Juventus defender Andrea Barzagli says they deserve to be regarded as champions-elect.

Juve are now just four points away from winning the Scudetto with five games left after the 1-0 win over AC Milan.

"We deserve to be top of the League," said Barzagli. "We've won extremely difficult away games, against Inter and Lazio for example, and today at home against Milan.

"At times last season, also when playing at home, we struggled to break the deadlock. However, this year we've managed to bring more intensity to our displays and make the best of the chances created."