AC Milan coach Filippo Inzaghi said Juventus were "out of our reach" as his side prepared to take on the Serie A champions next weekend after a dramatic 5-4 win at Parma on Sunday.
- Paul: Milan show Inzaghi influence in thriller
The Rossoneri must face Juve without goalkeeper Diego Lopez, who suffered an injury, while defender Alex is also unlikely to feature at the San Siro.
Fernando Torres, meanwhile, was unable to make his Milan debut after picking up an ankle injury in the final training session before the trip to the Tardini.
La Gazzetta dello Sport quoted Inzaghi, whose side are level with Juventus on six points, as saying: "They are out of our reach. But then again, in just a one-off game at the San Siro, who can tell? Over a season, though, it's an uneven match."
After back-to-back wins over Lazio and Parma, in which his team have scored six goals, the coach said: "The difficult times are bound to come, but I have faith in my side. They have a burning desire and we're now just going to enjoy this top spot in good company.
"We've lost Alex and Diego Lopez, which is a shame, but we've got a big squad."
Parma coach Roberto Donadoni, meanwhile, said he felt his players had been hard done by, adding that he believed Jeremy Menez, who scored twice, had dived to win a penalty and done the same again to get Felipe sent off.
"Players can make mistakes, but the one the referee made to send Felipe off is not on," Gazzetta dello Sport reported him as saying.
"It's incomprehensible the way games can be made complicated for you. I still haven't understood why he was sent off. He did absolutely nothing, and this was at a time when we were trying to get back into a game in which we had already been penalised.
"Milan's penalty was non-existent too -- the foul was outside the area and then Menez dived inside. It didn't seem to me like Milan had outclassed us. We maybe made a few small mistakes."