Higuain to again start on bench as Juve face Lazio

"Higuain is doing really well and is very close to his top condition but in the last couple of days he's had to slow down a bit because he's had a little bit of a strain," Allegri said at a press conference on Friday.

Allegri confirmed that Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala will therefore play up front at the Stadio Olimpico with Higuain coming off the bench, just as he did to score the winner at home to Fiorentina last weekend.

"The only doubt is between (Mario) Lemina and (Miralem) Pjanic in front of the defence," added the Juve coach, who has left out defender Leonardo Bonucci for "personal problems".

He also confirmed that striker Simone Zaza is in London to complete a transfer to West Ham United.

Juve could be in for a tough test against Simone Inzaghi's Lazio, who claimed a dramatic 4-3 win against Atalanta in their opening game.

Lazio, who have lost Antonio Candreva to Inter Milan this summer, have not beaten Juventus in Serie A since 2003, but Allegri warned his team to expect a difficult evening in the capital.

"We will be playing at six in the evening, it will be very hot, it will be difficult but we will do everything to go home with the three points."

Later on Saturday, Higuain's old club Napoli entertain AC Milan at the San Paolo looking for a first win of the campaign after being held to a 2-2 draw at newly promoted Pescara last time out.

Milan are looking to become a force again this season under Vincenzo Montella and won their opening game, beating Torino 3-2 thanks to a Carlos Bacca hat-trick.

"Napoli can still compete for the title. They have lost Higuain but they have reinforced in other areas," warned Montella.

Roma were the biggest winners on the opening weekend, crushing Udinese 4-0, but have since been eliminated from the Champions League at the play-off stage by Porto.

Luciano Spalletti's side will hope to overcome that disappointment when they visit Cagliari on Sunday.

Also on Sunday, Inter will be looking to record their first win under new coach Franck de Boer as they host Palermo.

Sassuolo face Pescara after a terrific week in which they won their opening Serie A match and then beat Red Star Belgrade to qualify for the Europa League group stage.

Fixtures (all kick-offs 1845 GMT unless stated)

Satuday

Lazio v Juventus (1600 GMT), Napoli v AC Milan

Sunday

Inter v Palermo (1600 GMT), Cagliari v AS Roma, Crotone v Genoa, Fiorentina v Chievo, Sampdoria v Atalanta, Sassuolo v Pescara, Torino v Bologna, Udinese v Empoli