MILAN (AP) — Almost everything in Serie A is still uncertain heading into the penultimate round this weekend.
Two teams are fighting for the title, six sides are trying to avoid relegation, and four clubs are vying for the final Champions League spot — with another two still in with a slim chance of snatching fourth spot.
That is why all but one of the 10 matches on Sunday are kicking off simultaneously, at 9:45 p.m. local time (1945 GMT).
Only Atalanta's match against Genoa has nothing at stake, with Atalanta having already secured third spot and Genoa Serie A safety.
“The Italian league is the most exciting and uncertain in the world and this year an unprecedented season finale awaits us, with almost all the teams still fighting for different objectives,” said Ezio Simonelli, the president of the league’s governing body.
So uncertain is the title race that when some matches in the final round will be played is anyone’s guess.
It is a race between defending champion Inter Milan and league leader Napoli, which is trying to reclaim the crown it won two years ago followed by one of the worst title defenses in history last season, when it went through three coaches and finished 10th.
Antonio Conte has brought stability and discipline to Napoli and is looking to steer a third team to the Serie A title, having won it at Inter and three times at Juventus.
Napoli visits relegation-threatened Parma on Sunday with a one-point advantage over Inter. The Nerazzurri host fifth-placed Lazio.
That raises the very real possibility that, for the first time in more than 60 years, a playoff will decide the destination of the championship.
Playoff decides title?
In 2022, Lega Serie A reintroduced a rule that if two teams competing for the title or to avoid relegation finish level on points, the matter must be settled with a playoff.
Those playoffs (which in the past also included teams tied for a European qualification spot) were scrapped in 2005.
Coincidentally, Inter was involved on the only previous occasion that a Serie A title was decided by a playoff. It lost to Bologna 2-0 in 1964.
The final round is set for May 24-25. But if it is needed, a playoff match would be difficult to schedule with the Nerazzurri also involved in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain a week later.
One idea that has been mooted is to move Napoli’s and Inter’s final matches — against Cagliari and Como respectively — to next Thursday, freeing up the Sunday for a potential playoff.
At a meeting on Monday, with nearly every club represented, the Lega Serie A decided to keep the final round as is — for the moment.
“We had a board meeting and decided not to change anything, so at the moment the matches will be played on Saturday May 24 and Sunday May 25,” Simonelli said this week. “We are waiting for the results of the penultimate round and if needed there will be another meeting, which could confirm this decision or change it.
“I’ll leave it up to the board. If it changes its mind, then we’ll change things.”
This could all be moot on Sunday night if Napoli wins and Inter loses, then the Serie A trophy will be returning south.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Daniella Matar, The Associated Press
