Serie A 2012, Week 38 Preview And Fixtures: Who Goes To Europe, Who Goes To Serie B?

I’m not sure whether to drink a toast to this season in Serie A finally being over, or to open a bottle and drown my sorrows in whisky. This year we’ve dealt with a revived Juventus, their unbeaten run, and their insistence on having won 30 titles. We’ve seen that Max Allegri is fallible and that perhaps Milan need a few players less prone to being injured by a blade of grass. The race for third has been ridiculous and anxiety-inducing. Managers have come and gone and come again, but clubs and owners still haven’t quite realised that perhaps the problem lies with the squad. We’ve experienced media blackouts, ultra protests, and even death. In short, it’s been a nearly-normal season in Italy.

So raise a glass to the final week, and place your bets now on that coveted third-place slot.

Second placed club against club set for Serie B next season. Yeah, this match seems important.

Both teams assured themselves a spot in the top division next season, so now they’re just playing for...pride? Funsies? Who knows, but of the early matches, this one has the potential to be the most fun. Or the most boring game imaginable.

Without their six-point deduction, Atalanta could be in the race for Europe, blah blah blah. But they’re not, and Juventus don’t actually have 30 scudetti. Let’s move on.

So when Roma beat the Seahorses, they could manage to grab sixth, which could be a spot in the Europa League if Napoli manage to clinch third. There’s a lot of coulds in this sentence. Add another: what could have happened next year if Luis Enrique had stuck around?

Should Cesena manage to beat Roma, and Napoli take third, and Parma beat Bologna, Tommaso Ghirardi could achieve his dream of European competition.

And here is where we’ll find all the action...

Everyone was certain Lecce would be relegated after their loss to Fiorentina last week, but amazingly enough, they’ve still got a chance. Chievo have got nothing to play for, so it just might happen, if...

If Palermo beat Genoa. The rossoneri have had a disappointing time of it this season, but will be staying up, and they certainly don’t want their final match to be a loss in an empty stadium. Should Genoa lose and Lecce win, they’ll be even on points. Their head-to-head record is split, so it will come down to goal difference -- meaning Genoa will be relegated. And we really, really don’t want to see what happens should the ultras get wind of that.

The permutations for third place are almost beyond comprehension. Udinese hold it now, but they’ll have beat Catania to keep their position secure. A draw works only if Lazio fail to beat Inter.

A Lazio win seems nearly unfathomable, but stranger things have happened. Like Lazio scoring in open play last week against Atalanta. But Inter are coming off a high last week, beating their rivals in the Milan Derby. Should both Napoli and Udinese lose, the nerazzurri have a chance at third place...if their goal difference is higher.

Oh dear god in heaven. If Napoli don’t beat Siena, they certainly don’t deserve a second year in the Champions League. But their fate will be determined by the fortunes of Udinese and Lazio. If they manage a win and the zebrette lose, third place is Napoli’s, based on head-to-head records. But that’s way too many “ifs” for a team that should have secured that spot ages ago.