Vucinic issues rallying cry

Mirko Vucinic wants his Juventus team-mates to finish off the Serie A season strongly as they look to claim their first Scudetto since 2002/03.

Juve claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Cesena at the Dino Manuzzi on Wednesday, which maintained their three-point lead over AC Milan at the top of the table.

The Turin giants can now clinch the title by collecting nine points from their remaining fixtures on account of their superior head-to-head record against Milan, but Vucinic insists Juve cannot afford to allow their commitment levels to drop at all.

“We’ve got four games ahead of us in order to win the war,” Vucinic told Sky Sport Italia. “But they’re four difficult fixtures, starting with the clash in Novara (on Sunday).

“However, we’re three points ahead and we know that it all depends on us. We’ve become aware of our own abilities over the past few months and we know we’re strong and competitive.”

Vucinic has been integral to his club’s fine form of late, with the Montenegrin playing a part in all four goals in Sunday’s rout of Roma before teeing up Marco Borriello for the match-winner in Cesena.

The former Roma attacker has also demonstrated impressive industry in recent weeks, something he puts down to Juve boss Antonio Conte.

“He has made me feel important, just as he does with the rest of the team,” Vucinic explained. “Since I began working with him, I’ve discovered that I’m also able to run my socks off.

“I sacrifice myself more, but I’m perfectly happy to do so for this wonderful group in which everyone works for their team-mates.

“But if you don’t win, nobody remembers what you’ve done. I went close (to the title) with Roma, so I hope there’s a change in the final outcome this year.”