Gianluigi Buffon hails "special group" at Juventus

Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has declared that he is part of a "special group" that are within touching distance of successive Serie A titles.

Antonio Conte's side claimed a 1-0 victory over Catania this afternoon thanks to a last-gasp winner from Emanuele Giaccherini.

That win coupled with Napoli's 2-0 defeat to Chievo has taken Juve nine points clear at the top of the table.

Buffon believes that his side now hold a significant advantage that might prove decisive with 10 games left to play.

He told Sky Italia: "If we look at the results of the opponents, we can say that today we have won six points.

"Our win was a hard-fought victory and important, and we now have a great advantage on both Napoli and Milan. Today we almost had to settle for only a draw, perhaps hoping that something would happen, but then that [the goal] happened.

"Among the pursuers who are playing best are Milan, but Napoli are an quality team. It is important to get as many points as possible between us and them. The more you put on the board, the better, so we cannot lower our guard now. We have a special group at Juve."

The Old Lady are also chasing success in Europe after qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals in midweek.