Week 24 14 weeks to go. Figured I'd add in the "reward" for each spot in the table to elucidate the various races. UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 REL = Relegation UCL - Juventus 53 UCL - Milan 51 ------- CLQ - Inter 42 CLQ - Udinese 40 ------- UC - Sampdoria 38 UC - Palermo 36 ------- UC* - Roma 35 ------- Cagliari 33 Bologna 32 Lecce 32 Reggina 32 Livorno 30 Messina 28 Chievo 28 Lazio 27 Fiorentina 26 Brescia 23 ------- REL - Parma 23 REL - Siena 22 REL - Atalanta 14 I wasn't sure I would, but I like having a nice group of fairly safe "midtable" teams this year, what with the increase to 20 teams and only 3 going down. I think it's helped those teams go out and take some risks rather than always playing it safe. It's one reason there have been more upsets this year than I remember in the past.
Re: Week 24 thats a good thought, those teams in the middle don't need to slug it out for a boring draw....that's a nice change. On the bottom I think Parma's in trouble as brescia/siena have made some changes and I can see one of them edging parma out
Week 25 UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 REL = Relegation UCL - Milan 54 UCL - Juventus 54 ------- CLQ - Inter 43 CLQ - Udinese 41 ------- UC - Sampdoria 41 UC - Palermo 39 ------- UC* - Roma 38 ------- Cagliari 33 Bologna 32 Lecce 32 Reggina 32 Lazio 30 Livorno 30 Messina 29 Chievo 28 Fiorentina 26 Parma 26 ------- REL - Siena 25 REL - Brescia 23 REL - Atalanta 17 A new name at the top, if only by goal difference (which means nothing in the final standings as Italy uses playoffs to break ties). A gap of 5 points has opened up between the last European spot (currently held by Roma) and the pack of "midtable" teams, most of whom lost. Lazio is happy to be included in that group now while Fiorentina and Parma remain in danger, despite a hugely important victory for the latter.
Week 26 UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 REL = Relegation UCL - Milan 57 UCL - Juventus 57 ------- CLQ - Sampdoria 44 CLQ - Inter 43 ------- UC - Udinese 42 UC - Palermo 42 ------- UC* - Roma 38 ------- Lecce 35 Reggina 35 Cagliari 34 Bologna 33 Lazio 33 Livorno 31 Messina 29 Chievo 28 Fiorentina 27 Parma 26 ------- REL - Siena 25 REL - Brescia 23 REL - Atalanta 18 Not much change in things except for Samp's leap to second place. Messina and Chievo are officially now deeply involved in the relegation battle while Lecce and Reggina wins mean they stay in touch Roma for (potentially) the final UEFA Cup berth.
Week 27 UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 REL = Relegation UCL - Milan 60 UCL - Juventus 60 ------- CLQ - Sampdoria 47 CLQ - Inter 46 ------- UC - Palermo 43 UC - Udinese 42 ------- UC* - Roma 38 ------- Bologna 36 Lecce 35 Reggina 35 Cagliari 34 Lazio 33 Livorno 32 Messina 32 Fiorentina 30 Parma 29 Chievo 28 ------- REL - Brescia 26 REL - Siena 25 REL - Atalanta 18 Bologna is suddenly in the hunt for a UEFA Cup berth while, at the bottom, big wins for Messina, Fiorentina and Parma give them at least a touch of breathing room. Brescia won a game they HAD to win while Chievo is looking very vulnerable.
Week 28 UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 REL = Relegation UCL - Milan 63 UCL - Juventus 63 ------- CLQ - Inter 47 CLQ - Sampdoria 47 ------- UC - Udinese 45 UC - Palermo 43 ------- UC* - Roma 38 ------- Bologna 37 Cagliari 37 Lecce 36 Reggina 35 Livorno 35 Messina 35 Lazio 34 Fiorentina 31 Parma 29 Chievo 28 ------- REL - Brescia 26 REL - Siena 26 REL - Atalanta 21
Re: Week 28 Sampdoria are a great side, but I think I'd much rather see a side like Palermo play in the Champions League because they will spend money wisely to make their squad deeper. Samp don't seem like a side that are going to reinforce their squad to be able to compete in both Italy and Europe.
Re: Week 28 I think if you stack them up even now Palermo are the better team...with the resources to be much better (especially with the promise of the CL) next season...I think they'll make up the 4 pts...
Week 29 Figures, just when people start declaring that Sampdoria is a great side, they lose at home to Atalanta .... now Udinese is back in the final CL spot. That's two wins in a row for Atalanta with Chievo at home in their next game, and they might just be starting to have a glimmer of hope. UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 REL = Relegation UCL - Milan 66 UCL - Juventus 66 ------- CLQ - Inter 50 CLQ - Udinese 48 ------- UC - Sampdoria 47 UC - Palermo 44 ------- UC* - Roma 38 ------- Bologna 38 Cagliari 38 Lecce 36 Livorno 36 Messina 36 Reggina 35 Lazio 34 Fiorentina 31 Chievo 31 Parma 30 ------- REL - Siena 29 REL - Brescia 26 REL - Atalanta 24
Week 30 UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 REL = Relegation Not much change at the top aside from Palermo closing the gap on the top 5, but the relegation fight is really starting to heat up. Atalanta has caught Brescia while Chievo is starting to be in real trouble and Reggina must be starting to get nervous based on their poor current form. UCL - Milan 67 UCL - Juventus 67 ------- CLQ - Inter 53 CLQ - Udinese 49 ------- UC - Sampdoria 48 UC - Palermo 47 ------- UC* - Roma 39 ------- Cagliari 39 Bologna 38 Lecce 37 Lazio 37 Livorno 36 Messina 36 Reggina 35 Parma 33 Fiorentina 32 Chievo 31 ------- REL - Siena 30 REL - Atalanta 27 REL - Brescia 27
Week 31 I've added the Intertoto Cup spot to the table since Italy officially does have one place. Last year, no Italian team opted to play in it. My my what a relegation battle is shaping up. Interesting, not one draw this week. UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7; otherwise, UEFA Intertoto Cup REL = Relegation UIC = UEFA Intertoto Cup, if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 and pending acceptance of invitation UCL - Juventus 70 UCL - Milan 67 ------- CLQ - Inter 56 CLQ - Sampdoria 51 ------- UC - Udinese 49 UC - Palermo 47 ------- UC* - Lazio 40 ------- UIC - Roma 39 ------- Livorno 39 Cagliari 39 Messina 39 Bologna 38 Reggina 38 Lecce 37 Chievo 34 Siena 33 Parma 33 ------- REL - Fiorentina 32 REL - Brescia 30 REL - Atalanta 27
This is shaping up to be one of the best seasons in recent memory. We have a great scudetto battle that should go down to the last week between Milan and Juve. We have 4 clubs(Inter, Samp, Udine, Palermo) all with a shot at those last two CL spots. And we have a whole bunch of teams that could either be relegated or get into europe. The group is that bunched together that thier fate could go either way. It should be interesting in the next few weeks.
I really would hate to see a team like Fiorentina or Parma (has a great shot at winning the ufea cup) with such great history.go down to serie b. I rather lose a team like Siena or lecce. But looking to the future seeing a team like genoa with a great fan base, and history. doing great in serie b...
Sue maybe you can clarify this, let's say Cagliari gets to the Coppa Italia final, and faces Udinese, who already has a Champion's League spot. If Cagliari finishes 9th, they don't get a UEFA spot?
if you finish outside the top 6 you have to win the Coppa to get an UEFA Cup spot. If the Coppa winner is in the top 6 then #7 gets the UEFA cup spot... in your example, cagliari finishes 9th..they would have to win that final to get a uefa cup berth.
even though this is a down year for my club, I have to agree. There is genuine intrigue at all the key spots and big clubs involved in every end of it. I do think one of the "name" clubs is going down, either parma or fiorentina...I think its good in that it shows the true depth of the league now.
Didn't notice this question before. Actually, my understanding of how it works is slightly different. If the final were to be Udinese vs Cagliari, and Udinese finishes in the top 4, then Cagliari would get the UEFA Cup berth, win or lose in the final. But if Udinese finishes 5th or 6th, that's not the case. When the cup-winner has already qualified for the Champions League, the "cup-winners' berth" for the UEFA Cup falls to the losing finalist. But if the cup-winner is only in a UEFA Cup spot in the standings, they *still* take the "cup-winners" berth, and 7th place in the table qualifies for the UEFA Cup rather than the losing finalist. Clear as mud? It was an attempt by UEFA after the demise of the Cup-winners' Cup to maintain the "prestige" of winning the cup - to make the cup berth "worth more" than the table-based berths. It's just another interesting aspect to this season, that the Coppa actually has real implications. Some possible scenarios based on the four outcomes of the semifinals: Cagliari vs Udinese - if Udinese finishes in top 4, Cagliari gets the cup berth into the UEFA Cup, win or lose in the final. If not, the winner of the final gets it, along with the top two eligible teams in the table. Cagliari vs Roma - winner of the final gets the cup berth into the UEFA Cup, along with 5th and 6th in the table (assuming neither finishes in the top 6, in which case 7th would also go). Inter vs Udinese - if both finish in the top 4, there is no "cup-winner" berth into the UEFA Cup and 5th thru 7th in the table get the 3 UEFA Cup berths. If only Inter finishes in the top 4, then Udinese would get the cup-winners' berth, win or lose. In the unlikely event both teams drop out of the top 4, then the winner would get the cup-winners' berth. Inter vs Roma - Assuming Inter finishes in the top 4, Roma gets the cup-winners' berth. If Inter somehow collapses and fall below 4th, then only the winner gets the berth.
my fault, didn't realize there was another twist there. Off topic but I think cagliari's shot at the coppa is a lot slimmer now that Inter has nothing else to play for.
Week 32 After no draws on the weekend, 7 out of 10 games ended even today... UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7; otherwise, UEFA Intertoto Cup REL = Relegation UIC = UEFA Intertoto Cup, if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 and pending acceptance of invitation UCL - Juventus 70 UCL - Milan 70 ------- CLQ - Inter 59 CLQ - Sampdoria 52 ------- UC - Udinese 50 UC - Palermo 48 ------- UC* - Lazio 41 ------- UIC - Cagliari 40 ------- Livorno 40 Messina 40 Bologna 39 Roma 39 Reggina 39 Lecce 38 Siena 36 Chievo 34 Parma 34 ------- REL - Fiorentina 33 REL - Brescia 31 REL - Atalanta 28
After Week 33 To me, the positions of Livorno and Messina are the most amazing part of this table. Pretty incredible that 4 of the 6 promoted teams are in the top half of the table and that at least 1 or 2 will likely play in Europe next season. UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7; otherwise, UEFA Intertoto Cup REL = Relegation UIC = UEFA Intertoto Cup, if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 and pending acceptance of invitation UCL - Milan 73 UCL - Juventus 73 ------- CLQ - Inter 59 CLQ - Sampdoria 55 ------- UC - Udinese 53 UC - Palermo 48 ------- UC* - Livorno 43 ------- UIC - Messina 43 ------- Lazio 41 Cagliari 41 Bologna 40 Roma 39 Reggina 39 Lecce 38 Siena 36 Chievo 35 Fiorentina 34 ------- REL - Brescia 34 REL - Parma 34 REL - Atalanta 31
After Week 34 Four weeks to go. Think I'll add "magic numbers" after next week for the various races. One thing is certain after this weekend's action - Milan and Juventus are guaranteed the two automatic Champions League berths. UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7; otherwise, UEFA Intertoto Cup REL = Relegation UIC = UEFA Intertoto Cup, if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 and pending acceptance of invitation UCL - Milan 76 UCL - Juventus 76 ------- CLQ - Inter 62 CLQ - Udinese 56 ------- UC - Sampdoria 56 UC - Palermo 49 ------- UC* - Messina 44 ------- UIC - Livorno 43 ------- Cagliari 42 Lecce 41 Lazio 41 Bologna 40 Roma 40 Reggina 40 Parma 37 Siena 36 Chievo 36 ------- REL - Brescia 35 REL - Fiorentina 34 REL - Atalanta 31
Does Italy use tiebreakers or do they still have a playoff to break ties? Is it a one-off or over two legs?
After Week 35 Down to 3 games now. "Magic numbers" are the number of points earned + points dropped by closest rival in order to clinch the various races. For the 3 relegation-zone teams, the number becomes a "number of death" equal to points dropped + won by closest rival before relegation is ensured. In any week, a team can win or lose up to 6 points, so any team with a magic number (or number of death) of 6 points or less can have that race settled in the next round of games. This weekend, Inter can clinch their CL berth, Palermo can clinch a UEFA Cup berth, and several teams can guarantee their permanence in Serie A. UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup UC* = UEFA Cup, but only if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7; otherwise, UEFA Intertoto Cup REL = Relegation UIC = UEFA Intertoto Cup, if both Coppa Italia finalists finish in the top 7 and pending acceptance of invitation UCL - Juventus 79 - 7 pts to Scudetto UCL - Milan 76 - 13 pts to Scudetto ------- CLQ - Inter 65 - 4 pts to CL berth CLQ - Udinese 59 - 10 pts to CL berth ------- UC - Sampdoria 59 - 10 pts to CL berth UC - Palermo 50 - 4 pts to UEFA Cup berth ------- UC* - Messina 44 - 9 pts to potential UEFA Cup berth ------- UIC - Cagliari 43 - 11 pts to potential UEFA Cup berth ------- Livorno 43 - 11 pts to potential UEFA Cup berth Bologna 41 - 5 pts to guaranteed safety Lazio 41 - 5 pts to safety Lecce 41 - 5 pts to safety Reggina 41 - 5 pts to safety Roma 40 - 6 pts to safety Parma 40 - 6 pts to safety Siena 39 - 7 pts to safety Fiorentina 37 - 8 pts to safety ------- REL - Chievo 36 - 9 pts to relegation REL - Brescia 35 - 8 pts to relegation REL - Atalanta 34 - 7 pts to relegation
After Week 36 Inter clinched a berth in the Champions League qualifying round, but the race for the final CL berth and relegation are going down to the wire. Even the battle for 6th place is not resolved with Sicilian clubs Palermo and Messina battling it out. The fate of the 7th-place finisher will perhaps be resolved in midweek as the Coppa Italia finalists will be determined. Despite the increase to 20 teams and reduction of relegated teams from 4 to 3, it amazes me that with just two matches remaining, only the top 7 teams are absolutely safe from relegation. UCL = UEFA Champions League CLQ = Champions League qualifying round UC - UEFA Cup REL = Relegation UIC = UEFA Intertoto Cup, pending acceptance of invitation UCL - Juventus 82 - 2 pts to Scudetto UCL - Milan 77 - 11 pts to Scudetto ------- CLQ - Inter 68 - clinched CL Qualifier berth CLQ - Udinese 60 - 7 pts to CL berth ------- UC - Sampdoria 60 - 7 pts to CL berth UC - Palermo 51 - 3 pts to UEFA Cup berth ------- UIC - Messina 47 - 3 pts to Intertoto Cup berth ------- Cagliari 43 - 1 pt to guaranteed safety Livorno 43 - 1 pt to guaranteed safety Lazio 42 - 3 pts to guaranteed safety Lecce 42 - 3 pts to safety Reggina 42 - 3 pts to safety Bologna 41 - 4 pts to safety UC - Roma 41 - 4 pts to safety Parma 40 - 5 pts to safety Siena 39 - 6 pts to safety Chievo 39 - 6 pts to safety ------- REL - Fiorentina 38 - 6 pts to relegation REL - Brescia 38 - 6 pts to relegation REL - Atalanta 35 - 3 pts to relegation EDITED - Roma has won the 3rd UEFA Cup berth via reaching the Coppa Italia final.