Juventus play host to Inter Milan in Serie A on Sunday evening holding a six-point advantage over their title rivals in the standings, reports agencies.
Although Inter have a game in hand on their hosts, Antonio Conte returns to his former club aware that they can ill-afford a second successive defeat in a game which will be played behind closed doors due to the ongoing threat of the coronavirus.
After a run of three defeats from seven matches in all competitions, Maurizio Sarri knows that he is coming under increasing pressure at Juventus at a crucial part of the season.
While the club remain in first place in Serie A, the 1-0 defeat at Lyon in the Champions League would have been felt behind the scenes given the club's wait for another European trophy.
Juventus and Sarri have the opportunity to turn the tie around in next month's second leg, although the head coach has a tough job on his hands to get his team firing on all cylinders.
Much could depend on whether Cristiano Ronaldo is able to continue his goalscoring form, especially in Italy's top flight as he bids to find the back of the net for a record-breaking 12th successive match.
Although there will be those who lament the Portuguese superstar wanting to frequently take centre stage, it may take a ruthless showing from the veteran to leave Inter on the outskirts of the title race.
However, should Inter avenge their defeat to Juve earlier in the season, Conte's men will find themselves just three points adrift of Sunday's opponents with a game in hand.
Inter have been far from their best in recent months, emerging victorious in just four of their last 10 league outings, but they have found a way to remain in contention to dethrone the long-term champions.
The postponement of their most recent domestic fixture has arguably not helped their cause, but it provided Inter with a welcome break having now played 12 matches since the turn of the year.
