 36.2 per cent chance of dropping into the bottom three, but given they face the team directly below them – Cagliari – and Empoli in their next two games, they will surely like those odds.

Another win for Salernitana on Sunday would be massive at the bottom, as such a result will relegate Venezia and potentially Genoa, whom the model gives only a 1.2 per cent likelihood of climbing up to 17th.

Spezia and Sampdoria aren't quite out of the woods yet, but their five-point cushions should be enough to keep them in Serie A. Everything points to Sunday's contest being almost a straight relegation play-off between Salernitana and Cagliari.

The model suggests with a 63.3 per cent probability that Cagliari will go down, but their fate is in their own hands.

Leonardo Bonucci believes fresh blood is needed for a Juventus squad in the process of "rejuvenation".

Bonucci scored a double, including a 76th-minute winner, on his birthday as Juve took another step towards securing Champions League qualification for next season with a 2-1 Serie A victory over bottom club Venezia.

The result moved Juve 11 points ahead of Roma, who face Bologna later on Sunday.

Eighteen-year-old midfielder Fabio Miretti made an impressive debut, with Bonucci hailing his performance and the infusion of youth into a team that is off the pace in a Scudetto race it has typically dominated in recent years.

“Fabio had a great performance, but we already knew his qualities and had no doubts he’d do well, even if he is young," Bonucci told Sky Sport Italia.

"The squad is in the process of rejuvenation and fresh blood is welcome.

“My role is to pass on my experience, that need to never give up and fight to the end."

Referencing his wife's sponsored walk for the hospital that looked after their son when he fell ill following hernia surgery, Bonucci added: "It was a great day for my whole family, it felt like coming full circle after my wife's charity initiative.

"We needed to bring home the win to ensure the last three games wouldn't be too complicated, but Venezia deserve credit for coming here and playing open football.

"We always need to improve, because we've seen that when we've got the engine revved up, we can have our say.

"These last few games need to be training to prepare for next season."

Leonardo Bonucci marked his 35th birthday with two goals as Juventus made hard work of a 2-1 win over bottom side Venezia to all but secure a top-four finish in Serie A.

The Bianconeri had taken just one point from their previous two matches at the Allianz Stadium but did enough to claim victory against Venezia, who have now lost nine in a row.

Full debutant Fabio Miretti played a big part in Bonucci's headed opener inside seven minutes, but Juve were pegged back through a Mattia Aramu strike 19 minutes from time.

However, Bonucci bundled in a late winner to ensure that his side now require just two points from their remaining three games to keep Roma at bay in the battle for fourth.

Juve nearly opened the scoring four minutes in when Luca Pellegrini fired a ferocious strike against the crossbar from range.

The hosts did not have to wait much longer for their breakthrough, though, as Matthijs de Ligt nodded Miretti's delivery back across goal for Bonucci to turn in from close range.

Venezia, who sacked Pablo Zanetti this week and placed Andrea Soncin in temporary charge, took full advantage of Juve's failure to kill off the match through Aramu's long-ranger.

That had Venezia on course for successive 1-1 draws against Juve, only for the Bianconeri to snatch all three points when a corner was not dealt with and went in off Bonucci's shin.

What does it mean? A return to home comforts for Juve – just!

Juve have picked up more points on their travels (35) than they have at home this season (34 with this win) and this was another occasion in which they never truly got going.

Massimiliano Allegri's side have lost just one of their past 21 league games overall and also have a Coppa Italia final with Inter to look forward to later this month.

The immediate priority is nailing down fourth place and, barring a miraculous collapse over their remaining three games, that is as good as achieved.

Leonardo leads the way

Bonucci has now scored five Serie A goals for Juventus this season, which is his best tally in a single campaign.

The veteran Italy international has equalled team-mate Giorgio Chiellini as the defender to have found the net in the most years in the competition since 2000 (13).

Mattia makes his mark

Aramu had gone 14 matches between finding the net in Serie A, with his most recent strike prior to today coming in December's draw with Juventus.

The 26-year-old was Venezia's sole attacking spark, registering all three of his side's attempts on target, including that impressive effort from range.

What's next?

Juventus are back in action on Friday with a trip to Genoa, while Venezia travel to fellow strugglers Salernitana on Thursday.

Massimiliano Allegri declared Juventus are on the "right path" after a difficult season as they edge closer to securing Champions League qualification.

Juve are eight points clear of fifth-placed Roma with four games left to play in Serie A as the Bianconeri prepare to host Venezia on Sunday.

Coach Allegri returned to Turin for the 2021-22 season and endured a difficult start to the campaign, but recovered with a 16-game unbeaten league run that ended in a 1-0 defeat to Inter earlier in April.

That undefeated streak somewhat eased the pressure on Allegri and Juve, who crashed out of the Champions League at the last-16 stage following a dismal second-leg performance against Villarreal.

Juve president Andrea Agnelli expressed his support on Thursday for the long-term plan under Allegri, who was grateful for the backing of the Bianconeri chief.

"We had a difficult start this season, then we adjusted," Allegri told reporters on Saturday at a pre-match news conference ahead of the Venezia clash.

"We have several players out, we need to try to finish well, to start next season in the best possible way. There could be room for a few youngsters, let's see.

"The president's words pleased me. Juventus have won a lot in the last 10 years and have done well in Europe; we need to try to win as soon as possible, we have laid a good foundation this year.

"In Italy there is a tendency to 'knock down' the coaches quickly, in England there is a different mentality, then it is clear that in the end results count.

"However, this year we have set up ourselves well. We're on the right path.

"When you don't win, you have regrets. As the president rightly said, it has been a difficult season. But we also see the positive side: from the way we started, we have since done many good things, especially lately.

"Third place would be important, especially considering our position in January or even earlier. We made good thereafter, however, we must now consolidate our qualification for the Champions League."

Allegri also outlined his regrets for how Juve performed against Villarreal in the Champions League, and is eyeing redemption in the Coppa Italia final against Inter on Wednesday, May 11.

"If I have to choose a game I would like to replay, I would say the Champions League," he added.

"We will analyse everything at the end of the season, to see what went well and what didn't. In the meantime let's think about our Champions League qualification and the Italian Cup."

Simone Inzaghi praised his Inter players for not losing their heads after they came from behind to beat Venezia 2-1 at San Siro on Saturday.

Thomas Henry had put Venezia in front against the run of play with an excellent header, before Nicolo Barella ensured Inter went into the break level.

The reigning champions looked like they would drop points at home in Serie A for only the third time since October 2020, but Edin Dzeko sealed an important win in the 90th minute.

The result lifted the Nerazzurri five points clear of Milan at the Serie A summit, with Inzaghi citing his players' ability to remain calm after Venezia's opener as the key to their success.

"The team believed to the end. The lads did so well considering we were coming off the Atalanta game and extra time in the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa," he told DAZN.

"If we analyse the goal, we should've done better and been more attentive before Henry's header. We need to get back to being ferocious in these situations.

"The team could've lost its head after that goal, but we kept going and turned it around in the end.

"We won the Supercoppa, we progressed in the Champions League and Coppa Italia – all these are important signs and now we enjoy this victory too.

"We'll get back together on Wednesday and start preparing for the derby."

Inzaghi also bemoaned the state of the San Siro pitch, saying it could harm his side's title tilt.

"The biggest problem both Inter and Milan face is the state of San Siro, as the turf is becoming unplayable for both of us," he added.

"We could've done better, but honestly the turf is awful. We need to take action – it has never been this bad before."

Dzeko had gone four Serie A games without scoring before his crucial winner, which came from his seventh attempt on goal, and he appeared to praise Inzaghi for not substituting him. 

"When you score at the last minute it's normal to cheer with anger," the striker said. "We certainly missed my goals but the important thing is that the team wins. It was nice to score in the 90th minute."

"Inzaghi understands football; he has played football and he knows that I can solve the match even in the last minute.

"There are no easy ones in Serie A. Today we saw it and perhaps it was one of the more difficult ones for us this year. 

"We suffer from time to time, but the important thing is to win and take home the three points. They defended well and there were few spaces, but to find the goal you need patience."

Edin Dzeko scored a dramatic late winner as Inter came from behind to defeat Venezia 2-1 at San Siro on Saturday.

Simone Inzaghi's men looked destined to drop points at home in Serie A for only the third time since October 2020 but Dzeko – who was previously wasteful – delivered the goods at the end.

Thomas Henry had put Venezia in front against the run of play with an excellent header, before Nicolo Barella ensured Inter went into the break level.

The Nerazzurri piled the pressure on in the second half but their efforts seemed set to be for little until Dzeko nodded in a 90th-minute winner.

Stefano Pioli hailed the united front that Milan displayed in the 3-0 win over Venezia as he marked 400 games as a Serie A head coach.

The former Lazio, Inter and Fiorentina boss saw Zlatan Ibrahimovic give Milan a second-minute lead, before Theo Hernandez's second-half double wrapped up the points.

Pioli became just the eighth head coach in Serie A, in the three-points-for-a-win era, to reach take charge of 400 matches, and said he was only made aware of the landmark by Milan's communications boss.

Victory at Venezia nudged Milan ahead of Inter at the top of the table, ahead of the Nerazzurri's clash with Lazio later on Sunday, as Pioli's men continue to show last season's title challenge was no flash in the pan.

"I believe that this should be the year of confirmation," said Pioli. "But there is still an important step between being competitive and winning.

"Against Venezia it was a very delicate match, easy only on the face of it, and we were good at making it simpler than it could have been."

Quoted by Sky Italia, Pioli said: "We played with the right approach and the right determination, we played as a team.

"We have more awareness of the past, born from all the experiences we have been having. Many young players are becoming mature, we are still a young team but we are more ready mentally."

Milan were firmly in the Scudetto hunt midway through last season but were overtaken by a fast-finishing Inter.

It would help to have a fully fit Ibrahimovic on hand throughout the next four months. His contributions dried up over the closing stages of last season, with just one goal in his final eight Serie A games after a breakneck start, yet at the age of 40 he is playing a big role this term.

Since his return to Milan midway through the 2019-20 season, Ibrahimovic has scored 22 goals in 25 Serie A away games. The Swedish striker's opener at Venezia means he has scored in six consecutive league matches away from San Siro, the second time he has achieved that during this spell with the club.

It also gave him a share of a European top-five league 21st-century record, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo's feat of scoring against 80 different clubs across the continent's elite leagues (Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, LaLiga and Ligue 1).

Ibrahimovic and Milan will be limited to domestic duty for the rest of the season after finishing bottom of their Champions League group.

Pioli might find that helps Milan in the long run, even though he remains frustrated by his team's performance in that competition.

He said: "Now it could be an advantageous situation to have weeks free from European commitments, but we are not satisfied to no longer be in the Champions League."

Theo Hernandez and Rafael Leao played crucial roles as Milan comfortably beat 10-man Venezia 3-0 on Sunday to return to the summit of Serie A.

Stefano Pioli's men never looked in danger of dropping points at Stadio Pierluigi Penzo and were good value for a third straight Serie A victory.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – teed up by Leao – got the ball rolling inside two minutes as he equalled Cristiano Ronaldo's record of scoring against 80 different teams in Europe's top five leagues this century.

Leao released Hernandez to make it 2-0 early in the second half, with the French defender wrapping the win up soon after with a penalty – which resulted in Michael Svoboda's dismissal – for his third goal of the season against Venezia.

Milan swiftly took charge as the lively Leao raced into the left side of the box and played the ball right across the face of goal for Ibrahimovic to tap in.

Further chances arrived for Milan, with Leao, Hernandez and Alessandro Florenzi forcing Sergio Romero into saves, though there was little the Venezia goalkeeper could do when it came to the visitors scoring their second.

Leao was involved again, feeding Hernandez's run in behind the defence and the left-back smashed past the helpless Romero.

Hernandez put the game beyond Venezia just before the hour, expertly picking out the top-right corner from 12 yards after Michael Svoboda handled – seemingly accidentally – on the line, earning himself a red card.

It sealed a routine win for Milan, with Pioli marking his 400th Serie A match as a coach in style. He is the eighth manager to reach the milestone in the competition.

What does it mean? Milan keep pressure on Inter

This was very much a case of Milan getting the job done with minimal fuss – they were very comfortable throughout and impressed despite being without numerous important players.

As such, they open up a two-point lead at the top of the table. Of course, Inter – who face Lazio later on Sunday – have two games in hand, but there is no denying Milan's position is a nice one to be in.

There is no guarantee Inter will win their two bonus games. Even if they do, a four-point deficit is by no means impossible to claw back.

Hernandez leads from the back

Several Milan players impressed but Hernandez was the standout. He got forward so often from left-back that his five shots ended up being more than anyone else – similarly, his expected goals (1.86), shots on target and big chances (both three) were highs for the match, while only Leao (seven) and Ibrahimovic (six) had more than Hernandez's four touches in the box.

Add to that his two key passes (bettered by just Leao), and it shows him in a very good light indeed.

A difficult day for Svoboda

It was a strange game for Svoboda. One moment he would show great composure, cleverly spinning away from Ibrahimovic, but then the next he would do something clumsy.

While the red card may have been slightly harsh, as the ball seemed to hit his thigh first, it was his error – passing the ball to Ibrahimovic on the edge of the box – that led to the situation anyway.

What's next?

Milan are in Coppa Italia action on Wednesday as they host Genoa, before then welcoming Spezia to San Siro in Serie A four days later. Venezia continue their fight against relegation in a week's time at home to Empoli after visiting Atalanta in the cup in midweek.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has matched a European top-five league 21st-century record, set by Cristiano Ronaldo last month, after scoring for Milan against Venezia.

The veteran forward tucked in from close range inside two minutes at Stadio Pierluigi Penzo on Sunday, bringing up his eighth Serie A goal of the season and his first of 2022.

It means Ibrahimovic has now found the net against 80 different clubs across Europe's big five leagues (Premier League, Bundesliga, Serie A, LaLiga and Ligue 1).

Since 2000, the only other player to have achieved that feat is Ronaldo, who reached the milestone with a goal in Manchester United's 3-1 win over Burnley at Old Trafford on December 30.

Ibrahimovic has now also scored in every calendar year since 1999, when he made his debut for Malmo in Sweden.

Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Cuisance has joined Venezia for a reported €4.5million fee.

Cuisance, 22, impressed in his debut season with Borussia Monchengladbach, in which he became their youngest player to start a Bundesliga match, before making the switch to Bayern in August 2019.

However, he failed to make his mark on the Bundesliga champions, playing just 333 minutes across 11 appearances in the top flight.

A loan spell at Marseille last season then offered the midfielder more regular game time as he managed 23 outings in Ligue 1, along with featuring six times in the Champions League.

Bayern head coach Julian Nagelsmann has now opted to allow Cuisance to move on as the former France youth international leaves for Venezia on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Upon his departure, Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic said: We would like to thank Michael Cuisance for his commitment in the FC Bayern shirt and wish him all the best for his future at Venezia FC."

Venezia sit 16th in Serie A, six points clear of the relegation zone, ahead of their visit to strugglers Salernitana on Thursday.

Massimiliano Allegri has urged Juventus to "play ugly" after his side dropped two points in Saturday's 1-1 Serie A draw with Venezia.

Juve had won three successive matches in all competitions without conceding ahead their trip to Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, where they opened the scoring through Alvaro Morata.

However, the Bianconeri wasted a good chance to double their lead through Juan Cuadrado before half-time and were made to pay 10 minutes into the second period.

Former Torino man Mattia Aramu guided a first-time shot past Wojciech Szczesny from range and Juve, who lost Paulo Dybala to an early injury, failed to muster a response.

The visitors finished with an expected goals (xG) return of 2.13 compared to Venezia's 0.54, but Juve were made to pay for a lack of cutting edge in front of goal.

Juve are now six points adrift of fourth-placed Atalanta, who face Hellas Verona on Sunday, and Allegri admitted his side need to improve in certain areas after their latest setback.

"It was a good first half, but then we had a 10- or 15-minute blackout before the Venezia goal," he told DAZN. 

"The same thing happened against Salernitana recently – we were lucky then not to concede as they hit the post – so it's something we clearly need to work on.

"We were under pressure, couldn't play the ball to feet anymore, so we should've had patience with one or two balls over the top to the strikers, but we didn't do that.

"We had to attack the space, force them into fouls and more yellow cards, but we threw away two points against a good Venezia side.

"At the start of the second half we were wandering about, giving the ball straight back. Sometimes we don't realise the game is getting 'ugly' and we don't read the moment. 

"Once that moment passed, we started playing again and pinned Venezia back into their own half, but the damage was done."

Allegri added: "We have players without a great deal of experience. The whole team was a bit sluggish after the restart.

"We can't seem to realise when it's the time to play pretty and those 10, 15 minutes we ought to play ugly, grit our teeth and push through."

Dybala hobbled off against Malmo in the Champions League on Wednesday and lasted just 12 minutes before being replaced against Venezia.

"We ran a risk, and it went badly," Allegri said. "He went off on Wednesday with a muscular issue; we hoped he was better now, but that was not the case."

Juventus, who had won 15 of their previous 17 league meetings with Venezia, could find themselves nine points off the Champions League places come the end of the weekend.

"We mustn't think about that," the coach said. "We threw away two points today, two points we should've brought home."

Juventus' winning run was halted with a 1-1 draw away at lowly Venezia in Saturday's Serie A contest as they failed to truly make up ground on the Champions League places.

Massimiliano Allegri's men had won three games in a row without conceding in all competitions ahead of their trip to Stadio Pier Luigi Penzo, but they were unable to hold onto the first-half lead given to them by Alvaro Morata.

Juve, who lost Paulo Dybala to injury inside 12 minutes, were pegged back by a long-range strike from former Torino midfielder Mattia Aramu 10 minutes into the second half.

The visitors were unable to hit back against a Venezia side that had lost their last three games and conceded 10 goals in the process, meaning they are six points behind fourth-placed Atalanta, who face Hellas Verona on Sunday.

Dybala's replacement Kaio Jorge flicked over from close range and Morata's drive forced a good save out of Sergio Romero before the Spain international managed to find a way through with 32 minutes played.

Luca Pellegrini sent a low cross in from the left and Morata got in front of his marker to flick the ball past Romero, the goal allowed to stand following a VAR check for a possible handball from Federico Bernardeschi in the build-up.

Juan Cuadrado wasted a good chance when firing across the face of goal shortly before the interval and Juve were made to pay as, following a spell of Venezia pressure, Aramu curled in a low first-time shot from range.

Allegri's side failed to create much in way of response, with their one shot on target in the second half summing up their struggles as the contest finished all square.

Massimiliano Allegri said Juventus are like an Easter Egg, "there's always a surprise" as the Bianconeri head coach called for more consistency amid a stuttering start to the Serie A season.

While Juventus qualified for the Champions League last 16 as group winners ahead of Chelsea, the Italian giants are fifth domestically and already 11 points off the pace.

Allegri's second spell in the Turin dugout has resulted in eight wins in 16 matches, with five defeats ahead of Saturday's trip to Venezia.

"[Saturday's] game is a high-risk one, if we interpret it in a certain way," Allegri told reporters.

"I think the players have understood the importance of this match. Therefore, we will certainly put on a good display.

"Let's see the game. It's always Easter for us, you know, we're like an egg, there's always a surprise inside. Let's hope it's a good one tomorrow [Saturday]."

Juventus have kept a clean sheet in four of their last five league games (W4 L1), as many as they had in the previous 29 matches in the competition.

Meanwhile, Juve have won, without conceding, in their last two Serie A away matches – they last kept a clean sheet in three such matches in a row in December 2018, under Allegri.

"Regarding [finishing in] first place [in the Champions League], it's a source of satisfaction, but we can't think about the Champions League right now," Allegri said.

"We have to think about the league, where we are clearly behind. Therefore we have to work on a daily basis and game after game to try and give some stability to our table.

"It is a matter of scoring percentages. We are clearly below the average, so we need to be more focused and clinical in front of the goal.

"At the moment, our scoring percentage in relation to the opportunities we create is too low for a club like Juventus. We need five chances to score a goal."

Arthur will not feature for Juventus against Venezia after the midfielder was dropped by Massimiliano Allegri for being late to training.

Juve have been underwhelming since Allegri's return for a second tenure and currently sit in fifth, nine points behind Serie A leaders Milan and seven behind Atalanta in the final Champions League qualification spot.

Allegri's team have, however, secured qualification for the next round of the Champions League by topping their group, while they were 2-0 victors over Genoa in their last league game.

As Juve prepare to visit Venezia, who have suffered 15 defeats against the Bianconeri in their last 17 Serie A meetings, Allegri confirmed Arthur will not be in the squad after the former Barcelona midfielder arrived late to training.

"It's simple, he arrived late the day before the game," Allegri told reporters at Friday's pre-match news conference. 

"So I don't think it's right and he won't be called up, but from Tuesday he'll be back with the team. These things happen."

Indeed, Arthur has only started twice for Juve this season across all competitions, making eight appearances in total for his 255 minutes with the likes of Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot and Rodrigo Bentancur preferred.

Arthur has only created four chances across those appearances, as he continues to form way below the standards he set at Camp Nou.

Aside from the Brazil international's misdemeanour, Allegri explained he is expecting a tough test from Venezia, who are just five points above the relegation zone.

"The next step is tomorrow's match, which I think is complicated," he added. "If I'm not mistaken, Venezia scored a lot at home: I think they didn't score a goal only with Inter. 

"However, Venezia plays and is a carefree team, then comes from a bad defeat against Verona. They had dominated the first half, tomorrow they play with Juventus and will try to make a historic feat. 

"We have to put ourselves on par with them, in terms of mentality and above all in terms of pace.

"Nobody has played on the pitch of this team, only Chiellini and I played in Venice. It's all strange because you arrive by ferry and then the field is narrower. 

"If you don't go there and play a certain game then you put yourself on a par with the others, you risk getting hurt. There are narrow fields where there are no spaces and the games become fast. 

"Just look at the results and goals scored by Venice who beat Rome and Fiorentina. Then they are a team that plays football well and creates a lot. I congratulate [Paolo] Zanetti. We have to play an important match."