Serie A Matchday 33: Napoli ready to secure Scudetto at Udinese

Napoli can secure their first Scudetto since 1990 simply by avoiding defeat at Udinese, though results elsewhere could see them crowned champions before they even play.

Should Lazio fail to beat Sassuolo on Wednesday, Luciano Spalletti's side will have already won the title when they head to the Dacia Arena.

The battle for Champions League qualification rages on, however, with third-placed Juventus just three points ahead of the chasing pack as they host Lecce.

Inter Milan and AC Milan are both locked on 57 points — along with Roma — going into Matchday 33 and face relegation-threatened pair Verona and Cremonese, respectively.

Game of the week: Udinese vs Napoli (Thursday, 7.45pm)

Udinese find themselves in the unusual position of potentially playing host to Napoli's title-winning party.

The Partenopei boast an 18-point lead with six games to go and avoiding defeat here would ensure a minimum gap of 16 points at the end of the midweek schedule, with only 15 on offer for the remainder of the season.

Spalletti's men have stumbled slightly as the finish line has drawn into view, dropping points in three of their last five games (two draws, one defeat). 

But Napoli's sensational exploits over the majority of the campaign have put them in a superb position to officially clinch the Scudetto.

Ahead of this matchday, Victor Osimhen sits top of the Serie A goalscoring charts (21) and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia ranks first in the division for assists (10) — positions the pair will be keen to maintain by delivering against Udinese.

Lazio vs Sassuolo (Wednesday, 8pm)

Back-to-back defeats against Torino and Inter have left Lazio needing a win against Sassuolo to delay Napoli's title celebrations.

And the Biancocelesti can ill afford further slip-ups, with just four points separating them from sixth-placed rivals Roma.

Maurizio Sarri's men were successful when they last met the Neroverdi — scoring with two of their three shots on target in a 2-0 triumph — so they will be hoping for a repeat of that result on their own turf.

Sassuolo's recent form has been patchy, winning two of their last five league outings (one draw, two defeats) having been on a run of four successive victories prior to that.

Juventus vs Lecce (Wednesday, 5pm)

Juventus snapped a run of three successive league defeats last time out but not in the way they would have hoped, drawing 1-1 with Bologna.

It leaves the Bianconeri without a win in their previous five outings across all competitions (two draws, three defeats) ahead of their meeting with Lecce.

The relegation-threatened Puglians have just ended a miserable streak of their own by beating Udinese 1-0 following a run of eight games without victory, losing seven of those.

Max Allegri's men will be keen to squash any budding optimism in Marco Baroni's ranks by earning three points to ensure they remain in the top four for at least another week.

Verona vs Inter Milan (Wednesday, 8pm)

Verona and Inter both stand a chance of achieving their goals for this season but their situations are undoubtedly precarious.

Going into Matchday 33, the former find themselves level on points with Spezia as the pair wrestle for survival, while the latter are fourth and locked in a tussle with Milan and Roma for Champions League qualification.

The Nerazzurri have come out of a difficult patch in which they failed to win for six consecutive games across all competitions and have now won four of the last six (one draw, one defeat), including the previous three.

The Gialloblu are enjoying a positive run of their own, going unbeaten in their last four outings (two wins, two draws) after a run of six matches without victory (two draws, four defeats).

AC Milan vs Cremonese (Wednesday, 8pm)

Reigning Serie A champions Milan find themselves facing the distinct possibility that they may not finish in the top four this term.

They are one of six teams vying for just three spots and cannot afford to drop points against Cremonese, who sit second-last in the standings.

The Rossoneri missed the chance to deliver a significant blow to one of their top-four rivals in Rome — drawing 1-1 with Jose Mourinho's side in their last outing.

The visitors come into this gameweek seven points from safety, despite a recent resurgence in which they have claimed seven of their 20 points this season from their four most recent outings (two wins, one draw).

The week's other games

Atalanta vs Spezia (Wednesday, 5pm)

Sampdoria vs Torino (Wednesday, 5pm) 

Salernitana vs Fiorentina (Wednesday, 5pm) 

Monza vs Roma (Wednesday, 8pm) 

Empoli vs Bologna (Thursday, 7.45pm)

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