Battles for survival spice up Serie A

LAZIO and Inter Milan meet in a do-or-die showdown Sunday to enter next season’s Champions League while Europa League and relegation places will also be decided in the Serie A season finale this weekend.

It all begins tomorrow with champions Juventus welcoming relegated Verona before their party kicks off to celebrate a record seventh straight title and an Italian Cup, both secured earlier this month.

The remainder of matchday 38 is not for the fainthearted and it closes late Sunday with fourth-placed Lazio looking to retain the last available Champions League place.

Lazio hold a three-point lead over Inter, who need a win to move past the Rome hosts on head-to-head clashes as the two sides drew 0-0 in December at the San Siro.

“Regardless of whether we finish fourth or fifth, it’s been a positive season,” Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio said.

“We knew that we’d have to fight until the very end on the pitch to reach our objective.”

A place in the Europa League is, however, assured for Inter, while for sixth-placed city rivals AC Milan will be striving not to slip to seventh, which would mean shortening their summer break to play in the tournament’s playoffs in late July.

Milan last weekend drew 1-1 at Atalanta, who lurk one point behind them and are better off in direct clashes as they play at relegation-threatened Cagliari Sunday.

Milan welcome Fiorentina, who sit three points adrift of Atalanta, but have a far worse goal difference. “Against Atalanta, we had almost reached sixth place,” Milan’s sporting director Massimiliano Mirabelli said.

“But then the draw forces us to stay focused because Fiorentina are a good team. We will have to work all together – team, club and fans – united to defend sixth place.”

Averting relegation is the issue for five teams, with thirdlast Crotone playing at second-placed Napoli and seemingly doomed for Serie B alongside Verona and bottom side Benevento.

Spal are ahead of Crotone on head-to-head when they host Sampdoria, Cagliari are one point above, and Chievo and Udinese are a further point better off as they play at home to Benevento and Bologna, respectively.

Genoa and Torino also meet while Roma, who have clinched the third Champions League place, visit Sassuolo late Sunday. – dpa