Gonzalo Higuain has been ruled out of Juventus' Serie A visit to Udinese.

Juve will claim a ninth consecutive Scudetto if they win at the Stadio Friuli on Thursday, but they must do so without Higuain.

The Argentina striker was an unused substitute for Monday's 2-1 win over Lazio after feeling a back problem during the warm-up and it appears he has not recovered sufficiently from that complaint.

Higuain has scored seven Serie A goals for Juventus this season, with 11 of his 29 top-flight appearances coming from the bench.