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Sampdoria host Inter on Sunday as their vital month in Serie A continues, with Sinisa Mihajlovic's men aiming for a fourth consecutive victory.
The Genoa-based outfit stunned Roma 2-0 in the capital on Monday in their first of four straight games against some of the biggest clubs in Italy, ensuring Sampdoria remained level with fifth-placed Fiorentina on 45 points.
Fiorentina hold Serie A's final European qualifying berth on goal difference ahead of sixth-placed Sampdoria, while Inter (37) sit eighth before Sunday's fixture.
With games against Fiorentina and 10th-placed Milan to follow, Mihajlovic's men know this month could decide their season, as they aim to reel in Lazio (49), who lie third in Serie A's final UEFA Champions League spot.
"It was the first of four difficult games and we won," defender Lorenzo De Silvestri said after Sampdoria's triumph over Roma.
"Now we continue like this; in the end we will know where we stand.
"We are aware of our abilities, we are now there and we do not hide."
The 26-year-old full-back scored the opener at the Stadio Olimpico - his second goal in as many games - and labelled it "the most important goal of my career".
Sampdoria defeated Atalanta and Cagliari before their triumph in the Italian capital, while Inter have not won in four games in all competitions and will head to Genoa following their UEFA Europa League last-16 second leg against Wolfsburg.
Mihajlovic's team and the other Champions League contenders may be better off targeting Roma rather than Lazio, however, in their respective bids to qualify for next season's edition of Europe's premier club competition.
Lazio have won five straight matches in Serie A to move within a point of second-placed Roma, whose defeat to Sampdoria was their fifth without victory in Italy's top flight.
Cesena host Roma on Sunday and Lazio will welcome Hellas Verona to the Stadio Olimpico, while fourth-placed Napoli (46) take on Atalanta and Fiorentina visit Udinese.
Leaders Juventus (64) should be buoyant after their 3-0 win at Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Wednesday, as the three-times reigning Serie A champions surged into the quarter-finals.
Massimiliano Allegri's team will take on Genoa in round 28.
Chievo will open the round on Saturday against Palermo, before Milan entertain Cagliari, while in other fixtures, Empoli host Sassuolo and Parma meet Torino.
Under-fire coach Filippo Inzaghi is clinging onto his job ahead of Milan's Serie A clash against Cagliari on Saturday.
Milan have won just two of their past 10 matches in all competitions, leaving them battling in 10th spot in the league.
Inzaghi is under increasing pressure at the helm, with his team now 10 points off qualifying for the UEFA Europa League.
A clash against relegation-threatened Cagliari at San Siro appears an opportunity for Milan to return to winning ways.
But midfielder Nigel de Jong said on Wednesday nothing would come easily for his struggling team.
"We're a team right until the end. The coach isn't the only one responsible for the situation, but us players too," he told reporters.
"As I've said before, we have to improve to come out of this situation together.
"My future? I'm currently a Milan player. We shall see for next year.
"I haven't seen many of Cagliari's matches. Every match is hard for us at the moment."
Milan looked set for an important win last time out, leading Fiorentina 1-0 with less than 10 minutes remaining.
But they conceded twice in seven minutes late on against Vincenzo Montella's side.
Milan face a team also battling for form in Cagliari, who are winless in seven matches and four points from safety.
The situation for Zdenek Zeman's side is becoming increasingly desperate, sitting four points behind Atalanta and eight adrift of 16th-placed Chievo.
Cagliari also have a forgettable history against Milan.
Of the 33 matches played between the two clubs, Cagliari have won just two – losing 21 and drawing 10.
Cagliari's last win over Milan came in 1998.
Zeman's men need a win in their relegation fight, while Inzaghi must lead his side to victory to ease the pressure on his job - for the time being at least.
Juventus have revealed that inspirational midfielder Paul Pogba faces up to seven weeks on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury.
The France international has been outstanding for the Serie A champions this season, but is set to be sidelined until May after damaging his right hamstring in Wednesday's UEFA Champions League victory at Borussia Dortmund.
Pogba, who was withdrawn after only 27 minutes of Juve's 3-0 second-leg win, has played a key role as the Turin giants battle for honours on three fronts and will be sorely missed by Massimiliano Allegri's side.
A statement on the club's official website on Thursday said: "Paul Pogba this afternoon underwent an MRI scan after coming off midway through the first half of last night’s Champions League match with Borussia Dortmund in Germany.
"The scan revealed a grade two myotendinous junction tear of his biceps femoris. He is expected to return to competitive action within the next 50 days."
His absence is also a blow to France ahead of their upcoming friendlies against Brazil and Denmark.
Garcia calls for Roma salvage job after Europa humiliation
19 March 2015
Roma coach Rudi Garcia urged his players to rescue their season after crashing out of the UEFA Europa League to Serie A counterparts Fiorentina.
Garcia's men took a 1-1 draw into the home leg of the last-16 tie at the Stadio Olimpico but found themselves 3-0 down after 22 minutes as their first-half performance descended into farce.
Mohamed Salah hit the crossbar and post after the interval as Fiorentina tried and failed to add to a 4-1 aggregate triumph amid fury from the home fans who remained in the ground, with the iconic Curva Sud virtually deserted.
Roma face a battle to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League having won only twice in Serie A since the turn of the year and Garcia struggled to conceal his horror at the manner in which their European campaign crashed to a halt.
"It was an unexpected defeat," he told Mediaset Premium.
"Fiorentina deserve compliments for making the most of our gifts to them, but I am mortified. We had the right desire at the start, but paid a heavy price for individual errors.
"Now we have to salvage the season with second place. If we qualify for the Champions League, it will be an acceptable campaign."
Amid growing discontent from the terraces - Roma last won at the Olimpico in November - Garcia has insisted that his players must show character to get the supporters back on-side.
"There are 11 battles remaining in Serie A. It’s just the staff and the players. I will not let go for a second, we have to lift our heads and get back up.
"This is what I expect from my players. I spoke to them after the game, telling them that anyone with pride and character will follow me. If anyone is weak, then they do not interest me.
"I talk about character because some players seem to be afraid of playing at the Olimpico. Our stadium must get back to being a pleasant venue for us.
"In this moment of difficulty that's the message I want to give to the team."
He added: "The leader must set the example and I remain motivated. The season can still end well. We need more character."
Inter face a critical end to the season as they look to rescue some pride following their UEFA Europa League exit, says Andrea Ranocchia.
Roberto Mancini's side have been well off the pace in Serie A, have exited the Coppa Italia and are now out of Europe after a 5-2 aggregate defeat to Wolfsburg.
Thursday's 2-1 defeat at San Siro extended Inter's winless run to five games in all competitions, and Ranocchia knows things need to change in the final 11 games to avoid a disastrous campaign.
"We are disappointed because we really believed that we could qualify and had prepared well for this game," he told the club's official website.
"We had many chances but unfortunately we could not use them, unlike them.
"Now we must concentrate all our strength on the championship. We need to do something to cut the gap in the standings."
Inter's fans left their team in no doubt about their feelings after the Wolfsburg defeat, with those remaining in the stadium jeering the players off the pitch at full-time.
After seeing Roma crash out of the UEFA Europa League to Fiorentina on Thursday, Walter Sabatini admitted he made a mistake in the way he handled the club's January recruitment.
Roma were sent out 4-1 on aggregate after a 3-0 defeat at the Stadio Olimpico, leaving Rudi Garcia's men facing up to a season without silverware.
Having exited the Coppa Italia and with 14 points between themselves and Serie A leaders Juventus, Sabatini felt the club's inability to sign in-form Fiorentina loan star Mohamed Salah has been detrimental to their recent form.
Sabatini - who instead opted for Seydou Doumbia from CSKA Moscow - told Sport Mediaset: "I made a mistake in January.
"The team needed strengthening in attack and the choices I made haven't had the desired effect so far.
"I have to take the blame for those mistakes because they have weighed on the team and the coach.
"The blame lies exclusively at my door, but I'll analyse everything further down the line because it's easy to hold your hands up now.
"Salah is a player to be regretted and another mistake that I made.
"It is easy to accuse yourself without secondary effects, but what I say now will still be valid in future.
"Nobody is abandoning ship, least of all myself. Quitting now would be like escaping and that's not something I'm used to doing. I have to think about the consequences that have led us to dropping points."
The Nerazzurri coach has sought to deflect blame from his players, while Hernanes admits he cannot begrudge fans for whistling them against Wolfsburg
Roberto Mancini has insisted the blame for Inter's feeble exit from the Europa League to Wolfsburg on Thursday lies at his feet.
The Nerazzurri needed to overturn a 3-1 defeat from the first leg at the Volkswagen Arena but went behind after 24 minutes on home soil via the boot of Daniel Caligiuri.
Conceding first left Inter with the monumental task of scoring three goals to take the game to extra-time and, though Rodrigo Palacio's strike gave Mancini's men a faint glimmer of hope, Nicklas Bendtner wrapped up the result with a late half-volley.
The former Manchester City coach was keen to avoid making excuses and openly admitted that his team's defending is not up to scratch if they want to return to the elite of Italy or Europe.
"We must not concede goals, defending is the fundamental foundation," he told reporters in his post-match press conference. "The fault tonight is mine.
"Defence is the basis of everything: in Europe you can not give two chances and concede any goals in the first 20 minutes.
"We are as disappointed as the fans and they have every right to whistle at us. We had the chances to score more goals but, once we went behind, it became far more difficult.
"We never seem to end a match with a clean sheet. This alters how we can approach games right now. Unfortunately we keep making mistakes and conceding goals from them.
"Wolfsburg are a better team than us right now, but my regret is that we gave them too many chances on a silver platter over the two legs."
Hernanes echoed Mancini's suggestion that the fans were right to jeer them when full-time came at San Siro, with the defeat potentially signalling the last European game at the ground until at least 2016, with both Inter and AC Milan stuck in mid-table.
"It was not a nice end to our European journey," the Brazilian midfielder said. "The fans were right to whistle. We have been eliminated but now we need patience from supporters.
"We did our best, we tried to make the most of our opportunities, but clearly our best wasn't good enough. I'm sorry, at times like this we need to stand up straight and continue to try to put in good work."
Inter, who are winless in five games in all competitions, are back in action on Sunday at home to top-three challengers Sampdoria.
The former Fiorentina defender thinks the Stadio Olimpico boss' position is untenable after they were dumped out of the Europa League in embarrassing style
Rudi Garcia should resign in the wake of Roma's humiliating Europa League exit, according to ex-Fiorentina defender Celeste Pin.
Garcia earned plenty of plaudits for pushing Juventus close in the Scudetto race last season and the Giallorossi again looked strong in the first half of 2014-15 as they balanced Champions League commitments with another title challenge.
However, Roma's form has since plummeted - they have won just two league games in 2015 to fall 14 points behind Juve in Serie A, while they were knocked out the Coppa Italia by Fiorentina and failed to progress from the Champions League groups before Christmas.
Vincenzo Montella's men once again knocked the capital club out of a competition on Thursday as they thrashed Roma 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico - winning the last-16 tie 4-1 on aggregate - and Pin thinks Garcia should take the honourable route out with immediate effect.
"For me, Garcia should resign," he told Tuttomercatoweb.com. "I think that he should do so now and not wait to be sacked for their run of results."
Gonzalo Rodriguez put the visitors ahead very early on and Roma's implosion continued as Marcos Alonso and Jose Basanta put the game beyond their reach after just 21 minutes.
Roma have some consolation in knowing they are still second in Serie A but, with arch-rivals Lazio just one point behind and Napoli, Fiorentina and Sampdoria breathing down their necks, it could be a tense end to the season for Garcia's men.
The midfielder has been ruled out for 50 days with a hamstring injury, the Serie A champions have confirmed, meaning he will miss crucial clashes in April
Juventus have been dealt a blow to their European and domestic trophy hopes as midfielder Paul Pogba has been ruled out with a hamstring injury until May.
The 22-year-old has been a key part of the Bianconeri's incredible Serie A record in 2014-15 – they are 14 points clear and look certain to wrap up the Scudetto over the coming weeks.
With Champions League clashes and a Coppa Italia semi-final second leg at Fiorentina to come in the next month, however, Pogba's absence could hit their hopes of winning the treble hard before he returns for the final few matches of the season.
The France international limped off as Massimiliano Allegri's men breezed past Borussia Dortmund in the last-16 second leg and there were fears that a moderate spell on the sidelines could be on the cards.
Those fears have proven to be justified and Juventus - who signed Pogba as a teenager on a free transfer from Manchester United in 2012 - revealed the extent of his injury on Thursday.
"Paul Pogba, who was brought off during the first half of Dortmund-Juventus, has been medically examined," a statement on the club's website reads.
"Magnetic resonance imaging confirmed the initial suspicion of a second-degree injury to Pogba's right hamstring. The recovery schedule for the midfielder is due to take 50 days."
If Juventus' timeline is accurate, Pogba will be fit to feature in the second leg of the Champions League semi-finals should they reach the last four, although he is unlikely to be approaching full fitness until the middle of May.
Paul Pogba's Juventus future looks increasingly unclear after club director Pavel Nedved claimed Paris Saint-Germain have bid for the midfielder.
Pogba has become one of the hottest properties in European football after joining Juve on a free transfer from Manchester United in 2012, having scored 23 goals in 122 games for the Serie A champions.
A potential return to the Premier League with Chelsea, Manchester United or Manchester City has been reported, while La Liga giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have been strongly linked.
But it is Ligue 1 champions PSG who appear to have stolen a march on the rest of Pogba's suitors, with Czech Republic legend Nedved claiming they have made the first move.
"Yes, PSG sent us an offer," Nedved told Le Parisien.
"But Paris is not alone. Real Madrid and Barcelona are also interested."
Pogba is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury, which will keep him out of action until May.
Mancini expects title challenge at Inter next season
21 March 2015 16:09
Roberto Mancini is adamant that his Inter side will learn from their current difficulties and challenge for the Serie A title next season.
The Milan giants have endured a turbulent campaign, initially struggling in the bottom half of the table under the stewardship of Walter Mazzarri before making a slight improvement under Mancini.
Since Mancini's return to the club in November, Inter have risen to eighth, but they have been far from impressive and go into Sunday's clash with Sampdoria on the back of three successive league matches without a win.
Mancini acknowledged that his side have had their difficulties in recent months, but he is convinced that Inter will be fighting alongside Juventus at the top of the table next season.
"There have been some difficulties," he told reporters. "But the guys have always done their best.
"For me, the group has improved, but unfortunately the results are not proving us right.
"It takes patience, but I'm sure the best moments will come and Inter will be fighting at the summit next year.
"We will work together during the summer and new players that can help those who are already in the team will arrive.
"Working at Inter is inspiring and I'm sure we will find the resources to build a competitive team."
Inter coach Roberto Mancini struggled to explain Inter's loss at Sampdoria, but remains positive that his side can turn their fortunes around.
Mancini watched on as Eder's superb free-kick earned Samp a 1-0 victory at the Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris, where the Inter boss enjoyed 15 years as a player.
It is now six matches without a win in all competitions for Inter, who are 10 points adrift of the UEFA Europa League places, with Sunday's defeat coming just three days after they were knocked out of that competition by Wolfsburg.
"It certainly hasn't been a great month for us, but tonight I could not have asked for more from my players," Mancini told Sky Sport Italia.
"We played well, It is difficult to explain how we lost tonight. We had the game and a free-kick changed everything.
"In the next few games we have to keep playing like we did tonight and hope for better luck.
"There are some difficulties, but if I go back and see the games we lost, I think we deserved to lose very few of them.
"I accept all criticism, but I do not think a project can last four months. Inter haven't done well in recent years and it would naturally take a little longer to get things back on track.
"Despite the defeats and this disappointing spell, I still believe the team has improved a great deal. We must work and not get downhearted by negative moments."
Chievo 1 Palermo 0: Paloschi goal enough despite penalty miss
21 March 2015 20:48
Chievo took a further step towards Serie A survival with a 1-0 win over Palermo on Saturday.
Alberto Paloschi scored the only goal of the game at the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi and also missed a penalty.
Paloschi latched on to a clever flick-on from Riccardo Meggiorini and netted with a composed low finish in the 35th minute.
The striker was then afforded a golden opportunity to double his tally in the 62nd minute as Sinisa Andelkovic handled in the area, but Paloschi sliced the resulting spot-kick over the crossbar.
Franco Vazquez smashed the bar from 10 yards out late on for Palermo before Andelkovic was sent off for a second yellow card with four minutes remaining as Chievo moved 11 points clear of the drop zone.
Milan 3 Cagliari 1: Menez doubles eases pressure on Inzaghi
21 March 2015 22:46
Jeremy Menez eased the pressure on head coach Filippo Inzaghi with two goals in Milan's 3-1 victory over relegation-threatened Cagliari in Serie A on Saturday.
The striker netted either side of Philippe Mexes' first of the season on a night that could have seen the end of Inzaghi's reign had the hosts failed to win.
All was not well for Milan, though, who played the game in front of a sparsely populated San Siro after the club's Ultras boycotted the match, displaying banners with the words "Game Over" and "Save Milan" in the Curva Sud.
Initially, Inzaghi's men struggled to find their rhythm, but Menez changed all that with a well-taken opener midway through the first half.
Diego Farias pulled Cagliari level early in the second period, only for Mexes to put Milan back in front two minutes later, much to the relief of Inzaghi.
Milan's much-needed victory was assured late on through Menez's controversial penalty, lifting the fallen giants into seventh place and dreaming of a European place.
Cagliari took advantage of Milan's nerves in the opening stages with a positive start and should have been ahead inside five minutes as Marco Sau fired wide from six yards after evading two challenges.
Despite a run of seven games without a win, the visitors continued to threaten, with Paul-Jose M'Poku twice denied by some last-ditch defending.
Having failed to make their early pressure pay, Cagliari were punished as Menez broke the deadlock with a stunning 21st-minute effort.
The French forward cut in from the left edge of the penalty area and curled his effort past Zeljko Brkic, before sending a message to those fans staying away from the game by cupping his hand to his ear in celebration.
Menez was Milan's shining light with threatening runs at the Cagliari defence, but it was Marco van Ginkel who went closest to doubling their advantage before the break with a long-range effort that was just over Brkic's crossbar.
Zdenek Zeman's side had lost much of their momentum prior to half-time, but improved after the restart and levelled immediately through Farias.
Sau began a swift break with a long ball for the Brazilian to chase, he bamboozled Mexes and calmly slotted past Diego Lopez.
Cagliari were not level for long, though, as Mexes made up for his calamitous defending minutes earlier with a well-executed volley from Menez's corner.
Such a frantic start to the second period meant Cagliari were never out of the game and, as the hour approached, Farias went agonisingly close to levelling for a second time with an effort that clipped the crossbar on its way over.
The woodwork saved Milan again to deny substitute Joao Pedro and three minutes later victory was assured as Menez took his tally to 15 goals for the season from a controversial penalty.
Substitute Alessio Cerci was fouled by Luca Ceppitelli on the edge of the penalty area, but referee Paolo Tagliavento stunned the visitors with the award of a spot-kick and Menez made no mistake.
Juventus 1 Genoa 0: Tevez stretches Juve lead in Serie A
22 March 2015 16:50
Carlos Tevez was Juventus' match-winner once more as Massimiliano Allegri's team continued their march towards a fourth consecutive Serie A title by beating Genoa 1-0.
Genoa are the only team have to beaten the reigning champions in Serie A this term thanks to a 1-0 win on home turf in October and Mbaye Niang almost gave them an early lead at the Juventus Stadium.
But Tevez, who notched a brace to help dump Borussia Dortmund out of the UEFA Champions League in midweek, illuminated the contest with a brilliant solo goal after 25 minutes.
It was not a flawless performance from the former Manchester City man, who saw a second-half penalty saved, but a third consecutive league win and a 17-point lead at the summit rarely appeared to be in doubt.
Roma, currently on a dismal run of form in second place, can close that substantial gap when they face Cesena on Sunday.
A slack pass from Leonardo Bonucci presented Niang with the opportunity to give Genoa a second-minute lead, but the forward curled narrowly wide from 20 yards.
Neither defence looked particularly assured during the opening exchanges and Facundo Roncaglia made a last-ditch block to deny Juventus striker Fernando Llorente.
Genoa felt they should have had a penalty in the 14th minute, but Diego Perotti was booked for simulation as home midfielder Claudio Marchisio went to ground.
Juventus were still struggling for fluency by the time a moment of magic from Tevez put them ahead.
The Argentina forward slipped past a pair of defenders on a typically bustling run before clattering home an angled shot via the underside of the crossbar for a 16th Serie goal of the season.
The visitors' early verve disappeared and it was almost 2-0 on the stroke of the interval - Giorgio Chiellini firing against the crossbar when Genoa failed to fully clear a corner.
Mattia Perin was injured in the build-up to the Chiellini chance, receiving lengthy treatment, and the when the Genoa goalkeeper punched a cross away in clear discomfort six minutes after the restart he was replaced by understudy Eugenio Lamanna.
And, as he did after emerging from the bench against Roma in December, Lamanna thwarted the opposition from the penalty spot - Tevez's 62nd-minute effort struck at helpful height following Roncaglia's trip on Roberto Pereyra.
Genoa's best chance for a leveller came 10 minutes from time, as Andrea Barzagli cleared brilliantly to deny Perotti at the far post, but they could not find a way through and Juventus retaining their crown appears an increasing formality.
Sampdoria 1 Inter 0: Eder´s free-kick caps ´dream´ weekend
22 March 2015 22:49
Sampdoria's Eder completed a memorable weekend with the only goal of the game as he gave his side a 1-0 Serie A victory over Inter on Sunday.
The Brazilian-born forward was called into Antonio Conte's latest Italy squad on Saturday having gained citizenship, with his agent declaring the honour a "dream come true".
And 24 hours later, he was celebrating again, as he fired home a stunning free-kick to settle matters at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris.
After Inter had dominated the opening 20 minutes of the second half, hitting the woodwork through Mauro Icardi, Eder thumped in from 25 yards, leaving Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic with no chance.
In doing so, he made amends for his sending off in the same fixture last season, when he was dismissed as Inter won 4-0, as well as handing Sinisa Mihajlovic's side a fourth straight Serie A win.
Inter, meanwhile, are now winless in six matches across all competitions as Roberto Mancini - who enjoyed hero status during a 15-year stint as a player at Samp - saw his side fall to another defeat, three days after exiting the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Wolfsburg.
Sampdoria's Luis Muriel came into the game with three goals in five appearances since his arrival from Udinese, and he ought to have added to that tally in the 11th minute.
The Colombian turned away from Andrea Ranocchia with a superb piece of control only to blaze over the crossbar.
Inter's response was swift, as Icardi headed Xherdan Shaqiri's cross off target from six yards.
Eder then brought a comfortable stop out of Handanovic with a strike from distance and also fired over midway through the half.
The interval arrived without either goalkeeper having had to make a serious save, Muriel and Icardi both shooting over in the latter stages of the half.
Inter almost broke the deadlock in the opening minute of the second period when Icardi's curling effort struck the crossbar with Emiliano Viviano well beaten.
The Samp goalkeeper got down smartly to keep out Fredy Guarin's shot three minutes later and, from the resulting corner, Lukas Podolski failed to get a telling touch on Shaqiri's centre.
Inter were soon left to rue their wastefulness when, in the 65th minute, Eder was teed up by Samuel Eto'o and Angelo Palombo before hitting a shot that swerved away from Handanovic and went in off the right-hand post.
And although the visitors pressed for an equaliser in the closing stages, Samp held on to secure all three points and maintain their unbeaten home league record this season.
Lazio made it six Serie A wins in a row by defeating Verona 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.
Stefano Pioli's side have been in fine form over the past month, and are now four points clear in the race for a top-three finish and UEFA Champions League qualification.
Felipe Anderson netted an early opener for Lazio with a powerful header – his eight league goal in nine games – and the advantage was doubled in first-half stoppage time through Antonio Candreva.
Lazio's nearest challengers are now Sampdoria, who climbed two places to fourth courtesy of a 1-0 home win over Inter.
Eder celebrated being called into Antonio Conte's Italy squad for the first time in style with a stunning free-kick midway through the second half which swerved away from Samir Handanovic and went in off the post.
Samp's fourth consecutive win saw them leapfrog Napoli and Fiorentina, who both dropped points.
Napoli needed a late Duvan Zapata header to rescue a 1-1 draw at home to Atalanta, who had earlier seen Alejandro Gomez sent off, while his namesake Mario scored both of Fiorentina's goals in a 2-2 draw at Udinese.
At the summit, Juventus maintained their 14-point lead as Carlos Tevez's fine individual effort earned them a 1-0 home win over Genoa, although the Argentinian did miss a penalty in the second half.
Second-placed Roma triumphed by the same scoreline at struggling Cesena, Daniele De Rossi earning them just a second league win in 11 outings.
Elsewhere, Empoli defeated Sassuolo 3-1 and beleaguered Parma's woes continued as they saw captain Alessandro Lucarelli sent off in a 2-0 home defeat at the hands of Torino, capping a miserable week which saw them declared bankrupt with debts topping £218million.
Filippo Inzaghi hopes Milan's performance in their 3-1 victory over Cagliari on Saturday will help entice the club's fans back to San Siro.
Playing in front of a sparse crowd, after Milan's ultras called for a boycott prior to kick-off, was not ideal for Inzaghi's side, but they overcame their early nerves to secure a much-needed win.
With the head coach's job reported to be at stake, two goals from Jeremy Menez, plus Philippe Mexes' first of the season, eased some pressure and Inzaghi hopes Milan can use the win as a building block.
"I know that I have to prove myself, as Milan looked to a young coach in a difficult moment," he told Sky Sport Italia.
"I see a club with a strong squad and very experienced players, who are still struggling.
"I knew full well that it wouldn't be easy but I want to see a Milan side that is higher up the standings. We did well until January, then for a series of reasons we lost our way but we're back to creating seven or eight clear-cut chances per game. That's the Milan I like.
"We are not in the position we want to be but I feel the team and club are close to me, we communicate regularly and that is enough for me. I have a contract.
"It's only natural for our fans to be disappointed, so we have to win them back with good performances and results.
"We've seen the Milan of a few months ago and that's something what we can build on."
Massimiliano Allegri was keen to guard against complacency after his Juventus team took another step towards the seemingly inevitable retention of their Serie A crown.
Carlos Tevez scored a brilliant first-half goal but missed a penalty after the break as Juventus recorded a 1-0 win over Genoa on Sunday - the only team to have beaten them in the league this term as they close in on a fourth successive title.
In midweek, Tevez struck twice in an impressive 3-0 win that sealed a UEFA Champions League quarter-final spot at Borussia Dortmund's expense, although Juventus must overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first-leg of their Coppa Italia semi-final with rivals Fiorentina.
"The lads and club deserve the credit for what they are doing this season," Allegri Sky Sport Italia.
"It's an intriguing end to the campaign and we hope to achieve as many objectives as possible. You never know in football.
"If we are able to get full points in the next two games, then we’d have a pretty strong lead. However, as things stand we haven’t won anything yet and still have to play in the Champions League and Coppa Italia."
Tevez clattered home his 16th Serie A goal of the season in the 25th minute and Allegri was full of praise for the player despite seeing Eugenio Lamanna save his tame spot kick.
"He scored an extraordinary goal, suited to his remarkable season," the coach added.
"He has great technique, I leave him free to move around a bit more and I think that’s important for him.
"You can tell a champion by the way he moves and shakes off the marking, even without having to run that much."
Napoli hit out at ´shameful´ refereeing in Atalanta draw
22 March 2015 23:57
Napoli hit out at referee Gianpaolo Calvarese following the 1-1 draw with Atalanta, describing the official's performance as "shameful".
Rafael Benitez's side fell behind in the 72nd minute of Sunday's Serie A meeting, when Mauricio Pinilla dispossessed Henrique and rounded goalkeeper Mariano Andujar to score.
Napoli's players protested that Henrique had been fouled, and although they did find a late equaliser through substitute Duvan Zapata, the club tweeted an angry reaction after the match in summing up Calvarese's display.
"It is shameful!" they posted. "[FIGC president Carlo] Tavecchio cannot lose credibility in this way.
"The refereeing was not fit for Serie A and falsified the league. In England this would not have happened."
Benitez was also scathing of the officials' performance after the match.
"I am convinced that the referee, the linesman and the fourth official saw the foul," he said. "It is difficult to officiate with only six referees, maybe they should add another two to see what happens."
Henrique, at the centre of the controversy, added: "I protested because I hadn't heard the referee's whistle, when I saw that a goal had been given I did not believe it."
Calvarese had a busy night, showing a total of 10 yellow cards, including two in the space of 21 minutes for Alejandro Gomez as the Atalanta striker was sent off after the break.
