Juventus defeated second-placed Lazio 2-0 at home on Saturday to take another huge step towards their fourth straight Serie A title and boost their confidence for Wednesday's crunch Champions League clash in Monaco.
First-half goals by Carlos Tevez and Leonardo Bonucci allowed Juve to open up a 15-point lead on Lazio, who saw their eight-game winning streak come to a grinding halt.
AS Roma could regain second place if they defeat Atalanta at home on Sunday (1300 GMT) but would still be 13 points adrift of Juventus with seven games left.
"I'm happy, not just for tonight's game but for everything we've done so far," Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri told Sky Sports Italia.
"We're a mature team, we know how to manage games.
"We still need to win a couple more games and add a few draws."
Juve pulled ahead after 17 minutes when an Arturo Vidal header against the run of play sent Tevez through. The Argentina striker's angled left-foot shot from inside the box proved unstoppable for goalkeeper Federico Marchetti.
Tevez celebrated his 18th league goal of the season by flapping his arms to imitate a chicken, a reference Boca Juniors fans use as a derogatory nickname for their arch rivals River Plate.
His gesture will fuel media reports that Tevez is heading back home to Argentina's Boca, his boyhood club, at the end of this term.
"I think it's human for him to miss home," Allegri said.
"Sometimes I miss Livorno and I'm only a three-hour drive away from home."
Twelve minutes later, defender Bonucci took a pass from Andrea Pirlo just inside Lazio's half and was allowed to run freely towards goal before firing a low shot from the edge of the area that flew past Marchetti.
Lazio ended the game with 10 men as Danilo Cataldi was shown a red card after tackling Tevez from behind in the 89th minute.
Lazio appeared to dearly miss injured Dutch central defender Stefan De Vrij as both Mauricio and Lorik Cana were partly responsible for the two goals.
"We made two mistakes and they scored both times," Lazio boss Stefano Pioli said. "That's why they're Juventus and are in first place."
Juventus and Lazio are also set to face each other in the Italian Cup final on June 7, unless Juve reach the Champions League final on June 6, in which case the domestic showpiece will be rescheduled.
Juve lead Monaco 1-0 ahead of Wednesday's quarter-final second leg.
"It will be a similar game to the first leg," Allegri concluded. "However, we'll have to play better from a technical standpoint."
Sampdoria's chances of qualifying for Europe next season took a hit when Sinisa Mihajlovic's side were held to a goalless home draw by lowly Cesena.
Despite starting the game with four attackers in Eder, Samuel Eto'o, Stefano Okaka and Luis Muriel and creating multiple chances, Sampdoria could not find a way through.
Samp's Alessio Romagnoli had the best chance of the game with 14 minutes left but his header following a corner was acrobatically kicked off the line by Stefano Lucchini.
Samp moved up to joint fourth on 50 points from 31 games, level with Napoli and one point ahead of Fiorentina, who play against Cagliari and Hellas Verona on Sunday and Monday respectively.
The top three are Champions League berths with fourth and fifth the Europa League spots and sixth also worth a place in qualifying for Europe's second tier competition depending on the winners of the Coppa Italia.
Cesena are in 18th place with 23 points, six adrift of Atalanta and the safety zone having played a game more.
The Milan derby takes place on Sunday with both sides shadows of their former selves.
