Following a crucial set of fixtures in midweek, there is now a pretty clear indication of how the 2019-20 Serie A season will end.
Juventus, who established a 2-1 win over Lazio on Monday, further benefitted from Inter Milan’s second consecutive draw in the Italian top flight as they now only need one win to secure the Scudetto for the ninth straight season.
The Nerazzurri, who trail the Serie A leaders by seven points in third place, claimed a 0-0 draw against Fiorentina on Wednesday night, effectively ending their toothless title challenge.
The other three spots seem destined for Atalanta, Inter Milan and Lazio, although the order could change in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, the fight against relegation also appears to be slowly wrapping up, with the likes of Brescia and SPAL demoted to Serie B.
With that in mind, let us take a look at what gameweek 36 of Serie A has in store for us and what’s at stake for each club at this point in the season.
AC Milan vs Atalanta (Prediction: 3-3)
AC Milan are set to welcome an in-form Atalanta side to the San Siro on Friday evening. Stefano Pioli’s men currently occupy the sixth position in the Serie A standings and will be aiming to maintain their scintillating form since the restart- five wins from six games.
Atalanta, on the other hand, sit six points behind Juventus in second place and are aware that they need all three points to stay in the Serie A title race.
While they are unlikely to win the Scudetto this season, Gian Piero Gasperini will still want his men to maintain their unbeaten run, which stretches all the way back to January 20.
Brescia vs Parma (Prediction: 1-2)
Brescia will play host to Parma at the Stadio Mario Rigamonti on Saturday afternoon but have little to play for as they were relegated, following their 3-1 defeat to fellow strugglers Lecce in midweek.
Meanwhile, Parma, who moved up to 11th place after a 2-1 win over Napoli in their previous fixture, will head into the encounter with the hopes of securing a crucial three points that will help them finish the season at the top half of the Serie A standings.
Genoa vs Inter Milan (Prediction: 1-3)
Genoa will look to extend the gap between themselves and the relegation zone when they welcome Inter Milan to the Luigi Ferraris Stadium on Saturday evening.
The hosts are currently 17th in the standings, four points clear of the last relegation spot, and will hope to avoid losing crucial points that will allow 18-placed Lecce to close in on them.
Meanwhile, the Nerazzurri have once again missed out on the chance to win the Serie A title after a run of three draws from five outings.
Antonio Conte’s men are currently third on the points table and will be eager to secure maximum points this weekend so that they can finish the season in second place, above Atalanta and Lazio.
Napoli vs Sassuolo (Prediction: 2-1)
Napoli will host Sassuolo at the San Paolo Stadium on Saturday evening and will be looking to secure a win that will keep them in the race for a top-six spot in Serie A.
Although the hosts have already secured a Europa League spot, courtesy of their Coppa Italia victory, they would still be looking to finish the season in a higher position than their current seventh place.
Sassuolo, on the other hand, sit eight points behind their Naples-based opponents in eighth place and will head into the fixture with the aim to consolidate their position in the standings, especially as there are very few points separating them from the bottom half of the league.
Bologna vs Lecce (Prediction: 2-1)
Bologna are scheduled to welcome Lecce to the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on Sunday afternoon but have very little to play for.
Siniša Mihajlović’s men comfortably occupy 12th place on the standings and the only goal to put them for the remainder of the season is the unlikely prospect of finishing the campaign in the top half of the table.
Meanwhile, Lecce occupy the last relegation spot in Serie A and will be desperate to secure all three points to close the gap between themselves and Genoa, who are four points ahead in 17th place.
Cagliari vs Udinese (Prediction: 0-1)
Cagliari and Udinese will face off at the Sardegna Arena on Sunday evening. Only three points separate the mid-table sides, with the hosts currently occupying 13th place on the standings and their visitors occupying 15th place.
While Cagliari will be aiming to finish the season further up the league table, Udinese will be hoping to avoid dropping points as they are only seven points away from the last relegation spot.
AS Roma vs Fiorentina (Prediction: 3-1)
Sunday will see AS Roma take on Fiorentina in their last Serie A game at the Stadio Olimpico this season.
The Giallorossi occupy fifth place in the league standings and while fourth place is realistically out of reach for them, they will be looking to maintain their position on the table as AC Milan and Napoli follow close behind.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, are far from achieving their original European ambitions as they sit 11th on the points table. The mid-table side have nothing much to play for other than a higher league finish at the end of the season.
SPAL vs Torino (Prediction: 0-1)
SPAL will play host to Torino at the Stadio Paolo Mazza Ferrara on Sunday evening in a fixture that will be of greater importance for the visitors as the hosts have already been relegated following a 2-1 defeat to Brescia last weekend.
Torino occupy 16th place on the league standings, six points away from the final relegation spot, and will be keen on moving further away from the drop zone with a win over their bottom-placed opponents.
Verona vs Lazio (Prediction: 0-2)
Verona welcome Lazio to the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on Sunday night with the hopes of securing a victory that will help them leapfrog Sassuolo to eight place in the standings.
The Gialloblu occupy ninth place on the table and are only two points behind Roberto De Zerbi’s men.
Meanwhile, Lazio are fourth in the Serie A standings after losing ground on leaders Juventus with a series of losses since the return of competitive football.
They are currently two points behind Atalanta and a point behind Inter Milan, so a higher finish by the end of the season is certainly their aim.
Juventus vs Sampdoria (Prediction: 3-1)
Juventus will continue their march towards their ninth consecutive Serie A title when they play host to Sampdoria at the Allianz Stadium on Sunday night.
The Bianconeri, who have been on a downward trajectory recently, only need to win one of their final three games to be crowned champions and will certainly be relieved if that happens this weekend.
Meanwhile, Sampdoria currently occupy 14th place on the table and will be aiming to leapfrog the likes of Cagliari and Bologna to move further up the table and delay the Old Lady’s title celebrations in the process.
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