The 2023/24 season has yet to get underway, but Juventus have already been dealt a blow after being kicked out of the Europa Conference League by UEFA and fined for breaching Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.

European football's governing body has also fined Chelsea for breaching FFP rules after "submitting incomplete financial information".

Juventus have been fined £17.14m, while Chelsea were hit with a fine of £8.57m.

The Old Lady were considered one of the favourites for the Europa Conference League, but they will now have to focus all their attention to domestic competitions after UEFA's latest ruling.

UEFA's ruling the latest issue for Juventus

It has been three years since Juventus' last title success, and after dominating the Serie A for a decade, they now face more work to return to their former heights.

Juventus will only have to pay half of their fine if their financial records for the next three years comply with regulations, and the Italian Football Federation will now need to notify UEFA which club will replace Juve in the third-tier European competition.

The latest ruling is the newest debacle in what has been a tough 12 months for Juventus after they were also ordered to pay a £620,000 fine as part of a settlement agreement with Italian authorities over a case concerning the payment of player salaries.

In May, they were also docked 10 points after a hearing into their past transfer dealings, having been originally docked 15 points in January.

That meant they dropped to seventh in the Serie A, and coach Massimiliano Allegri will be desperate to turn his team's fortunes around in the coming months.

Allegri hoping to kick on despite latest setback

While the latest announcement is not ideal for Juventus, their quest to retain their Serie A crown is arguably easier.

While the Old Lady would have preferred to compete in the Champions League or Europa League, they would have been trying to win the Europa Conference League at the first time of asking.

Juve would have been the biggest club in the competition, but they are now at an advantage domestically, with their Serie A rivals set to play in Europe this season.

Napoli finished 28 points ahead of Juventus last season, and while they have signed Giacomo Raspadori, Giovanni Simeone and Elia Caprile, they have lost Kim Min-jae to Bayern Munich.

Allegri has been trusted by the Juve board to turn things around, and he has freshened up his squad ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Manuel Locatelli has joined from Sassuolo, while Timothy Weah and Arkadiusz Milik have also been snapped up from Lille and Marseille respectively.

Allegri is clearly planning for the future, allowing Angel Di Maria to join Benfica and Juan Cuadrado to leave for Inter.

Juventus, who won every league title from 2012-2019, have work to do to regain their spot as the best team in Italy, but they are likely to play fewer games overall than their rivals this season.

At 10/3, they offer decent value to go all the way, and if they can secure a deal to sign Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku, that would only aid their cause.

The former Inter Milan loanee has burned his bridges at the San Siro, and Juventus chiefs are doing all they can to bring the Belgium international to Turin.

Allegri currently has Moise Kean and Milik at his disposal in the final third, but the arrival of another forward may be necessary to compete for the title.

Without European football, a top-four shot appears a minimum and expected target at 8/15, and Juventus' demanding fanbase will expect a return to the Champions League at the very least.

bet365 News Team

• Juventus F.C.
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