Juventus head coach Massimiliano Allegri could risk midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Monaco on Tuesday.

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Pirlo has not played since he suffered a calf strain against Borussia Dortmund seven weeks ago and, at 35, it could be a risky move to throw him straight into the side for the clash in Turin.

Italy's most decorated club are attempting to reach the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2003 and face a Monaco that are still in the running for the French title.

It is likely to be a cagey affair with Monaco having scored only seven goals in eight games in reaching the quarter-finals, three of them in a single match away to Arsenal in the previous round, and have conceded a mere four.            

I hope this setback serves us well, although I'm sure that we will see an altogether different Juventus on Tuesday.

Juventus are equally miserly at the back, having conceded only five goals in the Champions League and 15 goals in 30 Serie A outings.

The Bianconeri head into the clash having suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Parma at the Ennio Tardini stadium on Saturday.

Although Juve's title hopes have not been affected - they now lead Lazio by 12 points with eight games remaining - Allegri is confident a different Juventus will thrive under pressure and seal a first leg victory.

"I hope this setback serves us well, although I'm sure that we will see an altogether different Juventus on Tuesday," Allegri said after Saturday's defeat.

"We're not used to losing. We were a little listless, we lacked bite and aggression. But now we have to put this display behind us. It would be stupid to let a defeat like this get in the way of our Champions League dream."

Team news

Experienced goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who had an infection, and Carlos Tevez, who spent his rare day off at Lake Maggiore, will return to Allegri's starting line-up as Juve look to take a first step towards securing their first semi-final appearance since 2003 when they beat Barcelona over two legs in the quarters.

Juventus are missing their other key midfielder Paul Pogba, leaving Claudio Marchisio with the job of orchestrating play towards lively Uruguayan front man Roberto Pereyra, likely to play in the 'hole' behind Alvaro Morata and Tevez.

Doubts remain over Andrea Barzagli, who is nursing a sore calf. His availability could determine whether Allegri deploys the 3-5-2 formation he has used sparingly this season or the 4-3-1-2 that saw Juve swipe Borussia Dortmund aside 5-1 on aggregate in their last-16 tie.

Monaco will be without captain Jeremy Toulalan after the midfielder limped off injured in a 3-0 win over Caen on Friday, a result which nonetheless was crucial to Monaco's confidence before they make the short trip across the Franco-Italian border.

Monaco are targeting their first semi-final appearance since 2004 when they went all the way to the final before being humbled by FC Porto.

Coach Leonardo Jardim said: "I think the team played very well and now looking ahead to Tuesday the best thing was for the team was to win, which gives us confidence and the desire in regards to our away performances."

Betting

Juventus are Sky Bet’s clear favourites at 1/2 to establish a first-leg lead, with Monaco the biggest outsiders from the quarter-final first legs at 7/1. The Ligue 1 outfit are 3/1 just to leave Turin with a draw and 11/4 to qualify, while they’re considered the biggest-priced outsiders left in the competition at 66/1. Juve are rated genuine contenders as 8/1 fourth favourites to win the competition. Carlos Tevez is the 100/30 favourite to net first while Dimitar Berbatov is 10/1.

Watch Juventus v Monaco, Tuesday from 7.40pm, Sky Sports 5 HD