A blockbuster weekend
Six of Serie A's top seven teams face off this weekend with AC Milan's trip to Juventus the highlight of a blockbuster programme.
The stakes will be high all round with leaders Inter Milan hosting Champions League chasing Fiorentina while second-place AS Roma travel to in-form Udinese, seventh but only five points away from a top four spot.
Meanwhile in the game of the weekend in Turin, Juventus will continue their pursuit of second-placed Roma while Milan are desperate for a victory to try to snatch the final Champions League qualifying berth away from Fiorentina.
The big danger for Milan, though, is that they seem already to be looking ahead to next season - and which players they want to sign in the summer - whereas they risk missing out on Europe's top competition if they cannot find some late season form in their final six matches.
They don't just have to claw back four points on Fiorentina, they also need to stay ahead of Sampdoria, who they lead on goal difference and who travel to lowly Reggina on Sunday, and Udinese, just a point behind the reigning European champions.
What's more, Samp and Udinese are two of the in-form teams of the moment as both are unbeaten in their last seven matches - with Sampdoria having won five to Udinese's four.
It's building up to be a dramatic finale, not just in the race for the title, where champions Inter have looked a bit more steady recently after a spell of only two victories in nine games.
Roma's elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Manchester United on Wednesday will allow them to concentrate on the league but they will probably need to win all their remaining games to overhaul the nerazzurri.
They need to rebound from the disappointment in Manchester but midfielder Daniele De Rossi, who missed a penalty at Old Trafford, believes they can.
"There's only one way to forget it: the league because Roma are very close to winning both at home and in Europe," he said.
But it is in Turin that the biggest waves could be made as a defeat for Milan could effectively end their hopes of sneaking into Europe's premier competition next season.
That is something captain and stalwart Paolo Maldini can't even bear thinking about.
"I can't even imagine Milan not taking fourth place and as long as there is the slightest hope, I won't stop believing in it either," he told Sky Sport.
"The road to the Champions League is in our hands because we know that if we win all our matches we'll definitely take fourth place.
"I doubt the other teams could do the same thing, we can do it and we have to have that objective."
For Juventus a win is also vital to avoid being dragged into the battle for fourth spot.
Last week's 3-2 defeat at Palermo hit them hard and they now sit only two points above Fiorentina, although they do have a game in hand.
But Italy midfielder Mauro Camoranesi is aware that their opponents have more to lose.
"If we beat Milan it will be very difficult for them to recover and their Champions League hopes could be over," he said.
There is one other important match taking place at the weekend as Catania travel to Palermo for the Sicilian derby.
Last year a policeman was killed during violence surrounding a match between the two sides and this one has all the makings of a fiery contest, particularly as Catania are fighting for their Serie A lives.
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