Like the other European leagues, the Serie A resumes this weekend after the international break.

Juventus and Napoli continue with their tussle for the scudetto while nearest pursuers Roma take on struggling Lazio in the capital derby on Sunday with a view to consolidate third place.

At the wrong end of the table, bottom side Verona are now practically down and out.

But who will join them in Serie B next season is anyone’s guess.

As things stand, the battle to avoid the drop involves no fewer than eight teams, from 12th-placed Genoa, who have 34 points, all the way down to second-bottom Frosinone, currently on the 27-point mark.

Genoa have a big opportunity to distance themselves away from the troubled zone this weekend as they host Frosinone in a vital ‘six-pointer’.

Victory for Genoa would keep them at least six points clear of third-bottom Palermo and Carpi, and 10 better off than Roberto Stellone’s Frosinone.

GianPiero Gasperini’s Genoa, who won two of their last three league outings, can accomplish their mission if they collect between three and four points in their away fixtures at Sassuolo and Carpi.

Given their precarious situation, Frosinone are running out of time.

The Serie A newcomers cannot afford to lose on Sunday.

On the 32nd day, Frosinone host Inter before travelling to Verona.

If, at that juncture, with five games to go, Frosinone are still within sight of the fourth-bottom spot, they might cause an upset by condemning a more-quoted side to relegation.

On the 34th day, Frosinone, who will play only three of their last eight outings at their Matusa Stadium, have a winnable away fixture at Chievo, who occupy a trouble-free mid-table spot.

The following weekend, they host troubled Palermo in a make-or-break encounter.

Stellone’s side have two final away fixtures at Milan and Napoli. In between, they play at home to Sassuolo.

Palermo, currently level on points with Carpi with 28 points each, are going through a turbulent season.

A few weeks ago, experienced coach Walter Novellino became the seventh coach to take over the hot seat this season, after Beppe Iachini (twice), Davide Ballardini, Fabio Viviani, Giovanni Tedesco, Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Giovanni Bosi.

The Sicilians’ last win dates back to January 24 – a resounding 4-1 home success over Udinese. Since then, Palermo only managed four draws in nine games.

They have a tough calendar, starting this weekend with a trip to Chievo. Then, Novellino’s side host Lazio before playing away at Juventus.

Palermo’s future will be determined in their last five fixtures, four of which are direct clashes.

After hosting Atalanta on the 34th day of the season, Palermo travel to Frosinone before heading back to Sicily to play against Sampdoria.

Palermo’s final away fixture is against fourth-placed Fiorentina. They conclude their campaign with a seemingly straightforward home fixture against Verona.

However, victory over the league wooden spoonists may still be insufficient for Palermo to keep their heads above water.

Carpi seem to have all cards in place to stay up as they are showing a high degree of determination to retain their status.

Fabrizio Castori’s side are undefeated in their last five games.

Victory over Sassuolo on Saturday would put them in a stronger position to avoid relegation.

Carpi can collect more valuable points against Chievo (away) and Genoa (home) before their visit to the San Siro to lock horns with Milan.

Their trip to Turin aside, three of Carpi’s final four fixtures – vs Empoli (home), Lazio (home) and Udinese (away) – are all within reach.

Udinese in trouble

Udinese, who have just replaced Stefano Colantuono with Luigi De Canio, are also in a precarious situation.

Currently, the Friulani are only three points above the relegation zone but will play five of their last eight fixtures at home, including direct encounters with Torino and Carpi.

Sampdoria, 15th on 32 points, are heading nowhere.

The change of coach – Vincenzo Montella for Walter Zenga – did not bring about the desired results.

In similar vein, Torino need to up their game considerably if they do not want to stay in the mire of relegation.

The Maroons collected 13 points in their first six games of the season.

However, since going down to Carpi on the seventh day, Giampiero Ventura’s side have seen their fortunes reversed… 20 points in 24 games!

Atalanta are level with Torino on 33 points.

By beating Bologna in their last match, the Bergamaschi snapped a 14-match winless streak – six draws and eight defeats.

Four of Atalanta’s final eight fixtures are end-to-end encounters… vs Torino (away), Palermo (away), Udinese (home) and Genoa (away).