Jamie Vardy party, play-off potential and a top-four race for the ages – What to look out for in the final weekend in Serie A

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The Serie A trophy has been safely tucked up in Inter’s trophy cabinet for weeks now, but there is still plenty to play for at both ends of the table going into a frenzied final day of the season on Sunday.

Highlights: Vardy winner keeps Cremonese survival hopes alive

Video credit: TNT Sports

Let’s start at the bottom, where a familiar face takes centre stage in a straight shoot-out for survival between Cremonese and Lecce.

Jamie Vardy’s return to fitness and form in the dying embers of what had looked a doomed campaign has brought flickering flames of hope back to Cremona.

It was fitting that as a Netflix documentary recounting the story of the striker’s rise from the non-league to becoming the talisman of Leicester City’s miracle Premier League title win was released, Vardy was busy setting another improbable football fairytale in motion.

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Cremonese started the season strongly on their return to Serie A, beating Milan at San Siro on the opening day and looking steady in mid-table by Christmas.

But a run of 15 games without a win between December and March saw coach Davide Nicola lose his job as the team tailspun towards the drop zone.

Former Milan boss Marco Giampaolo finally brought that run to an end on his debut against Parma, but it was Vardy’s return from injury at the start of May that has truly resuscitated the Grigiorossi’s hopes.

Vardy scored on his first start for two months in a 3-0 win over Pisa, before calmly netting the winner over Udinese last weekend to seal Cremonese’s first back-to-back victories since December.

'Delivering when it matters!' - Vardy scores vital goal for Cremonese

Video credit: TNT Sports

That took the 39-year-old’s tally for his debut season in Italy to seven goals in 28 appearances, and bolstered hopes of pipping Lecce to the final salvation spot of 17th.

"Vardy is a great player, he lives for the match like great players must, which is as a protagonist,” Giampaolo said.

"When he accelerates, he leaves holes in the turf. You realise when you are dealing with a player of a superior level."

After some concerns over his fitness, reports now suggest Vardy will be fit to start in Como, a game you can watch on TNT Sports and HBO Max and follow live on tntsports.co.uk.

However, Lecce have been busy launching their own against-the-odds survival bid, losing just once in their last five games and beating Sassuolo away last weekend to keep their heads above water, thanks to a 96th-minute winner.

Lecce have the advantage in the relegation battle. Not only are they one point above Cremonese, 35 points to 34, but they host mid-table Genoa – who have little left to play for - on Sunday night at a sold-out Stadio Via del Mare, while Vardy’s side must go to UEFA Champions League-chasing Como.

Intriguingly, this story might not end here. In Serie A, a relegation play-off decides who goes down if the teams in 17th and 18th finish level on points. Should Lecce lose and Cremonese draw, that is how their fate will be decided.

This rule was introduced in 2022/23, when Verona defeated Spezia in a one-legged play-off at a neutral venue to stay up.

However, the rule has now been tweaked and should it happen this year, there would be a two-legged play-off, home and away, to decide who plummets into Serie B.

Will it be another Vardy miracle? Will Lecce get the job done? Or are we heading for a nerve-shredding play-off?

Who will join Inter and Napoli in the top four?

Up at the other end of the table, there is a four-way scrap for the final two UEFA Champions League places.

Inter and Napoli already have the top two spots wrapped up, but it’s all to play for below them.

Milan and Roma have the advantage, with both sides on 70 points heading into their final games against Cagliari (H) and Hellas Verona (A), respectively.

Two points behind them sit Como and Juventus on 68 points, with both ready to swoop should they stumble.

Cesc Fabregas’ side host Cremonese on the final night as we mentioned above, while Juventus travel across town to face rivals Torino in the Derby della Mole.

The top-four race has proven wonderfully unpredictable thus far. Juve looked all-but guaranteed to grab a spot after a strong run of form from February onwards under Luciano Spalletti, only to fall to a shock 2-0 defeat at home to Fiorentina last weekend that saw them slide to sixth place.

Replacing them were Roma, whose 2-0 Derby della Capitale win over Lazio was a cause for double celebration as it sealed a derby double and put them one win from their first Champions League campaign in seven years.

Standing in their way? Verona, who are already relegated but have taken points off Juventus and Inter in recent weeks thanks to goals from Scottish striker Kieron Bowie.

Milan, meanwhile, looked at risk of a disastrous end to the season after winning just one of six games going into their clash with Genoa last weekend, but a 2-1 victory relieved the pressure on Massimiliano Allegri and leaves them in a strong position.

And what about Como? The lakeside upstarts have already held big celebrations at qualifying for Europe for the first time ever in just their second season back in the big time.

Reaching the Champions League would be beyond their wildest dreams, but it remains realistic after going unbeaten in their last four games without conceding a goal.

Highlights: Mancini double gives Roma bragging rights in Derby della Capitale

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Inter's victory in the Coppa Italia means that fifth and sixth place are Europa League spots, with Atalanta already guaranteed to take the Conference League spot in seventh.

In Serie A, final league positions – other than the decisive relegation spot or first place – are decided by head-to-head record.

This means that should multiple teams finish level, a mini-table will be required to sort out the standings, taking into account all their results against each other throughout the season.

Sound complicated? The permutations are endless – but who do you think will end up in the Champions League next year?

How to watch the final weekend of the Serie A season

We have live coverage of Como v Cremonese (TNT Sports 2) and Torino v Juventus (TNT Sports 3) on TNT Sports and HBO Max, with both games kicking off at 19:45 UK time on Sunday, May 24.

Can’t watch along? Not to worry, as we will have minute-by-minute text coverage of the final night here on TNTSports.co.uk too.

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