Bonucci convinced Genoa defeat 'just a hiccup' for Juventus

Leonardo Bonucci is certain Juventus' shock 2-0 defeat to Genoa on Sunday is "just a hiccup" on their way to securing an eighth successive Serie A title.

After beating Atletico Madrid 3-0 to secure a 3-2 aggregate win in the Champions League last 16, Juve were far from their best at Stadio Luigi Ferraris and were punished in the final 18 minutes.

Former Juve midfielder Stefano Sturaro opened the scoring and Goran Pandev finished the visitors off, making Massimiliano Allegri's decision to rest Cristiano Ronaldo look somewhat suspect.

Nevertheless, remain comfortably clear of Napoli and Bonucci is confident the loss in Genoa was nothing more than a blip for the reigning champions.

"It's never nice to lose, but then again, after Tuesday's game we knew Genoa would be a difficult match from both a physical and mental point of view," the Italy international told Juve's official website.

FT: Genoa 2-0 Juventus.#GenoaJuve #FinoAllaFine #ForzaJuve pic.twitter.com/VX0zwmSver

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) March 17, 2019

"It won't have an impact on our season, it is just a hiccup on our path. Now, let's recover after the [international] break and begin again with Empoli.

"We gave everything to the very end against Atletico, so this break now in the season is a godsend.

"Those who will link up with their national teams will be able to recover because they play in a few days, while those who stay here will have the opportunity to regain their energy."

Juve return to domestic duties when they host Empoli on March 30.