Despite the Serie A trophy being accounted for, the final round of Italian football promises to reshape the top half of the Serie A table, with great teams still fighting for their place amongst Europe’s best next season.
Enjoy a closer look at some of the best Italian football on offer this week as teams fight for their last chance to collect three points.
SERIE A: CHAMPIONS
INTER
What an incredible year it has been for Conte’s Inter side.
Despite leaving it late in the season to establish a foothold on Serie A’s top spot, Inter have succeeded in toppling Juventus’s nine-year reign in Italy. I Nerazzurri deservedly claimed their 19th league title earlier this month, becoming the second most successful Italian team in the league.
Going into their last game of the season, Inter enjoy a 10 point lead over their closest rivals Atalanta, along with a massive goal difference of +50 goals. Since departing Manchester for Milan, Antonio Conte has helped Romelu Lukaku transform into a lethal presence in front of goal. The Belgian striker has found the back of the net 23 times for Inter in Serie A this season.
Although their last game of the season may be considered a null affair, there is no reason to suggest that Inter will not want to finish off their title-winning campaign with a 28th win. The champions at 3/8 (1.38) to win take on Udinese, with their top goalscorer Romelu Lukaku at 3/5 (1.60) to score at any time.
SERIE A: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
ATLANTA
Atalanta fans will be pretty pleased with how their season has panned out.
Although their spot is still in mathematical peril, it is quite likely that Atalanta will be able to maintain their proud record of finishing within Serie A’s top four spots for the third season in a row.
The biggest disappointment of Atalanta’s season was their 2-1 Coppa Italia loss to Juventus last Wednesday. Having only previously won the trophy in 62/63, Gian Piero Gasperini’s squad squandered their chance of a comeback after Rafael Toloi saw red in the game’s final moments.
Come this Sunday, Atalanta will not be out to perform any favours for their upcoming rivals as they line up against AC Milan at their home stadium. La Dea are calculated at 8/5 (2.60) to beat the Rossoneri and fully secure their Champions League spot on the last day of the season.
MILAN
A year which promised a lot of potential slowly fizzled out for Stefano Pioli and his Milan side.
After leading Serie A for the first half of the season, Milan were unable to hold back their rivals in the league, as injuries quickly began to mount for the Rossoneri. Although a fair share of critics never truly believed that Milan would go on and win the Serie A trophy, not many would have predicted them to fall into a top-four scrap come the end of the season.
Despite being third in the league, Milan find themselves in arguably the most precarious position, as the only team around the Champions League places that will be battling against a rival above them on the table.
Knowing that a final round win for Juventus and Napoli will put their European hopes under threat, Milan line up for a must-win game away against Atalanta, in which they are the slight favourites at 3/2 (2.50) to win and secure football amongst Europe’s elite next season.
NAPOLI
After disappointingly falling out of the European places last year, Napoli are back at it again, fighting for a Champions League place in the final round of the season.
Despite being level on points with Milan, Napoli find themselves in fourth place, as they come up short in the head-to-head points tally system which Serie A employs. With threats for their position above and below them, Gli Azzurri must increase their three-game win streak against Hellas Verona this Sunday if they wish to finish in Serie A’s Champions League spots at the end of the season.
Napoli are calculated at 1/5 (1.20) to win against their rivals at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, with captain Lorenzo Insigne at 18/5 (4.60) to break the deadlock and find the first goal of the game.
SERIE A: EUROPA LEAGUE
JUVENTUS
Things have not gone well for Juventus this season.
Only two years after they broke the bank to bring in Serie A’s most expensive signing, Cristiano Ronaldo – to finally get their hands on the Champions League trophy – Juventus now find themselves on the brink of failing to qualify for the tournament itself.
Big questions have surrounded the ex-champions during their long campaign, including their involvement in the Super League, the board’s decision to hire the legendary – yet untested – Andrea Pirlo as their manager, along with the frequent displays of petulance from their main-man Cristiano Ronaldo.
Although last Wednesday’s Coppa Italia win generated some goodwill with their fan base, Juventus supporters will not be overly content with a cup they have won 14 times in their history.
Juventus at 2/7 (1.28) must beat Bologna FC to keep their dream of Champions League football for next season alive. Cristiano Ronaldo is at 3/8 (1.83) to find a goal for his side at any time this Sunday.
SERIE A: RELEGATION
It’s a little too late for the three teams at the bottom of Serie A’s table.
Benevento, Crotone and Parma will all play their football in Serie B next season with no chance of escaping the relegation zone this weekend.
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*Odds subject to change. Odds correct at time of publishing.