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Sep 23After Napoli's inevitable and emotional title triumph on Thursday, the next question is: which three clubs will join them in sealing Champions League qualification?
After frustrating draws in midweek, Milan and Roma can quickly make amends at home to Lazio and Inter respectively, while neutrals everywhere will be hoping that the entertainment dished up by Atalanta and Juventus can match the 3-3 thriller between the sides in January.
The relegation battle is also hotting up, with 19th facing 17th as Cremonese host Spezia, and 18th-placed Hellas Verona travelling to Lecce hoping to quickly put Wednesday's 6-0 thrashing by Inter behind them.
Read on for the lowdown on the main storylines, plus information on how you can watch every single match from the Italian top flight exclusively live on BT Sport this weekend.
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Which XI will Pioli pick after setback?
Stefano Pioli made eight changes for the visit of Cremonese on Wednesday, with more than one eye on Saturday's clash with Lazio and the monumental meeting with Inter next week in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.
However, the decision to shake up the line-up seemed to backfire as the strugglers took a shock lead through David Okereke before Junior Messias' 93rd-minute free-kick rescued a point, although that strike wasn't enough to prevent Milan slipping one place to sixth.
Speaking after the match, Pioli said: "The big problem for me was that we lost our focus, everyone started trying to resolve the match as an individual and we lost sight of the plan."
The 57-year-old will also have been alarmed at Davide Calabria's lack of urgency in tracking back for Okereke's goal and will hope he can buck up his ideas, with Alessandro Florenzi and Pierre Kalulu able to step in at right-back should the Italy international demonstrate a similarly low level of effort this weekend.
That said, Pioli will be relieved to have Fikayo Tomori back at the heart of defence following his yellow-card suspension.
The former Chelsea man's return is particularly welcome given that the Rossoneri's reverse fixture against Lazio ended in a humbling 4-0 defeat, a game in which Tomori was subbed off after 24 minutes through injury as the hosts added to their opener in a rampant display at the Stadio Olimpico.
Maurizio Sarri's men have since moved up to second in the table and ended a two-match losing streak by beating Sassuolo 2-0 on Wednesday as they shrugged off an early disallowed Ciro Immobile effort to emerge victorious courtesy of Felipe Anderson and Toma Basic strikes.
Sarri has centre-back Alessio Romagnoli back against his old club following suspension, while the ex-Chelsea boss may well be without midfielders Danilo Cataldi and Matias Vecino after the latter injured his right thigh last time out.
Interestingly, Sarri hasn't tasted victory in any of his last five San Siro visits against Milan. Can he stop the rot?
Can Jose haunt old employers Inter?
Life is never boring with Jose Mourinho in charge.
The latest odd story about the Portuguese saw him reveal that he wore a hidden microphone during the game against Monza to protect himself against allegations of using obscene language, having twice received touchline bans over the past few months.
On the pitch however, Roma's Champions League challenge is stalling after their 1-1 draw at Stadio Brianteo.
The visitors got their noses in front when Tammy Abraham forced Monza goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio into an error and Stephan El Shaarawy slotted in at the second attempt from close range.
However, Luca Caldirola snuck in at the back post to level for the hosts, who had chances to win through Dany Mota and Carlos Augusto as Zeki Celik was sent off for the Giallorossi in the dying embers for a second booking and is now banned, with El Shaarawy out for the rest of the campaign with a thigh issue.
That match represents the second game in succession that Roma have dropped two points after the 99th-minute sucker-punch against Milan.
With that in mind, Mourinho will be pleased at having Nemanja Matic back from a yellow-card suspension, while Chris Smalling, Diego Llorente and Paulo Dybala could return to the starting XI following spells on the sidelines.
By contrast, Inter have turned a corner since losing to Monza three weeks ago.
The Nerazzurri are now into the Champions League semi-final and Coppa Italia final after defeating Benfica and Juventus respectively, while league victories over Empoli, Lazio and Hellas Verona have seen Simone Inzaghi's men plunder 12 goals and concede just one.
The latest of those wins - 6-0 at Verona on Wednesday - was particularly impressive, even though it came against an opponent in grave danger of relegation.
Hakan Calhanoglu's 30-yard screamer was the pick of the bunch as Lautaro Martinez's double moved the World Cup winner up to 19 Serie A goals for the campaign and Edin Dzeko's brace saw the Bosnian get on the scoresheet for the first time since mid-January.
Having been able to make six changes for that midweek thrashing, Inzaghi will be optimistic about keeping his squad fresh ahead of the momentous Champions League double header against Milan, but will be wary of Roma after they secured all three points at San Siro in October thanks to Dybala and Smalling.
Can Mourinho mastermind another twist in the top-four tail?
Will Atalanta-Juve be another classic?
Neither Atalanta nor Juventus were wholly convincing on Wednesday night against Spezia and Lecce respectively, but both sides ultimately got the job done.
Juve won their first league match since 1 April as Leandro Paredes' venomous free-kick and Dusan Vlahovic's left-foot hammer wrapped up the points either side of Assan Ceesay's penalty following Danilo's handball.
Vlahovic's strike was long overdue - his first in Serie A since 7 February - and makes the Serbian the Old Lady's leading marksman in the league this term, albeit with just nine goals.
Massimiliano Allegri has virtually a clean bill of health, with Adrien Rabiot set to return to the XI after being rested in midweek.
However, Mattia De Sciglio is now out for the long term with a torn ACL sustained against Lecce, with Juan Cuadrado ready to slot in at right wing-back.
Atalanta lost Hans Hateboer to a similar injury back in February, but while Ademola Lookman is nursing a thigh issue, Gian Piero Gasperini isn't having to contend with an especially long list of crocked first-teamers either.
On the pitch, Marten de Roon's thunderbolt got La Dea back on level terms against Spezia, with Davide Zappacosta's deflected strike and Luis Muriel's clinical finish proving the difference, although Mehdi Bourabia's lovely guided effort and Daniele Verde's rocket against the crossbar put the cat among the pigeons.
Given Ramus Hojlund's spell on the bench and Lookman's spell on the sidelines, Zappacosta's second goal in as many games and Muriel's first since October will have galvanised Gasperini and his men, who have won their last three matches and will hope to display the same clinical edge on Sunday afternoon that they did in a 3-3 draw with Allegri's side in January - without the same defensive frailties.
Can Cremonese climb off the canvas?
A month ago, Cremonese's Serie A survival mission looked doomed.
However, back-to-back wins over Sampdoria and Empoli really made people sit up and wonder whether one of the league's greatest-ever escapes was possible, and although the Grigiorossi have only picked up two points in the following three matches, they are now just six adrift of safety.
That said, Wednesday's draw at Milan will feel like a loss after Junior Messias' 93rd-minute free-kick cancelled out David Okereke's composed control and finish.
As a result, Saturday night's meeting with Spezia is certainly a must-win, with difficult-looking fixtures against Juventus, Bologna and Lazio to follow.
To add insult to injury, Charles Pickel's mindless punch to the face of Sandro Tonali means the Switzerland international must sit out two games, joining Giacomo Quagliata - who also received a straight red against Hellas Verona last weekend - on the sidelines.
After their trip to Atalanta ended in disappointment - the Little Eagles' seventh game without a win - Leonardo Semplici must rally his troops as they head to Stadio Giovanni Zini and is hopeful of having top scorer M'Bala Nzola back fit following a calf problem.
Spezia's last win on the road was in mid-January at Torino. Can they take a significant step towards safety with victory in Cremona?
Will Verona react to Inter drubbing?
Hellas Verona's loss to Inter wasn't surprising given their respective league positions, but the manner of the defeat will have left a bitter taste in Marco Zaffaroni's mouth.
The Gialloblu didn't make a bad start, but they soon became indebted to goalkeeper Lorenzo Montipo before the floodgates brutally opened.
Three goals in six minutes ended the contest before half-time and the Nerazzurri's dominance continued after the break as they recorded the biggest Serie A away win this season.
Zaffaroni will be pleased that Lecce - two places above them in 16th - are their next opponents, although Marco Baroni's men gave a good account of themselves at Juventus before falling to a 2-1 defeat.
Midfielder Kristoffer Askildsen may well return after missing the trip to Turin with illness, while creator-in-chief Gabriel Strefezza will definitely be back in the fold following his yellow-card suspension.
Verona are yet to win away this season. Now would be an excellent time to end that unwanted run.
Your Serie A weekend on BT Sport
Saturday
Milan vs Lazio (1.45pm on BT Sport 3)
Roma vs Inter (5pm on BT Sport 3)
Cremonese vs Spezia (7.45pm on BT Sport 3)
Sunday
Atalanta vs Juventus (11.30am on BT Sport 2)
Torino vs Monza (2pm on BT Sport 2)
Napoli vs Fiorentina (5pm on BT Sport 2)
Lecce vs Hellas Verona (7.30pm on BT Sport 2)
Monday
Empoli vs Salernitana (5.30pm on BT Sport 3)
