Ten rounds into the Serie A season, there is still no clear-cut favorite.
Five-time defending champion Inter Milan is struggling with a series of injuries and a thin bench, surprise leader Lazio is coming off a 2-0 derby loss to AS Roma, while AC Milan and Juventus are just starting to find form under new managers with a bevy of new players.
Lazio has 22 points, two more than Milan. Inter has 19 and Juventus and Napoli are tied for fourth with 18 each.
Even Roma with 15 points after being winless in its opening four matches is being considered as a possible challenger again.
In Wednesday's midweek round, Lazio visits newly promoted Cesena, Milan hosts a talented Palermo side, Inter is at Lecce, Juventus visits Brescia, Napoli plays Cagliari and Roma faces Fiorentina.
Inter center back Walter Samuel will likely miss the rest of the season after damaging ligaments in his right knee in a 1-1 draw with Brescia on Saturday, a result that came four days after the European champions were soundly beaten 3-1 by Tottenham.
Right back Maicon is also out after straining a muscle in his left thigh, while playmaker Wesley Sneijder passed out at halftime of the Brescia match.
Midfielder Dejan Stankovic is set to return from injury against Lecce, but Inter is still without goalkeeper Julio Cesar and midfielders Thiago Motta, Esteban Cambiasso and Sulley Muntari.
"There's no way we can play like we did last year due to the injuries," said Inter president Massimo Moratti. "Right now we've just got to keep up and then really press hard at the end of the season. ... One thing that's for sure is that nothing is ever decisive at the start of the season."
Unlike Inter, Milan has an abundance of top-level strikers, but manager Massimiliano Allegri has struggled to get them to play as a solid unit. Zlatan Ibrahimovic reportedly prefers having 37-year-old Filippo Inzaghi at his side than Brazilian forwards Alexandre Pato and Robinho.
While Inzaghi came on and scored twice in Milan's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid last week, he never left the bench in Sunday's 3-2 win over Bari, when Milan again allowed a 90th-minute goal.
Both Inter and Milan could struggle with their focus with Sunday's derby looming, and Milan will have to find a way to contain 21-year-old Palermo playmaker Javier Pastore, whose worth on the transfer market is already being estimated at ?50 million ($70 million).
Lazio remains bitter after protesting it was denied a penalty that could have led to an equalizer against Roma.
"We've got to forget the derby and bounce back right away," Lazio coach Edy Reja said. "We're still in the lead and we've got to focus in the match with Cesena."
Roma will have Francesco Totti back against Fiorentina after the captain sat out the derby due to a suspension.
Also Wednesday, it's: Catania vs. Udinese; Chievo Verona vs. Bari; and Genoa vs. Bologna. On Thursday, Parma hosts Sampdoria.
