News Focus
- Hellas Verona and Pisa have already been relegated to Serie B
- Only one point separates 17th-placed Lecce from 18th-placed Cremonese
- A special relegation play-off awaits if both clubs finish level on points
- Cremonese kept their hopes alive with a 3-0 victory over Pisa on Sunday
- Two rounds of fixtures remain in the Italian top flight
Hellas Verona and Pisa have already lost their places in the Italian top flight. They will play in Serie B next season. Now, one final relegation spot remains open. US Lecce and US Cremonese are battling to avoid it.
The two clubs are very close in the table. Lecce sit in 17th position. They have 32 points. Cremonese are just behind them in 18th place. They have 31 points. Only one point divides the two sides. They each have two games left to play.
Cagliari appear to be safe. They are in 16th place with 37 points. They would need to lose both matches badly to fall into the relegation zone.
Italian football has a special rule for this situation. If Lecce and Cremonese finish with the same number of points, goal difference will not matter. The two teams would play a special relegation play-off match. This game would decide who drops to Serie B. Both clubs want to avoid this extra pressure.
Cremonese were in deep trouble earlier this year. Their results were poor. Then Marco Giampaolo became their new manager. On Sunday, they played against Pisa. Pisa were already relegated. Cremonese won the match 3-0. This important victory kept their survival hopes alive. They now control their own destiny in the final two weeks.