ROME (AP) — Italian league officials might be second-guessing their decision to install a one-match playoff to determine the Serie A champion.
Inter Milan and Napoli are level with five rounds remaining and a rule put in place from 2022-23 requires a playoff when the top two teams finish with the same number of points.
But if Inter reaches the Champions League final and it comes down to a playoff, it’s not going to be easy to find a date.
Serie A ends on May 25 and the Champions League final is on May 31. Inter faces Barcelona in the semifinals.
A FIFA international match window is scheduled for June 2-10, with clubs required to release players for national team duty on June 1. Then the Club World Cup in the United States starts on June 15 with Inter one of the two Italian teams entered (along with Juventus). Inter opens its Club World Cup campaign against Monterrey on June 18.
There hasn’t been a playoff to determine the Serie A champion since 1964 when Bologna beat Inter 2-0 for the last of its seven league titles.
Inter positioned to host playoff
The rules call for no extra time in a championship playoff, with a penalty shootout in the case of a draw after 90 minutes.
The team with the better head-to-head record would host the playoff, but since Inter and Napoli drew 1-1 twice this season, it would go down to goal differential (Inter leads +40 to +27) or goals scored (Inter leads 72-52).
However, if the league determines that there are security issues it could decide to play the match at a neutral venue, likely the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Napoli has easier schedule on paper
Still, a playoff may be unnecessary.
Antonio Conte's Napoli appears to have an easier remaining schedule on paper, with games against Torino, Lecce, Genoa, Parma and Cagliari.
Simone Inzaghi's Inter plays Roma, Hellas Verona, Torino, Lazio and Como. And the Nerazzurri also have a two-leg semifinal with Barcelona in the Champions League.
However, Inter’s treble bid is done following a loss to AC Milan in the Italian Cup semifinals on Wednesday.
Inter anxious for Thuram to return
Napoli lost dribbling wizard Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to Paris Saint-Germain in January and now David Neres, who replaced “Kvara” on the left wing, is also out. That could mean more responsibility for Giacomo Raspadori, who was decisive when he came off the bench in a win at Monza last weekend.
Inter has lost consecutive matches from Serie A (1-0 to Bologna) last weekend to the Italian Cup (3-0 to Milan) but hopes to have back Marcus Thuram, Piotr Zielinski and Denzel Dumfries from injury for matches against Roma on Sunday and at Barcelona three days later.
Thuram's absence in attack — due to a left thigh issue — weighed heavily when Inter went scoreless in its last two matches.
Key players Alessandro Bastoni and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are suspended due to accumulated cards for the game against a Roma side looking to move into the Champions League places.
Champions League picture
While Atalanta has tightened its grip on third place with 64 points, there are a handful of teams fighting for fourth place and the final Champions League place: Bologna (60) is fourth, followed by Juventus (59), Lazio (59), Roma (57) and Fiorentina (56).
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Andrew Dampf, The Associated Press
