AN extraordinary Serie A title race reaches its climax this weekend, with Napoli and Inter Milan locked in a tense battle for the Scudetto heading into Friday’s finale.
Undoubtedly the most compelling title race across Europe’s big five leagues, the two Italian heavyweights are separated by just a single point after 37 games.
League organisers confirmed on Monday that, in the interest of sporting integrity, both clubs will play their decisive fixtures simultaneously on Friday evening at 7.45pm.
Just to inject more uncertainty into proceedings, managers Simone Inzaghi and Antonio Conte will both serve touchline bans after receiving red cards in their penultimate round of fixtures last weekend.
Final Day Fixtures
Como vs Inter Milan â 25 May
Napoli vs Cagliari â 25 May
Permutations
For Napoli, the assignment is simple and their destiny is in their own hands.
If they secure a home victory over 14th-placed Cagliari â who they’ve already beaten 4-0 this season â they will be crowned Serie A champions for just the fourth in their history.
But any slip-up could open the door for Inter.
If Napoli draw or lose and Simone Inzaghi’s side defeat Cesc Fabregas’ Como, Inter will regain the title.
But there’s another â more tantalising â outcome that’s still possible.
Should Napoli lose and Inter only manage a draw, the two clubs would finish level on points and head-to-head results.
That would trigger a one-off title playoff decider to determine the champion.
Napoli vs Cagliari
Cagliari really shouldn’t cause Napoli too many problems in Friday’s finale.
The 14th-placed side are already safe from relegation and can finish no higher than their current position â they are also on an eight-game winless streak against Napoli, securing maximum points just once in 14 visits to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium.
They’ve found things tough on their travels this season, registering just three wins in 18 games and look set to finish the campaign with the fifth-lowest away Serie A points tally and goals scored.
Napoli, by contrast, swept Cagliari aside 4-0 in the reverse fixture back in September and have won seven of their last ten home matches, scoring two or more in seven of those.
The hosts are heavy favourites at 2/11 with most bookmakers, and should have enough quality to sign off in style â despite Antonio Conte serving a touchline ban.
Como vs Inter Milan
As mentioned above, Inter Milan’s destiny is no longer in their own hands. They must beat Como and hope Cagliari do them a monumental favour over in Naples.
But that could be easier said than done against Cesc Fabregas’ side, who have enjoyed an incredible end to the 2024-25 campaign.
Como, who only achieved promotion last season, are flying high in 10th position following a run of SIX victories in their last seven games â with four clean sheets to boot.
Granted, they can finish no higher or lower regardless of the result â but they are a dangerous opponent and will want to finish with a flourish.
As for Inter, they must pick themselves up having failed to capitalise on Napoli dropping points against Parma last weekend.
They should be bolstered by the returns of Lautaro Martinez and Davide Frattesi, who both returned to training this week following injuries.
Again, the Champions League finalists enter this clash as odds-on favourites to collect a win â and should take confidence from the fact they’ve won on all four occasions they’ve played Como.
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