The Serie A race has come down to the final weekend of matches,
although Inter Milan only needs to beat relegation-bound Siena to
wrap up its fifth consecutive title.
Inter enters with a two-point lead over AS Roma, which plays
simultaneously at mid-table Chievo Verona on Sunday.
Inter already beat Roma for the Italian Cup title and will
face Bayern Munich for the Champions League title on May 22 as it
attempts to become the first Italian club to pull off the treble.
"We're been under an immense amount of tension for months,
but as a great team we've been able to handle it," Inter midfielder
Dejan Stankovic said. "It's going to be very tough at Siena, but
winning the league is never easy."
Roma holds the tiebreaker courtesy of its head-to-head record
this season. After a 1-1 draw at the San Siro, Roma beat Inter 2-1
at the Stadio Olimpico in March.
Roma needed two late goals from captain Francesco Totti to
beat Cagliari last weekend to prevent Inter from celebrating a week
early.
"We should just be happy that we have a chance going into the
final round with such a stratospheric Inter," Roma coach Claudio
Ranieri said. "Roma has had a nearly perfect season and now we're
scraping the bottom of the barrel, but we haven't given up yet."
Roma midfielder David Pizarro plans to play despite pain in
his knee.
"We've got to win in Verona and then hope," Pizarro said.
Meanwhile, Sampdoria and Palermo are still fighting for
fourth place and the last Champions League berth.
The clubs drew 1-1 last weekend, leaving Sampdoria two points
in front.
Sampdoria hosts Napoli, which has secured a Europa League
spot, and Palermo plays at relegation-bound Atalanta.
Palermo holds the tiebreaker based on overall goal difference
since the teams drew 1-1 both times they met this season.
Palermo forward Fabrizio Miccoli, who leads the team with 19
goals, injured his right knee against Sampdoria and will not be
available.
AC Milan, which has already clinched third place - even if it
finishes in a tie with Sampdoria - hosts Juventus on Saturday.
Juventus will finish seventh no matter the outcome and the match
will likely mark the final game in charge for both coaches -
Leonardo at Milan and Alberto Zaccheroni at Juventus.
Also Saturday, Lazio faces Udinese.
Sunday's other matches are: Bari vs. Fiorentina; Cagliari vs.
Bologna; Catania vs. Genoa; and Parma vs. Livorno.
