Juventus manager Thiago Motta stated on Saturday that his side moved up to third in the Serie A table with an “important” 2-0 win over Udinese, marking their first victory since mid-October.
The 36-time champions, a record in the league, now sit behind second-placed Inter Milan on goal difference, following Maduka Okoye’s own goal and Nicola Savona’s strike.
Their next fixture is a Champions League trip to Lille on Tuesday, with the Italian giants currently positioned 14th in the group phase standings.
“Today we need to savour this important victory for us,” Motta told DAZN.
“Facing Lille will be very interesting. They have an extra day of recovery as they played yesterday, so we’ll need to rest well in preparation,” he added.
Juve had been winless since 19 October, following draws with Inter Milan and Parma, as manager Motta brought the in-form Turkish teenager Kenan Yildiz into the starting line-up.
Udinese had lost just one home match this season, against Inter in late September, and were missing defender Isaak Toure after his red card in the midweek defeat to Venezia.
The visitors took the lead after 20 minutes when Udinese goalkeeper Okoye was unfortunate to deflect the ball into his own net following a Khephren Thuram shot that struck the post.
Two minutes later, the hosts had a prime opportunity to equalise, but English striker Keinan Davis saw his effort from inside the box blocked.
Juve then doubled their lead after 37 minutes as right-back Savona scored on the rebound after 19-year-old Yildiz’s shot also hit the woodwork.
Udinese remained in contention but were denied a chance to reduce the deficit when Davis’s 52nd-minute goal was disallowed for a foul.
Later, AC Milan could potentially overtake Udinese if they win against Monza, who are owned by their former president Silvio Berlusconi and managed by their former defender Alessandro Nesta.
Earlier in the day, Italy winger Riccardo Orsolini scored his second goal in five days, helping Bologna edge past struggling Lecce 1-0 to move up to eighth place.
This marked their third domestic win of the season, ahead of their Champions League match against Monaco on Tuesday.
“There are still areas for improvement,” Bologna manager Vincenzo Italiano said. “This team has quality and is progressing well.”
On Sunday, league leaders Napoli will host fourth-placed Atalanta, while Inter Milan, currently second, welcome struggling Venezia.