The Serie A returns on Saturday with some intriguing fixtures.
Inter will try to revive their ailing chances of making a top-three finish as they host the undisputed leaders Juventus as second-placed Napoli travel to Torino looking to sustain their outside challenge.
With nine matches to go, Juventus, buoyed by a healthy nine-point lead over their nearest rivals, are in the driving seat to claim the title for a second time running.
Napoli have stuttered on too many occasions lately and could also be leapfrogged by a resurgent Milan side who have amassed 54 points and are currently just two adrift of the southerners in third place.
Four sides, namely, Fiorentina (51 points), Inter, Roma and Lazio (all 47) are still in the hunt for Champions League slots.
Catania, with 45 points under their belt, also stand an outside chance to be one of the three Italian representatives in next season’s Champions League.
Considering that Rolando Maran’s side started the season with no big aspirations other than to avoid relegation, this is already a remarkable achievement irrespective of where Catania finish come next May.
At the wrong end of the table, one finds five sides – Pescara, Palermo, Siena, Genoa and Atalanta – entangled in a battle not to play in Serie B next season.
Stefano Colantuono’s Atalanta have 33 points – seven more than fourth-bottom Genoa, who are one point ahead of Siena.
The bottom two sides are Pescara and Maurizio Zamparini’s Palermo, with 21 points each.
Atalanta, docked two points at the start of the season, have some tricky fixtures coming up, including a home match against Juventus on the 36th day and trips to Inter and Genoa. However, they are in a strong position to collect enough points to retain their status.
Genoa have a golden opportunity to make a giant step towards survival as they entertain fellows-in-distress Siena at their Luigi Ferraris Stadium on Saturday.
The Rossoblu have shown signs of progress since new coach Davide Ballardini took over from Luigi Del Neri on the 22nd day of the championship.
In fact, Genoa recorded two wins and three draws in Ballardini’s first five fixtures but were then brought back down to earth with three successive defeats to Roma (1-3), Milan (0-2) and Fiorentina (2-3).
Tough calendar
Siena, who started this season with a six-point penalty, can still outsmart Genoa especially if they emerge unscathed from Saturday’s direct clash.
Giuseppe Iachini’s Siena have a tough calendar coming up as in their last eight fixtures, they cross swords with Parma (home), Pescara (away), Chievo (home), Roma (away), Catania (away), Fiorentina (home), Napoli (away) and Milan (home).
The situations at both Pescara and Palermo seem to be more precarious as they drift five points away from safety.
However, what is more worrying for the two Serie A strugglers is a long run of matches without a win for both clubs.
Pescara, now under the charge of coaching tandem Bruno Nobili and Christian Bucchi, only managed one point (vs Palermo 1-1) from the last available 30. They recorded their last win on the 19th day, courtesy of a 2-0 away success at Fiorentina.
Palermo are winless in their last 15 outings (seven draws and eight defeats). The Sicilians’ most recent victory dates back to November (vs Catania, 3-1).
Unless a remarkable turn-around in fortunes, the writing is on the wall for both Pescara and Palermo.
For the last relegation spot, it is a two-horse race, wherein Genoa start favourites especially if they make home soil count this Saturday in their vital basement clash against Siena.