Five things to watch during Serie A Matchday 28 as leaders Napoli face Champions League-chasing Milan - live on BT Sport!

Serie A is back this weekend after an international break in which Italy lost to England and beat Malta to kick off their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign.

Several players from the top flight were involved for the national team but the attention turns back to club football now as Napoli look to maintain their unassailable lead at the top and the battle for Champions League qualification continues.

For all the key storylines, plus information on how to watch all nine Serie A games live on BT Sport, read on.

Napoli and Milan face off in first game of triple-header

By the end of April, Napoli and Milan will be very familiar with each other.

The two clubs meet at Stadio San Paolo on Sunday night as the hosts look to move one step closer to a first Scudetto in 33 years.

They play again at San Siro ten days later in the first leg of an all-Italian Champions League quarter-final. And the second leg comes a week after, back in Naples again to decide the victor.

Napoli are the favourites, of course, given their imperious form this season. Luciano Spalletti’s side are 19 points clear of second-placed Lazio with 11 games to go in Serie A and a long-awaited title seems an inevitability.

Milan will hope to halt Napoli’s momentum this weekend and simultaneously boost their own chances of a top four finish.

Stefano Pioli’s side appeared to have turned a corner, recovering from a dismal start to 2023 with a strong run of results. But recent defeats to Fiorentina and Udinese, as well as a home draw against struggling Salernitana, have proved setbacks.

This is an important game for both teams, then, and could set the tone for a crucial month.

Can in-form Fiorentina pull off an upset?

Only Napoli and Juventus have picked up more points in their last six games than Fiorentina

Vincenzo Italiano’s side are on a run of four straight league wins, including a 2-1 victory over Milan.

On Saturday evening, they face the other team from the fashion capital, Inter, who are desperate to bounce back from two successive defeats.

Based purely on form, Fiorentina might fancy themselves to produce a shock result. Inter have only been beaten three times at San Siro this season but the visitors will be buoyant and eager to continue their excellent performances.

This is an intriguing clash for several reasons: Inter can’t afford another poor result if they hope to finish second this season and another defeat could leave a top four place hanging in the balance too; Fiorentina are impressive but this will be a marker of how much progress they have made in recent weeks.

Spezia and Salernitana look to escape relegation peril

The Serie A title is close to being sewn up and the other end of the table could soon be going the same way with three teams - Cremonese, Sampdoria and Verona - in danger of being cut adrift.

Two teams directly above the drop zone meet on Sunday with a victory for either likely to be enough to provide some genuine breathing space heading into the final ten fixtures.

By the time of kick-off, 18th-placed Verona will have played away at Juventus, a game few expect them to take any points from.

Assuming Verona are beaten in Turin, Spezia will know a win over Salernitana is enough to take them eight points clear of the bottom three.

Likewise, the visitors will have the added motivation of potentially going 11 points above Verona, a gap that seems insurmountable at this late stage of the season.

Salernitana might fancy their chances, too, having put together a four-game unbeaten run. The previous three games have all been draws, but a repeat of that would suit Paulo Sousa’s side.

For those who enjoy the drama and unique tension of a relegation battle, this is the game to watch. Keep an eye out for each side’s top scorers: Boulaye Dia for Salernitana and Spezia’s M’Bala Nzola, who have 22 Serie A goals between them.

Can Juve make late surge for top four?

When Juventus were docked 15 points in January it seemed their Serie A season was effectively over.

The Old Lady dropped to tenth, 12 points off Lazio in fourth. But Max Allegri and his players were unfazed by that significant setback, getting back on track almost immediately and beginning the gradual process of regaining points.

Their form in recent weeks has been consistent enough to drag them up to seventh in the table and suddenly qualifying in the Champions League again is not inconceivable.

With Inter, Milan, Roma and Atalanta all stuttering, Juve have been given a lifeline. The gap to the last Champions League spot is now just seven points and it could be reduced again this weekend given that Milan face Napoli.

If Juve can get the job done at home to relegation-threatened Verona on Saturday night, they could move a step closer to an unlikely comeback.

It’s still a big ask, of course. Allegri’s side will need to better the results of at least three of the teams currently above them between now and the end of the season. But it’s hard to rule out a club that only recently were the dominant force in this division.

Lazio look to build on Derby della Capitale victory

After battling to victory against Roma in a fierce derby last time out, everything appears to be heading in the right direction for Lazio.

Mattia Zaccagni got the only goal in a game that saw three players sent off and condemned Jose Mourinho’s Roma to a second straight league defeat.

That only added to the delight for Lazio, who are now second and on course to qualify for the Champions League after going five games unbeaten, a run that included a 1-0 win over runaway leaders Napoli.

Maurizio Sarri’s side have gone slightly under the radar but are extremely difficult to beat and now boast a miserly defensive record having gone five matches without conceding a goal.

Their ability to control games with long spells of possession was in evidence against Roma; everything is beginning to function as Sarri intends, a worrying prospect for Lazio’s Serie A rivals.

Finishing in the top four would be an impressive achievement, but the immediate focus must be on Saturday afternoon’s trip to an improving Monza side.

Your Serie A weekend on BT Sport

Saturday

Inter vs Fiorentina (5pm on BT Sport 5)

Juventus vs Hellas Verona (7.45pm on BT Sport 1)

Sunday

Bologna vs Udinese (11.30am on BT Sport 3)

Monza vs Lazio (2pm on BT Sport 3)

Spezia vs Salernitana (2pm on BT Sport 6)

Roma vs Sampdoria (5pm on BT Sport 3)

Napoli vs Milan (7.45pm on BT Sport 1)

Monday

Empoli vs Lecce (5.30pm on BT Sport 1)

Sassuolo vs Torino (7.45pm on BT Sport 1)