With the Serie A season still in its half-way stage, champions Inter look well on their way to retaining the league title. As the mid-term break comes to a close this weekend, Inter are leading the standings seven points clear at the top.

Second-placed Roma and Juventus, currently third in the standings, will not give away an inch but if Inter were to lose the 2007/08 scudetto it would be because they have thrown it away rather than their nearest rivals making up lost ground in the straight for home.

With the top three looking a cut above of the rest, the race is wide open for the fourth place and a berth in the Champions League.

One rung lower than Juventus, one finds surprise package Udinese. The northeasterners are six points behind Juve who they beat in Turin on the third day.

Despite not spending big, Udinese have been quite consistent so far. They caused various upsets including an away win over Fiorentina and a 1-1 draw at Inter.

It is typical of teams coached by Pasquale Marino to peak early in the season.

This time last year, Marino's Catania were flying high in the top echelons of the Serie A with 26 points under their belt. Eventually, the Sicilians experienced a notable dip in form and risked falling straight back to the Serie B.

Udinese are more equipped than Catania of last year though and in their attacking prowess, formed by Fabio Quagliarella, Antonio Di Natale and Antonio Floro Flores, the team from the Friuli region have their strongest department.

So far, Udinese have six points more than they had after 17 games in 2006/07. But to hold on to the fourth spot in the standings they must fend off the challenges of Fiorentina, Palermo and also Milan who are languishing behind but have three games in hand.

Fiorentina have gone through a dark patch lately. Coach Cesare Prandelli has the best up-and-coming Italian players in his ranks besides the added talent of Adrian Mutu, Christian Vieri and Giampaolo Pazzini in attack.

However, Prandelli's main problem seems to be that he does not have enough strength in depth and that may hinder the Florence team's quest for a berth in the Champions League.

With Fiorentina still in the UEFA Cup, Udinese and Palermo only have to focus on their commitments in the domestic league and that's a factor that could play against Prandelli's team in the end.

Milan have the opportunity to get back in the reckoning for a top-four berth if they win all three matches in hand - vs Atalanta, Reggina and Livorno.

Maximum spoils would lift them to sixth place, just one point adrift of Fiorentina and two above Palermo.

However, a consistent run in the league and three victories on the trot look to be a tall order for misfiring Milan at the moment. To start with, they must stop forfeiting precious points at home.

Carlo Ancelotti's side seems to find it hard to break down tight defences in front of their own fans. Perhaps, Alberto Gilardino and Filippo Inzaghi are too lightweight for this job.

Clearly, the absence of a prolific scorer, in the mould of Ronaldo, has seen Milan struggling at the San Siro against less-quoted opposition.

At present, Milan are a staggering 25 points adrift of rivals Inter... they are definitely out of the title race.

It will be interesting to see what impact young Alexandre Pato will leave when he makes his Serie A debut for Milan next weekend.

Palermo still have an outside chance to join Inter, Roma and Juventus in Europe's premier club competition next season. The Sicilians started the season full of promise under new coach Stefano Colantuono.

But an uninspiring run left club supremo Maurizio Zamparini with no choice other than to recall Francesco Guidolin, under whose tenure the team started to gather momentum.

Last season, Palermo had nine points more than what they have today but still did not manage to book a Champions League berth.

Can they do it this time around even if they have to face stiff competition from Udinese, Fiorentina and Milan and underdogs Napoli and Atalanta?

One doubts the southerners' credentials especially if Milan, as expected, lift their game and embark on a consistent run that would lead them towards the top positions in the league standings.