The scheduled Sunday party did not go through, but Napoli will become Italian champion ‘any minute now.’ It’s a question of one of their next games when they will do it. And since there is no uncertainty in the fight for the Scudetto, we have no choice but to shift our focus to the merciless battle for the remaining three places that lead to the Champions League. A fight that will be fought until the last round and in which no one is certain to participate in the elite European club competition next season.It can’t be any ‘tighter’ after the complete 32nd round. Because Lazio, Juventus, Inter, Milan and Roma sit crowded inside just four points six rounds before the end, while Atalanta are also lurking from the ‘bushes’ and have only two less than the fourth-placed Inter.At the same time, none of the mentioned teams instills the certainty that they can justify the status of favorites and get a streak of victories, and most of them have obligations in the semi-finals of the Champions League or the Europa League. Here is the schedule of all the matches for the second, third and fourth positions in the Italian elite. We will start in order, from the best positioned, to those whose chances are currently somewhat less.📸 Napoli fans have created a cemetery of other Serie A teams ahead of their title-winning celebrations. pic.twitter.com/BTbzt0704K— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) April 29, 2023 LAZIOThe Roman Sky Blues hold the second place, but they too have started to slip up in the last ten days. First, a defeat against Torino (1-0), they were then powerlessness against Inter, who beat them 3-1 yesterday. Without the injured Ciro Immobile, who experienced bad luck and a traffic accident with a tram, the goalscoring productivity has already started to decline. Lazio only found the back of the net once in the last 180 minutes of football. However, the fact that they have one more point than Juventus, and even four more than Inter, Milan and Roma, is not insignificant, accompanied with probably the easiest schedule of all rivals on paper.The Laziali have only one derby until the end, the one against Milan at the San Siro in the 34th round. Before that, Sassuolo come to their feet, and after the Rossoneri, duels against Lecce, Udinese, Cremonese and Empoli await them. So three duels with teams positioned from 15th place downwards and two with teams from the middle, currently more directed towards the lower part of the table. At the same time, Lazio only have obligations in Serie A until the end, so they do not have to think about the distribution of their resources.##NAJAVA_MECA_7220351##JUVENTUSIf they had not been given back the 15 points deducted due to alleged malpractice related to the transfer of football players, Juventus would have been far from the Champions League zone. But the Bianconeri made a magical comeback and made life miserable for the other Italian giants. The points were returned but the Old Lady is struggling to win more than one per match.After three straight defeats against Lazio, Sassuolo and Napoli, a draw with Bologna, and yesterday’s performance at Renato Dall’Aara, they cannot be happy at all. Because Juventus have two challenging games until the end – visiting Atalanta in the 34th round, and hosting Milan in the penultimate round. The Rossoneri/Bianconeri derby could easily decide who goes to the Champions League group stage and who does not.In the meantime, Juve have three easier duels on paper – Lecce in the next round, Cremonese between two matches with Sevilla in the Europa League semi-finals and Empoli before Milan, while the visit to Udinese is scheduled for the very end of the season in the Apennines. Massimiliano Allegri’s team will have to pay special attention to the Europa League and the double-header against Sevilla, because winning this competition is also a visa for the Champions League. However, we know how powerful the Andalusians are on their ‘territory’, and how psychologically and physically they could torment Juventus.##NAJAVA_MECA_7220350##INTER MILANWhat to say about Inter? At the end of March and during April, the team seemed to be in an unstoppable free fall. Out of five games in Serie A, they lost four (Spezia, Juventus, Fiorentina, Monza) and drew one (Salernitana), but the demolition of Benfica in the quarter-finals of the Champions League clearly helped the Nerazzurri to stabilize and regain their winning mentality. They tied two league victories over Empoli and Lazio, scored six goals, and between those reached the final of the Italian Cup at Juventus’ expense. But all this entails a new dose of obligations, pressure and tasks. Because in addition to having to chase a place in the Champions League next season, Inter will be chasing two trophies and that’s unique in the competition of the six teams that we are covering here.At least nine games await them and none of them are important. Already after visiting Verona in the next round, the Nerazzurri will have to face Roma at the Olimpico. It will be a prelude to the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Milan. Sassuolo are lurking between the matches with the city rival, and after the semi-finals of the Champions League, there is a trip to Naples. Napoli will then certainly already be crowned champions, which does not mean they will not be additionally motivated to honor the Diego Armando Maradona stadium with a champions-worthy performance. After the Neapolitans, they have Atalanta at Giuseppe Meazza, and in the last round they visit Torino. On paper, by far the most difficult schedule of all contenders for the second, third and fourth place in the standings.Lautaro’s brace sends Inter back into the Serie A top fourAC MILANThey did not lose a league match for a month and a half, but points and better positions in the table came with a cost – Stefano Pioli’s card shuffling and keeping the standard first eleven for Champions League matches brought numerous draws in Serie A. The Italian manager got what he wanted, his Rossoneri are a semi-finalist of the European elite, but he did not hope to lose points even against Salernitana, especially against Empoli at San Siro.Milan have a slightly easier schedule than their city rivals. A win against Cremonese in the next round should not be in doubt, but the real test will be Lazio’s arrival at the San Siro in the 34th round, just before the semi-finals of the Champions League. Between the two Inter clashes, Milan visit Spezia, in the 36th round they have Sampdoria, and in the 38th they have another strangled Verona with the fact that at that moment Verona could be fired up in the fight for survival. And as we said, one of the key duels for the Champions League will be the one in the 37th round in Turin when last year’s champion of Italy will visit Juventus.##NAJAVA_MECA_7220359##ROMARoma missed a great chance to knock out their direct rival in the fight for the Champions League over the weekend. They took the lead against Milan at Olimpico in the fourth minute of stoppage time, but conceded a goal in the seventh and were left without all the spoils.The schedule is acceptable, with only one derby, the one with Inter in the 34th round, but with several unpredictable matches and the two-leg semi-final of the Europa League against Bayer Leverkusen. Already in the next round, the Wolfess awaits a visit to the unpleasant Monza, a team that allowed only one point to Inter and none to Juventus this season. Between the two Europa League semi-final games, lies one of the more demanding away games of Serie A – a visit to the Renato Dall’Ara stadium, which neither Milan, nor Inter, nor Lazio, nor Juventus left victorious. When all that is over, Roma will be more relieved because then there will be matches against Salernitana, Fiorentina and Spezia, also a relegation-battling team that may not solve the question of survival before the last round.The fight for the Champions League continues – a goal each in extra time for a fiery derby endingATALANTAAnd finally, the indestructible Goddess. She was already pushed aside, at least as far as the Champions League is concerned. Until the 30th round, seven points separated the Bergamo team from the fourth position, and then they defeated Roma, then Torino and used a few more tricks from the competition to come within two points from the top 4 zone.Like Lazio, Atalanta, have the luxury of focusing exclusively on Serie A. But two derbies await them, Juventus in the 34th round and Inter in the penultimate round. Unpredictable Monza are scheduled in the final round, while in the 36th they welcome Verona, for whom, as we said, every point will be crucial in order not to move to Serie B.##NAJAVA_MECA_7220358##SCHEDULE OF MATCHES IN SERIE A UNTIL THE END OF THE SEASONLAZIO – Sassuolo (H), Milan (A), Lecce (H), Udinese (A), Cremonese (H), Empoli (A)JUVENTUS – Lecce (H), Atalanta (A), UEL (SEVILLA), Cremonese (H), UEL (SEVILLA), Empoli (A), Milan (H), Udinese (A)INTER – Verona (A), Roma (A), UCL (MILAN), Sassuolo (H), UCL (MILAN), Napoli (A), COPPA ITALIA (FIORENTINA), Atalanta (H), Torino (A)MILAN – Cremonese (H), Lazio (H), UCL (INTER), Spezia (A), UCL (INTER), Sampdoria (H), Juventus (A), Verona (H)ROMA – Monza (A), Inter (H), UEL (BAYER LEVERKUSEN), Bologna (A), UEL (BAYER LEVERKUSEN), Salernitana (H), Fiorentina (A), Spezia (H)ATALANTA – Spezia (H), Juventus (H), Salernitana (A), Verona (H), Inter (A), Monza (H)*(H) – host; (A) – away
