Serie A race for Champions League heats up after dramatic weekend for Milan, Napoli & Juventus

The race for Champions League football in Serie A has never looked tighter, and a dramatic weekend of results has only intensified the battle with 12 matchdays still to play.

Inter aside, Cristian Chivu’s side sit ten points clear at the top with 64 points and look certainties to finish in the top four, the remaining three Champions League places are genuinely up for grabs.

And with Italy’s disappointing UEFA coefficient performance this season ruling out any prospect of a fifth UCL spot, the stakes could not be higher.

Busy Serie A weekend shuffles Champions League-chasing pack

Milan’s defeat to Parma on Sunday leaves them second on 54 points, but the chasing pack are closing fast.

Napoli’s loss at Atalanta means Antonio Conte’s side drop to third on 50 points, level with Roma in fourth following their 3-0 victory this weekend.

Juventus, beaten in their last two, sit fifth on 46 points, while Como and Atalanta are right behind them on 45.

The most striking statistic from the current table is the gap between third-placed Napoli and seventh-placed Atalanta, just five points.

In practical terms, that means Raffaele Palladino’s side, who have been the form team in Serie A since November, are very much in contention despite sitting outside the top four.

Between Milan in second and Atalanta in seventh, there are only nine points separating six clubs.

With fixtures between the top sides still to come and form shifting week by week, no club can consider their place in next season’s Champions League remotely secure. The next few weeks could prove decisive.