Milan took another step towards winning the league title in Italy this season by beating Brescia away in their last match as Napoli faltered again and this time they were beaten by Palermo 2-1 in Sicily.
Outgoing champions Inter are now second in the standings but eight points adrift of the Rossoneri who can clinch the scudetto this weekend if Inter fail to beat Cesena away and Milan beat Bologna at the San Siro.
Inter and Napoli should make it to the Champions League next season. After Cesena, Inter entertain Fiorentina and Catania at the San Siro. In between, they travel to Napoli’s San Paolo stadium.
Napoli have a tough schedule ahead as they still have to cross swords with Genoa at home and visit Lecce and Juventus, apart from hosting Inter. Napoli have lost their last two matches (vs Udinese and Palermo) and the team looks like they’re running out of breath in the straight for home but they should make it to the top four.
At present, Walter Mazzarri’s side still enjoy a cushion five-point lead over fourth-placed Lazio and six ahead of Udinese in fifth place.
The real tussle is between Lazio (60 points), Udinese (59), Roma (56) and Juventus (53). One of them will make it to the third qualifying round of the Champions League and the next two will participate in the 2011/12 Europa League.
Juventus had an ideal chance to bridge the gap to Lazio last weekend but they threw away a 2-0 lead to share the spoils with modest Catania at home.
Perhaps, it is Juve’s lack of consistency that induces me to exclude them from the race for a top-four finish. At the most, Juventus, unbeaten in their last six outings, will mount a late challenge for a slot in the Europa League.
But Roma have a favourable calendar coming up. They travel to Bari and Catania and host Milan and Sampdoria at the Olimpico.
Roma, however, cannot afford to drop points as Juve will be snapping behind their heels.
Like Napoli, Udinese are ex-periencing a dark patch lately – three defeats in their last four outings. Their remaining matches are all difficult as the northeasterners still have to visit Fiorentina and Chievo and host Lazio and Milan.
Lazio’s destiny lies in their own hands. Their chances to make a top-four finish will probably depend on the outcome of their upcoming direct clashes against Juventus (home) and away to Udinese.
The Romans’ last two fixtures are both winnable – at home vs Genoa and away at Lecce.
At the wrong end of the table, Bari are already doomed and Brescia will almost surely join them in Serie B next season as they trail third-bottom duo Lecce and Sampdoria by five points.
Brescia still have to play three direct clashes – vs Sampdoria (away), Catania (home) and Cesena (away). So, they can still harbour some aspirations to extend their stay in the Serie A by another season.
Chievo can make sure of safety this weekend as they host Lecce while Parma, who showed signs of revival lately, host Palermo next before their trip to Bologna.
Parma’s remaining two fixtures are at home to Juventus and away at Cagliari. All in all, Franco Colomba’s side have all cards in place to collect enough points to avoid the drop.
Catania and Cesena are one point behind Parma, each on 37 points.
The schedule does not look easy for Catania as they host Cagliari and Roma and travel to Brescia and Inter. A win over Cagliari would be a boost for the Sicilians and if they collect two points from their last three games it should be enough.
Cesena have done consistently well in recent weeks and should be able to keep their heads above water. Their last four fixtures are at home to Inter and Brescia and away at Cagliari and Genoa.
Lecce and Sampdoria, with 35 points each, both need to up their game to stave off relegation.
Samp, in particular, need to improve at home where they have not won a single point since beating Bologna 3-1 on the 25th day.
Samp have a make-or-break fixture coming up this weekend – at home to Brescia. Following that, they clash against Genoa in the derby before matches against Palermo (home) and Roma (away).
Lecce’s remaining fixtures seem to be less complicated than Samp’s.
Last season’s Serie B champions travel to Chievo before hosting Napoli. On the penultimate day, Lecce should claim a much-needed victory at Bari before the final home fixture against Lazio.
Serie A statistics
1st win for Sampdoria after a nine-match winless run (two draws and seven defeats). On Saturday, Samp scored an early second-half goal to bag their first win at Bari’s San Nicola stadium since March 1998 (1-0). Defeat meant Bari became the first side to be relegated to the Serie B this season. Cesena, meanwhile, edged closer to safety thanks to their third away win of the season. They have now extended their positive streak to four games (two wins and two draws).
2nd successive win for back-to-form Parma, who scored a goal in each half to beat Udinese away for the first time since March 2001 (3-1). For Francesco Guidolin’s side this was their third defeat in their last four outings. Palermo continued to show signs of recovery since Delio Rossi was reinstated as they came from behind to beat Napoli 2-1. The Sicilians have now collected seven points from the last-available nine.
5 penalties were awarded by referees on Saturday. Mauro Zarate gave Lazio a false dawn against Inter as he scored a 24th-minute penalty while Nicola Pozzi dropped Sampdoria a lifeline as he secured all three points from the spot at Bari’s expense. An Edinson Cavani penalty gave Napoli a headstart against Palermo but the Sicilians hit the winner thanks to a Cesare Bovo spot-kick. In Juve’s 2-2 draw with Catania, Alessandro Del Piero opened the score from the spot.
8 points separate leaders Milan from nearest pursuers Inter. The Rossoneri left it late to beat Brescia for their fourth straight win. Brescia only managed one point from their last three matches. Late Saturday, Juventus threw away a 2-0 lead to share the spoils with Catania. The Bianconeri are unbeaten in their last six outings (three wins and three draws) and currently lie seven points adrift of fourth-placed Lazio. Catania are the only side still in search of their first away win this season.
11th home win on the trot for Inter who came from behind to beat Lazio for the fourth year running. Lazio last prevailed at the San Siro in October 1998 (5-3). Meanwhile, Fiorentina chalked their third away victory of the term after beating Cagliari for the first time since December 2006 (2-0). Roma edged Chievo 1-0 to revive their slim chances to make a top-four finish. This was Chievo’s second consecutive away defeat, following the 0-2 upset to Inter.
26 goals were scored on the 34th day. Foreigners contributed with nine goals while there were 14 first-half goals. Total number of goals scored so far is 835. Six players, Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Alessio Cerci (Fiorentina), David Di Michele (Lecce), Amauri (Parma), Antonio Floro Flores and Rodrigo Palacio (both Genoa), grabbed a brace each. Edinson Cavani (Napoli) and Antonio Di Natale (Udinese) are the top scorers with 26 goals each.