Inter Milan and Napoli are the favourites to win the Serie A title, Juventus manager Thiago Motta said ahead of Sunday's league visit to rivals Inter.
"It’s clear that the favourites to win the league are Napoli and Inter, they have won the last two Scudetti. Tomorrow, we have to face Inter with focus and courage," Motta told reporters on Saturday.
Juventus have been the most successful team in the Italian top flight, winning the title 36 times with their most recent triumph in 2020. In the four seasons since, Inter have won the league twice, while Napoli and AC Milan have each taken it once.
Juve finished third last season but there was a gap of 23 points between them and champions Inter, who collected 94 points.
In the 2022-2023 season, when Napoli claimed the title with 90 points, Juve finished seventh, trailing by 28 points.
Juve currently sit third with 16 points, just one behind second-placed Inter and three points behind leaders Napoli.
'EXPECTATIONS ARE EXTREMELY HIGH'
Asked if the gap had narrowed, Motta, who is in his first season in charge, said: "It's not me who thinks it has, the facts speak for themselves."
Juventus suffered their first defeat of the season on Tuesday, losing 1-0 at home to VfB Stuttgart in the Champions League, but the coach said his players had already put the setback behind them.
"There’s no need to work on mentality, the guys are in good shape. Understandably, in an historic team like ours, the expectations are extremely high," Motta said.
"It's the first defeat that's happened this season. Even when we win, we move on just the same. There’s no time to celebrate or dwell on a victory. The past is in the past; Stuttgart is behind us, and now we’re going to play Inter."
Juventus have managed 11 goals in eight games in Serie A and Inter have scored 17 – the second best tally behind Atalanta's 18.
Asked if there would be major changes to the forward line for the Inter game, Motta said: "We have scored in many different ways this season, with forwards Kenan Yildiz behind Dusan Vlahovic, while also finding other ways. We will see tomorrow."
Yildiz has not scored in eight Serie A appearances while Vlahovic has netted five times in eight outings.