With Inter Milan reaching the Champions League final, there are some scheduling issues in the final stretch of the Serie A season. The league has now brought forward the final matches of the season for Napoli and Inter.
At the end of June 2022, the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) dusted off an old rule. Or rather, it brought back a play-off match for the Serie A championship in the event of a tie at the top of the table.
This could now happen on the final matchday. Napoli will go into the game as league leaders with 79 points and play against Cagliari, who have secured their place in the league, while Inter Milan (78 points), the reigning Scudetto holders, will face newly promoted Como, who have also secured their place in the league.
The 38th and final round of the Italian top flight is actually scheduled for next Sunday (May 25). However, as expected, the league has now made a slight change: it is moving the two decisive championship matches between Napoli and Milan to Friday evening. Kick-off for both matches on May 23 is at 8:45 p.m.
Napoli has everything in its own hands
This is to ensure that the team is prepared in case Antonio Conte’s SSC stumbles and loses, while Milan only manages to secure one point. If that happens, both traditional clubs would be level on points at the top of the table, and the decisive match would have to be played for the first time in modern history.
According to the Italian league association, this would take place on Monday, May 26, if necessary. This would give FC Internazionale, as Champions League finalists (final in Munich on May 31), enough time to prepare and, just a few days before their clash with Paris Saint-Germain, still have a Serie A summit against the Neapolitans – probably at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome – to look forward to. The league has now prevented this by postponing the match.
In the end, however, it is more likely that Napoli will not let the butter be taken off their bread, win the home game against Cagliari at the Diego Armando Maradona stadium, and celebrate their next championship after the long-awaited one in the 2022/23 season under Luciano Spalletti. The tide could have turned in the other direction on Sunday, because the southern Italians only managed a 0-0 draw in Parma, while Inter Milan squandered two leads in their clash with Lazio Rome (2-2).