Juventus finally end winless skid in 1st match since sacking Tudor

Juventus snapped an eight-match winless streak with Wednesday's 3-1 success over Udinese with Luciano Spalletti ready to replace the sacked Igor Tudor.

Federico Gatti thumped home a powerful header in the 67th minute before Kenan Yildiz slotted in a late penalty in Turin to give Juve a first win in any competition since mid-September and move them to 15 points, six behind leading pair Napoli and Roma.

Gatti and Yildiz saved Juve's blushes after another disjointed performance, this time under "Next Gen" under-23 coach Massimo Brambilla who has stepped in until Tudor's permanent replacement in the dugout is confirmed.

Juve were level at 1-1 heading into the final third of a match played at a soaking Allianz Stadium after Nicolo Zaniolo stroked home his third goal of the season in the dying seconds of the first half, cancelling out Dusan Vlahovic's early penalty.

"I've only been here with the first team a couple of days, on Monday morning I was in training with the under-23s and then in the afternoon I was with the first team," said Brambilla to broadcaster DAZN.

"They're good players, they know what they're supposed to do and today they deserved the win."

Spalletti is expected to sign a contract until the end of the season which will be renewed only if Juve manage to qualify for the Champions League.

But speaking to DAZN ahead of Wednesday's win Giorgio Chiellini, a club icon and now Juve's strategic director, insisted that "nothing has been signed right now".

Spalletti, now 66 years old, had a dreadful time in his most recent job as Italy coach, crashing out of Euro 2024 in the last 16 before being sacked early in the Azzurri's 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.

But he has been one of the country's most influential coaches over the past two decades, performing way above expectations at Roma, Inter Milan and then Napoli, where he won a historic Serie A title in 2023.