After Juventus racked up a 32nd consecutive home win in Serie A with victory over Chievo, Massimiliano Allegri was ready to look ahead to Tuesday’s meeting with Barcelona.

“We head into a big month high on enthusiasm and determined to go all the way,” the boss began following Saturday’s 2-0 triumph at Juventus Stadium.

“As for Barcelona, we just need to go out there and play our game without giving it too much thought. We must be ready for it – it’s a Champions League quarter-final after all.

“We have a lot of respect for Barcelona but we’ll go into the tie knowing we have a very good chance of going through. It’s two matches and we’ll have to be on our game both defensively and going forward – like in any football match.”

While the Bianconeri have been buoyed by another three points in Serie A, Barcelona will arrive in Turin smarting after suffering a 2-0 reverse at the hands of Malaga on Saturday night – not that Allegri is reading too much into it.

“It doesn’t change anything. Barcelona are used to playing big matches like this and with the players they have – Messi, Suarez, Neymar, Iniesta, Mascherano and the rest – they rarely get this sort of game wrong. We’ll need to up the tempo and make it really tough for them.

“We came into this game against Chievo on the back of two matches against Napoli that were very intense both from a physical and a mental point of view. I think we looked a tad jaded in the first half. We improved after the break, but we really should have put the match to bed earlier.

“I think it was one of the hardest games of the season because it came after two energy-sapping matches.”

If Juve were able to get the better of Chievo, it was thanks in no small part to their front pairing as Paulo Dybala wreaked havoc amongst the opposition backline and laid on two assists which Gonzalo Higuain gratefully gobbled up.

“Dybala and Higuain are in good shape,” Allegri continued. “Gonzalo came back a week early from international duty and was able to train well. He’s in fine fettle now.”

The coach went on to discuss the possibility of seeing Mario Mandzukic back in action on Tuesday.

“Mario has trained twice, yesterday and today. I’ll have another look at him tomorrow and see if he’s fit enough to play.

“In any case we had several players out there tonight who didn’t play in midweek. We’re able to rotate the squad and keep on picking up results. Having fresh legs to bring on can make all the difference at this crucial stage.”

Finally, Allegri commented on Juve’s efficiency at both ends of the pitch.

“Football’s a very simple game because you have just two things to do: defend and attack. The trick is doing both of them well.

“It’s not the end of the world if you’re not firing on all cylinders going forward because keeping things tidy at the back can be just as important as attacking well. It’s the end result that counts and you can achieve it in lots of different ways.

“If you want to see a show, you go to the circus; we’re in the business of winning games and picking up points.

“I have some great players capable of winning matches single-handedly but that’s not enough in itself because every game is different. We might not always be as spectacular as other teams but what matters is being in the mix at the end and winning the league.”

Juventus got the three points they needed against Chievo but it was no easy feat, as Gonzalo Higuain was quick to recognise after the final whistle.

After scoring both goals in the 2-0 victory, the Argentine admitted: “It was tough out there but we knew it could be. Chievo don’t roll over easily – they keep battling away right till the end. I’m happy we managed to get the win we wanted tonight.

“Now we turn our attentions to Barcelona – a fantastic team. We respect them and they respect us. We need to approach the game calmly and in the right frame of mind.”

Gonzalo’s brace took this tally to 21 for the season, making him the first player to hit 20 Serie A goals in his maiden season at Juventus since Omar Sivori and John Charles.

His goal celebration, he explained, “was for my mum Nancy, who was in the stands today”.

The games may be coming thick and fast but Juve keep picking up results and the striker explained that the reward on offer is helping to drive the Bianconeri on.

“The match against Napoli took a lot out of us but we’ve done well. We’re approaching the end of the season now and we’re all putting in that extra bit of effort because we’re still in contention on all three fronts. Not many teams can say that.”

It’s been a particularly intense week for Higuain personally as he returned to the Stadio San Paolo twice in the space of a few days.

He explained: “It was a special feeling to go back but I’m really happy here because the Juventus fans have always got behind me.”

It was business as usual for the Bianconeri on Saturday night, their 2-0 win over Chievo providing the perfect prelude to Tuesday’s keenly awaited Champions League quarter-final first leg against Barcelona.

Fresh from his brace in midweek against Napoli in the Coppa Italia, Gonzalo Higuain was the star of the show once more as he notched another pair of strikes either side of half-time to hand Juventus three precious points in their pursuit of a sixth successive Scudetto title.

Both goals, unmistakably Pipita-esque for their predatory fashion, mean that the Argentine forward took his tally to 26 for the season in all competitions, as his side now sit nine points clear of nearest rivals Roma, who play their game in hand tomorrow, with seven league fixtures remaining.

Early pressure pays off

The Bianconeri might have been in action twice in only the previous six days, but they showed no signs of lethargy in the early stages of this match.

Sami Khedira blasted an effort straight at Andrea Seculin after 17 minutes and the Chievo stopper was called into action again moments later by a rasping Paulo Dybala drive that looked destined to finish in the top corner.

On 23 minutes however, the hosts had made the breakthrough: Dybala cut the ball back to Higuain who swept mercilessly into the bottom corner to bring up his 20th league goal this season.

Bianconeri bang on the door

Pipita’s landmark strike paved the way to a series of Juve attacks, in which they forced several corners in the closing stages of the first half without scoring the much sought-after second goal.

Gianluigi Buffon, back between the sticks tonight, was tested for the first occasion of the game shortly after the break when he blocked Sergio Pellissier’s stinging effort, and Juve’s Numero Uno was in positon to gather Riccardo Meggiorini’s glancing header just a few minutes later.

By the hour-mark, the Bianconeri were back on top and very nearly doubled their advantage when Higuain sent a blistering shot inches wide of Seculin’s post from the edge of the area.

Stefano Sturaro saw his goalbound shot blocked on 70 minutes, Dybala struck whiskers to the wrong side of the upright and Pipita somehow missed the target from just a few yards out, as Juve kept banging on the door in a bid to put the game beyond Chievo once and for all.

Pipita puts game to bed

Valter Birsa’s venomous volley, fortunately aimed straight at Buffon, served as a reminder with 10 minutes left that the match was far from over. That is until Higuain bagged his second of the evening in typically predatory fashion.

Following some dazzling build-up play from Dybala, who played in Lichtsteiner down the right, Pipita picked up the Swiss Express’ cross inside the six-yard box, coolly sidestepped the keeper before burying home to the delight of the sellout crowd at Juventus Stadium.

Game, set, match and now a healthy lead over their nearest title challengers. Massimiliano Allegri’s men head into Tuesday’s tie against Barcelona with their tails firmly up.