The Scudetto race in Serie A promises to be tighter than ever. With twelve days to go, Inter, Napoli and Atalantas are separated by just three points, a situation that has occurred only three times in the last 30 years on the 26th day.
Un campionato apertissimo
As L’Eco di Bergamo points out, the current standings see Inter leading with 57 points, followed by Napoli at 56 and Atalanta at 54. The struggle is so balanced that at each round the balance can change completely. However, next weekend Inter will face Napoli, preventing Atalanta from being able to leapfrog into first place, but with a chance to gain ground by playing against Venezia.
Il precedente più celebre: il 5 maggio 2002
In the era of three points per win, introduced since 1994/95, there have been only three instances when the distance between the first and third teams was even smaller. The best known is that of the 2001/02 season, which ended with Juventus dramatically overtaking Inter on the last day, with the Nerazzurri losing the Scudetto due to a defeat against Lazio. By the 26th day of that year, Inter and Roma were leading by just one point over Juventus, but the championship was decided in the last round.
Another similar season was 2021/22, when Milan was first with 56 points, followed by Inter and Napoli at 54, with the Rossoneri eventually winning the title. Finally, in 1997/98, Juventus led with 54 points, followed by Inter at 53 and Lazio at 52, and even then the leaders managed to maintain their lead until the end.
Il caso dell’Atalanta: può vincere partendo da terza?
From 1994 to the present, in 14 out of 31 leagues, the gap between first and third on the 26th day has been less than 10 points, but only three times has the team occupying the third position gone on to win the title. The most famous case is 2001/02, when Juventus overcame Inter and Roma, followed by 2011/12, with Juventus retaking Milan, and 1998/99, with Milan managing to overturn the lead of Lazio and Fiorentina. Atalanta, currently third, hopes to repeat the feat.
Lotta scudetto aperta anche per Juve e Lazio?
Not only Inter, Napoli, and Atalanta: Juventus and Lazio also remain within striking distance, 8 and 10 points from the top, respectively. A similar situation has occurred on only two other occasions in the three-point era: in 1997/98, when Juventus was only 5 points ahead of fourth-place Udinese, and in 2010/11, with AC Milan +7 ahead of Lazio. Involving the fifth-place finisher as well, the current season marks a historic record: never before in Serie A have the top five teams been so close on Day 26.
Arrivi al fotofinish: quanti scudetti decisi all’ultima giornata?
Should the current situation remain so balanced until the end, we could witness a Scudetto decided on the last day. In the past 30 years, the title has been awarded on the last game on seven occasions, with memorable duels such as Inter-Roma in 2009/10, Milan-Inter in 2021/22 and Juventus-Lazio in 1999/00.
Serie A 2024/25 is thus poised to become one of the most closely contested leagues in recent history, with the possibility of an uncertain final sprint until the last minute.
The article Serie A, minimum gap at the top: only three times in 30 years championship so balanced comes from CalcioAtalanta.
