MILAN – As the end of the Serie A season approaches, the competition for the fourth and final Champions League spot intensifies. With just three rounds to go, Juventus, Roma, and Lazio are all tied at 63 points. Bologna is hot on their heels, just a point away, and Fiorentina remains within striking distance, three points behind Bologna.
Napoli holds the top spot with 77 points, maintaining a three-point lead over second-placed Inter Milan. Atalanta is in third place with 68 points. Despite occupying fourth place, Juventus holds a marginal advantage over Roma due to a slightly superior goal difference. In Serie A, head-to-head records determine tiebreakers, but since Juventus and Roma drew in both their encounters, the battle remains fierce as Juventus prepares to visit Lazio next Saturday. Roma, however, has the upper hand in their matches against Lazio.
Juventus had a chance to widen its lead, but they were frustrated by Bologna in a match that ended 1-1. Juventus took an early lead in the ninth minute when Andrea Cambiaso, after a series of errors by Bologna, set Khéphren Thuram up for a shot that slipped through the grasp of goalkeeper ?ukasz Skorupski. Unfortunately for Juventus, two subsequent goals were ruled offside. Bologna leveled in the second half thanks to Remo Freuler’s effort, inadvertently redirected by Renato Veiga.
The capital teams capitalized on Juventus’ slip-up with both Roma and Lazio securing narrow victories. Roma triumphed over Fiorentina with a 1-0 win, thanks to Artem Dovbyk’s critical diving header in first-half stoppage time. Meanwhile, Lazio also won 1-0 against relegation-threatened Empoli. Boulaye Dia netted the decisive goal within a minute of kickoff. Both Roma and Lazio ended the matches with 10 men each, following red cards for Empoli’s Lorenzo Colombo and Lazio’s Elseid Hysaj. Empoli remains perilously close to relegation, just two points from safety.
Atalanta reaffirmed its third-place position with a convincing 4-0 victory over Monza, aided by Charles De Ketelaere’s double – his first league goals of the season in 2025. This result leaves Atalanta comfortably five points ahead of the congested fourth-spot contenders. Monza, unfortunately, saw their relegation confirmed, sitting 12 points adrift of safety. De Ketelaere ended a long goal-scoring drought in spectacular fashion before Atalanta further capitalized on Monza’s defensive mishaps, leading to additional goals from Mateo Retegui and Ademola Lookman, with Marco Brescianini sealing a dominant performance.
Elsewhere, Pisa celebrated their promotion to Serie A for the first time in 34 years despite a narrow 1-0 defeat against Bari. They secured second place in Serie B and automatic promotion alongside champions Sassuolo, following third-placed Spezia’s loss. Pisa’s journey back to the top tier was guided by coach Filippo Inzaghi, a former World Cup-winning forward, and brother of Inter Milan’s manager Simone Inzaghi.