Everything will be decided in the final ninety minutes of the season. If the league's marketing team could have written the script themselves, they could hardly have crafted a better cliffhanger. Everything remains up for grabs in Serie A: from the fight for the Scudetto to the battle for survival, and the scramble for European qualification.
The top spot is still undecided. Napoli failed to get past Parma at home, where Cristian Chivu is performing miracles, and at the same time, Inter couldn’t beat Lazio at the San Siro. A win would have seen the Nerazzurri reclaim first place and head into the final matchday with their fate in their own hands.
Both sides stumbled, but Inter’s failure was arguably more costly. After losing top spot, they were unexpectedly given a second chance, only to let it slip again. The draw against Lazio seemed to leave psychological scars within the Inter dressing room.
Conte can laugh
Meanwhile, Antonio Conte laughs last, despite Napoli’s disappointing result against Parma, the Scudetto is still within reach. It’s all set for a heart-stopping finale. Everything will be decided in the last 90 minutes, and even the timing of goals could prove decisive. The echo of each goal will reverberate across stadiums, potentially affecting players’ performances on other pitches. Fantastic.
The battle for the final Champions League spot, and the remaining places in the Europa and Conference League, is equally fierce. Roma beat Milan 3-1 at home, giving Ranieri the perfect farewell in his final home match as head coach, a moving and romantic send-off, beautifully captured in the pre and post-match images.
Emotional scenes, truly: Claudio Ranieri is Roma, and he always will be, regardless of the results he achieved this season. With these three points, Roma remain neck-and-neck with Juventus, who overcame Udinese.
Three teams fight for one place
The race for fourth, and Champions League qualification, will come down to three matches: Venezia vs. Juventus, Torino vs. Roma, and to a lesser extent, Lazio vs. Lecce.
Lazio must win and hope both Roma and Juventus slip up. Roma must win and hope for a favorable result in Venice, where Di Francesco will be desperate for three points that might still not be enough against Tudor’s Juventus, who need a win to clinch their Champions League spot. Credit must go to Lazio, who played with determination and professionalism at the San Siro, much to the dismay of Inter fans still haunted by the ghosts of May 5, 2002.
Speaking of Venezia, that brings us to the fight to avoid relegation to Serie B. Here too, nothing is settled. Venezia still have a chance, albeit a miraculous one. Di Francesco’s side must beat Juventus and hope that either Lecce or Empoli lose, which would lift them to 32 points and secure safety.
Lecce and Empoli remain on the edge, closer to staying in Serie A, but not yet safe. Regardless of how things end, one truth must be acknowledged: the squad available to Di Francesco is clearly inferior to those of their relegation rivals.
Venezia not yet down
Anyone who has seen even a single Venezia match could confirm it. So many points thrown away in agonizing fashion, often while playing surprisingly high-quality football, especially given their limited resources.
But what’s done is done. Now it’s simple: Venezia need three points and help from elsewhere.
Everything is still wide open. Italian football fans couldn’t have asked for a more thrilling, nerve-wracking conclusion. The most anxious will undoubtedly be the supporters of Napoli and Inter, who face a final 90 minutes of all-or-nothing, especially Napoli, who can no longer even dream of a Champions League final to soften the blow.