Juventus news: Juventus fail to make Serie A history as they suffer a defeat without Cristiano Ronaldo

What's the story?

Juventus’ hopes of becoming the earliest ever Serie A champions were dealt a blow after they suffered a shock 2-1 defeat at the hands of 13th placed SPAL. This marks their second defeat in five league games in less than a month's time, after remaining unbeaten in their first 27 fixtures.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored the Italian side's only goal in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Ajax, was among the host of seniors players who were rested for their trip to Stadio Paolo Mazza.

Interestingly, the Portuguese was similarly rested in their trip to Genoa when their unbeaten streak was ended by Cesare Prandelli's men on 17 March.

In case you didn't know...

Juventus are only one point away from their eighth consecutive Scudetto, which will be a record-extending achievement for The Old Lady.

Ronaldo has missed just missed six games in the Italian top-flight season but still remains their top-scorer with 19 goals in his debut Serie A season.

He is already the highest-scoring Portuguese player in the Italian top-flight, surpassing his compatriot Rui Barros, in January, with a goal against Lazio.

The Heart of the matter...

Massimiliano Allegri's side kicked off their 32nd Serie A game brightly with the attacking prodigy Moise Kean finding the back of the net in the 30th minute. But, his first-half brilliance was undone by SPAL as they scored two goals in the second half to delay Bianconeri's title-winning celebrations until next week.

They could yet see their title confirmed this weekend if, in an unlikely scenario, second-placed Napoli drop points at bottom-placed Chievo.

If the Turin-based club had secured a win or a draw tonight, they would've become the first Italian club to clinch the title with six matches to spare. The current record of five matches was set by city rivals Torino in 1947-48 and was subsequently matched by Fiorentina in 1955-56 and Inter Milan in 2006-07.

But, there's still something left for the fans to cheer for at the Allianz Stadium, as Juve, who look set to lift the Serie A title for the eight successive time, will surpass Ligue 1 side Lyon, who had also won seven league titles in a row in the last decade, between 2002 and 2008.

What's next?

After an away defeat in their domestic competition, Juventus will host Ajax in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals.