Conte proud to rival Milan

Antonio Conte says Juventus are proud to be AC Milan’s rivals for the Serie A title after being given little chance by many observers.

Juve have yet to lose in the league this season and sit one point clear of defending champions Milan at the top of standings with seven rounds remaining.

Conte is hopeful Juve will go on to win the title, but claims he is simply satisfied with their performance so far following successive finishes of seventh in the two seasons prior to his arrival.

“We’re proud to be Milan’s rivals, considering where we started from,” the Juve coach told reporters on Tuesday.

“This extraordinary year has come about through the great work of my players from the start of the season.

“We must give it our all right until the end with no regrets. We need to remain proud of what we’ve done. But we must play to win, regardless of Milan’s results.

“We want to think big and go for the maximum objective, but the most important thing is to continue giving our all.

“The team has enthusiasm and awareness of its own ability but the best thing has been seeing the joy and pride expressed by our supporters.”

Conte is hoping to treat the Juve faithful to another victory on home soil against Lazio on Wednesday.

“Tomorrow we’ll face the team in third place,” he said.

“It will be a tough game and we’ll need to be at our best to take all three points.

“Beating them would guarantee our spot for direct Champions League qualification.”