Atalanta are running out of games to avoid relegation to Serie B as they take on rivals Bologna in a desperate attempt to survive. It will be like a Final at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia and the Nerazzurri have no option but to win it.

The Bergamaschi did not expect to find themselves in such a critical position. Under Bortolo Mutti they have improved dramatically but they still sit third from bottom, five points away from Bologna. At the weekend, there was very little they could do to avoid a defeat at San Siro against Inter.

“I think that if we reach 41 points we will avoid relegation, but to start with we have to beat Bologna,” claimed Mutti. “With Inter we were once again unlucky and it was a pity considering that we scored first.”

While Atalanta are almost in Serie B, Bologna feel confident they will be in Serie A next season. Their win over Parma last Sunday was indeed fundamental but it is also true that they cannot afford to lose against the Bergamaschi if they want a relaxing run-in.

“Beating Parma was an important step towards survival,” claimed Franco Colomba. “But now this game against Atalanta will be so important and we are confident. We are also aware of what awaits us there in Bergamo. It is not over yet and we must stay focused.”

The locals will be missing two important defenders due to suspension – Thomas Manfredini and Paolo Bianco. It is a big blow but Maximiliano Pellegrino and Paolo Bellini should be able to cover. Mutti is unsure whether to play Cristiano Doni or leave him on the bench.

Salvatore Lanna is banned for Bologna so Francesco Modesto will move to the left-back spot and Andrea Pisanu will play in midfield. Up front, Marcelo Zalayeta and Adailton are in competition for a shirt.

Keep an eye on: Marco Di Vaio (Bologna) – Despite all the injuries, the former Juve player has managed to score 11 goals this season and his brace against Parma was crucial. Against Atalanta he will once again lead the front line.

Last five in Serie A: Atalanta (L W L W L) Bologna (L L L D W)

Last season: Atalanta 0-1 Bologna

The season is basically already over for Bari and Genoa so their meeting at the Stadio San Nicola will mean very little. With Bari safe, Genoa should be a bit more willing to bag all three points as they have a tiny chance of qualifying for Europe.

The Pugliesi can be more than happy with their campaign and have gone well above expectations. Their recent negative run was just the result of a generally relaxed atmosphere in the dressing room. Still losing four games in a row was far from pleasant.

“We simply ran out of adrenaline,” explained Giampiero Ventura. “We don’t mean it, but I expect it to happen in the next games too. Still I hope we will not spoil what has been a great season so far as we achieved survival one month ahead of the others.”

The Rossoblu instead were hoping for a better position in the table. Now they are eighth, five points behind Napoli so their chances of making it to Europe are almost zero. At the weekend, they should have done much more against Lazio but were left empty handed.

“It was a real pity to lose against Lazio,” noted Gian Piero Gasperini. “Perhaps my boys didn’t realise how important a win could have been. We lacked focus and were far too sloppy. Had we won that game then Europe could have been much closer.”

Ventura could make a couple of changes in order to boost his team’s morale. Alessandro Gazzi could replace Sergio Almiron in midfield. Jose Castillo is slightly injured so if he doesn’t make it Riccardo Meggiorini will play.

Gasperini has to face a much more complicated selection. Emiliano Moretti, Stefano Dainelli, David Suazo, Bosko Jankovic, Marco Rossi and Houssine Kharja are all injured. On top of that, Rodrigo Palacio and Salvatore Bocchetti are banned. As a consequence the Grifone side will be revolutionized.

Keep an eye on: Robert Acquafresca (Genoa) – The Liguri striker has been sidelined for long spells and wants to make the most of this season’s finale. The former Atalanta man only scored two goals this term and will have to improve his record.

Last five in Serie A: Bari (D L L L L) Genoa (D D L W L)

Last season: Not played

Both Cagliari and Udinese are tied on 42 points, eight clear of the drop zone, and with only three games left there is little more than pride at stake in this one.

After having been in charge for two games, boss Giorgio Melis still enjoys an unbeaten record, and having picked up two points seems to have consolidated Cagliari’s place in the top flight. But he is also chasing his first win and must be targeting this game for it.

Andrea Cossu, who picked up a straight red against Napoli, is suspended which should ensure a second straight start for Andrea Lazzarri behind the strikers – these will be Joaquin Larrivey and one of Alessandro Matri or Daniele Ragatzu. Wednesday’s double training session saw the latter favoured.

Melis will need to do without two players through injury – both cases of fatigue. Defenders Francesco Pisano and Diego Lopez, who have displayed a drop in condition over the past few months, spent this week training separately from the group. Once again therefore there will be the opportunity for Michele Canini to play on the right of the back four with Lorenzo Ariaudo in the middle.

Four games ago Udinese were 11 points behind Cagliari and in the thick of a relegation battle – a tremendous run of form, led by their prolific skipper Antonio Di Natale and capitalising with last weekend’s 4-1 over Siena, now sees them matched with the Islanders and in a position of considerable comfort.

And the attitude for Coach Pasquale Marino seems to now be – if it works, don’t change it. We should in fact see the same XI that dealt with Siena start this Sunday at the Sant’Elia. All the information coming from the Udinese camp this week suggests the Bianconeri will go out and enjoy themselves.

Simone Pepe is one of several names linked with a striker’s position on Marcello Lippi’s South Africa mission, so he’ll want to maintain the form he showed last weekend. One man who has his ticket to the World Cup assured is captain Di Natale, who this week declared his target to beat Oliver Bierhoff’s record 27 Serie A goals in an Udinese shirt – with 25 goals already and three games to play you must fancy him to do it.

Keep an eye on: Daniele Ragatzu (Cagliari) – An interesting young player, who in Cagliari’s comfortable run in may be given the chance to impress further. An Italian, he has pace and fine dribbling skills, and is a useful asset as he can be employed anywhere on the offensive line. He scored his first Serie A goal a little over a year ago at the age of 18 – this season he has collected six appearances and scored earlier this month against Milan.

Last five in Serie A: Cagliari (D L L D D) Udinese (L W W D W)

Last season: Cagliari 2-0 Udinese

Juventus simply must win away to Catania if they are to have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League next season. The Bianconeri currently lie six points adrift of Sampdoria who occupy fourth spot with just three games remaining in Serie A.

Alberto Zaccheroni’s side have hardly been a model of consistency over the last month, losing every other game in the League. However, moves off the pitch give the impression that the uncertainty surrounding Juventus’ future is finally about to end.

Andrea Agnelli was announced as the club’s new President on Wednesday and all that’s left now is to appoint Zaccheroni’s replacement. The next three weeks will be crucial, though, in determining what Juventus’ strategy is this summer, so the higher they finish the better.

The Bianconeri lost 2-1 at home to Catania in December, intensifying a crisis that ultimately led to Ciro Ferrara’s dismissal in January. Catania will be hoping to repeat that exploit, as a run of three games without a win has seen them drop to within reach of the relegation battlers.

If they win on Sunday and results go their way, Catania’s survival will be a mathematical certainty, something that seemed almost impossible when Sinisa Mihajlovic replaced Gianluca Atzori in December.

However, despite their evident improvement under Mihajlovic, Catania did lose to bottom club Livorno at the weekend and could only draw at Siena seven days earlier.

Keep an eye on: Maxi Lopez (Catania) – The 26-year-old January signing from Gremio has been an absolute revelation, scoring nine goals in his first 14 matches for Catania. A member of the Barcelona squad that won the Champions League in 2006, Lopez looks set to be the subject of much transfer speculation this summer, although Catania general manager Pietro Lo Monaco insists he won’t be sold for anything less than €20m.

Last five in Serie A: Catania (L W D D L) Juventus (W L W L W)

Last season: Catania 1-2 Juventus

Chievo are now comfortably settling into Serie A safety, but Napoli still have something to play for – either the Champions or Europa League.

The Partenopei have stuttered recently, but still have hope of finishing in the top four. Those plans were dampened last weekend when both Milan and Sampdoria earned important victories, while they were held to a goalless home draw by 10-man Cagliari. It means they’ve picked up just one win from the last four rounds, a 2-1 away to Bari.

Goals have been a problem for Napoli lately, especially with Fabio Quagliarella sitting out a three-match ban for insulting the referee. Ezequiel Lavezzi is also a major doubt to feature this weekend after suffering a thigh injury, so German Denis looks set to partner Mariano Bogliacino. Cristian Maggio has now recovered, though it remains to be seen if he is able to start.

Chievo can now feel secure in their Serie A status after two consecutive 2-0 victories, the most recent a huge surprise at Fiorentina’s Stadio Artemio Franchi. Mimmo Di Carlo’s men could be forgiven for relaxing in these final few rounds, but there is a strong rivalry between Verona and Naples, so this game will always have an edge. Davide Mandelli is suspended, while Tommaso Bianchi and Yonese Hanine are sidelined. Both Mario Yepes, who is set to join Milan in the summer, and Luciano require late fitness tests to see if they can start.

Earlier this season Napoli won 2-0 at the San Paolo with goals from Marek Hamsik and Quagliarella, but Chievo felt aggrieved at the result. Goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis was Man of the Match thanks to a series of desperate saves, as the visitors had largely dominated proceedings.

There was also tension when they met here last term, as Chievo won 2-1 in a game with two red cards, three disallowed goals and a result that cost Napoli fifth place. That was the first time ever that the Partenopei had lost in Verona after winning both Serie B visits.

Keep an eye on: Sergio Pellissier (Chievo) – The veteran hitman has scored in each of his last two games and is the hot favourite to hit the back of the net at the Bentegodi. Considering how many opportunities Morgan De Sanctis denied him earlier this term, he’ll be particularly eager to beat the goalkeeper.

Last five in Serie A: Chievo (D L L W W) Napoli (W D L W D)

Last season: Chievo 2-1 Napoli

Sampdoria can take another big step towards the Champions League with a win over already relegated Livorno.

The Blucerchiati sit fourth, in pole position to qualify for Europe’s premier competition having recently leapfrogged Palermo. Gigi Del Neri’s outfit have collected four wins from their last four games, and the last two were especially impressive.

Against Milan at Marassi two weeks ago and against Roma at the Olimpico last Sunday Samp came from a goal down to seal momentous victories. The hero on both occasions was the red-hot Giampaolo Pazzini.

Now they have to hold it together for the last three fixtures. Palermo are just two points behind, and the two sides meet in Sicily next week for what should be an explosive encounter. Bearing in mind that the Rosanero have won 13 of their 18 home games this season and lost none, Samp will have to be at their best to secure any kind of result at the Renzo Barbera. Therefore anything other than a win against Livorno this week would be catastrophic.

The odds against Livorno will be very long indeed. They’ve won one of their last 16 Serie A matches and are missing a clutch of key men, not to mention the fact they were relegated last weekend. The Amaranto at least went down fighting, with a 3-1 win over Catania at the Stadio Armando Picchi, but results elsewhere sealed their fate.

Don’t completely write off the visitors though. Coach Gennaro Ruotolo won’t accept anything less than 100 per cent commitment from his squad as he tries to convince the club that he’s worthy of their bench.

He led the team up from Serie B last season and will aim to prove he can do it again, having been restored as Labronici boss following Serse Cosmi’s dismissal earlier this month. It might not be Aldo Spinelli who decides Ruotolo’s future however, as the outspoken President has decided to put the club up for sale.

Sampdoria’s only absentees are the injured Nicola Pozzi and Pietro Accardi, whereas Livorno’s injury list includes Leonardo Miglionico, Francesco Tavano, Nelson Rivas, Andrea Esposito and Marcus Diniz.

Keep an eye on: Giampaolo Pazzini (Sampdoria ) – A 92nd minute winner against Milan, a dramatic double against Roma, 17 League goals this term. Pazzini isn’t guaranteed a place in Marcello Lippi’s World Cup squad yet but he’s certainly making a compelling case for himself.

Last five in Serie A: Sampdoria (D W W W W) Livorno (D D L L W)

Last season: Not played

Palermo aim to keep the pressure on Sampdoria by beating a Siena side that is surely doomed.

The Robur’s hopes of survival depend on an incredibly unlikely sequence of results. They must beat Palermo at home, Fiorentina away and Inter at home, hope Bologna don’t pick up a point for the rest of the season, and that Atalanta win no more than one of their remaining three games.

Quite simply there’s more chance of Francesco Totti signing for Lazio. Only pride to play for then, but that’s one quality the Tuscans have already displayed in abundance.

That they have survived in Serie A this long is something of a miracle for such a small club, and this season was always going to be especially tough after the sales of Houssine Kharja, Daniele Galloppa and Juan Zuniga last summer. The Bianconeri have fought gamely for their survival, don’t expect them to roll over for Palermo.

Delio Rossi’s visitors enter the game brimming with confidence having dispatched Milan at the Renzo Barbera last week. They know that a win at the Montepaschi Arena will set them up perfectly for next week’s decisive showdown with Sampdoria in the race for Champions League qualification.

If both teams win this weekend, as expected, then Palermo will remain two points behind Samp when they welcome them to the Barbera.

Considering that they are unbeaten at home during the current campaign the Rosanero can be confident of beating the Blucerchiati and returning to that hallowed fourth position in time to face Atalanta, who could already be relegated, on the final day of the season. However all this is academic unless they leave Siena with three points.

Siena are without captain Simone Vergassola, who is suspended, and the injured Francesco Parravacini. Palermo midfielders Mark Bresciano and Fabio Simplicio are injured.

Keep an eye on: Abel Hernandez (Palermo) – Not too long ago Edinson Cavani was Palermo’s Golden Boy, but 19-year-old fellow Uruguayan Hernandez has nipped in and stole his place as Fabrizio Miccoli’s strike partner. Abel H has scored seven times this term despite only recently becoming a regular starter.

Last five in Serie A: Siena (D L W D L) Palermo (W L W D W)

Last season: Siena 1-0 Palermo