Serie A Power Rankings: Round 23

Serie A was forced to deal with two more postponed matches in Round 23, but 16 of the 20 teams completed their matches.

Of the eight matches, only one ended in a draw and there were a couple of exciting upsets.

Despite the reduction in action and the fatigue of club's with so many matches close together, who stood out this week in Serie A?

20. Cesena (19)

Round 23: Lost 3-2 vs. Lazio (A)

Well, an away loss to Lazio is not the worst thing in the world, especially for a team that is already at rock bottom like Cesena.

That said, Cesena were up 2-0 after 35 and up a man after a red card, but Lazio still had too much talent, power and pace for Cesena to keep up with.

Adrian Mutu and Vincenzo Iaquinta scored the goals for the visitors, who are now tied for the bottom spot in the table.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. AC Milan (H)

19. Novara (20)

Round 23: Won 1-0 vs. Novara (A)

Novara pulled off a shocking win at the Guiseppe Meazza at the weekend as Inter dropped critical points.

Andrea Caracciolo scored his first goal for Novara with 34 minutes to play as Novara capitalized on one of their six shots.

Inter were far less productive with their 30 shots. They pressured the visitors big time, but only put six on net, all of which were saved by Samir Ujkani.

Novara remain a straggler and likely will get relegated, but they have a chance at survival still.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Atalanta (H)

18. Lecce (18)

Round 23: Drew 0-0 vs. Atalanta (A)

Atalanta dominated possession and out-shot Lecce, but Julio Sergio's five saves earned a point for the Wolves.

Still, this is Lecce. They're not very good and are rightfully in the drop zone. They've got a chance to get back out of the drop zone, but it will be difficult.

Sunday will be an interesting game between two teams that really have nothing going for them except the fear of relegation.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Siena (H)

17. Bologna (16)

Round 23: Match vs. Juventus postponed

Bologna didn't play this weekend due to the postponement of their match with giants Juventus.

They get back to work on Friday in a tough road test.

Round 24: 2/17 vs. Inter Milan (A)

16. Chievo Verona (15)

Round 23: Lost 2-0 vs. Napoli (A)

There wasn't much that Chievo could do as Napoli were clearly the better team in this match-up.

Chievo sit nine points above the drop zone, so it would take a collapse unlike anything seen in recent years to see them drop out of Serie A.

The next two games could provide at least four points for Chievo before a difficult test against Juventus.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Genoa (A)

15. Siena (17)

Round 23: Won 1-0 vs. Roma (H)

It was a famous win for Siena as they pulled the shocker and knocked off Roma.

No surprises who put the ball in the net for Siena as Emanuele Calaio scored his 10th of the season as he converted a spot kick in the 51st minute.

The Wolves proved that you don't always need the ball more then your opponent to win, as they possessed the ball only 27% of the time. They only let off eight shots with three on target, but all it took was the one penalty as the defense held strong.

Still, Siena have a lot of work to do to stay in Serie A, but they're in good position to survive.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Lecce (A)

14. Parma (14)

Round 23: Match vs. Fiorentina postponed

Make-up match vs. Juventus ended 0-0

Parma will have to wait to play Fiorentina, but Wednesday provided a make-up of the snowed-out match against Juventus and Parma were able to snag a point in a scoreless draw.

Nicola Pavarini made four saves and Parma were able to clinch the draw. They have a game in hand on most of the league and they are only two points away from the top half. They have the chance to break the divide.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Roam (A)

13. Fiorentina (11)

Round 23: Match vs. Parma postponed

Through no fault of their own, Fiorentina fall to 13 because of the great performances of Catania and Cagliari while La Viola did not play.

The Florentine's currently have a lead of a single point on Catania and trail Cagliari by two.

Riccardo Montolivo and company get back to business on Friday.

Round 24: 2/17 vs. Napoli (H)

12. Catania (13)

Round 23: Won 4-0 vs. Genoa (H)

Catania were dominant as they defeated Genoa 4-0.

Francesco Lodi and Gonzalo Bergessio each scored once and Pablo Barrientos struck for a double in the victory.

Genoa had the better of the possession and shots were even, but Catania made the most of their opportunities.

With only 21 games played, Catania could climb to within a point of Napoli when everyone is caught up.

First off, they need to worry about one of the giants.

Round 24: 2/18 vs. Juventus (A)

11. Genoa (9)

Round 23: Lost 4-0 vs. Catania (A)

Lost make-up match vs. Atalanta 1-0

Genoa had a pretty bad week. After being blown out by Catania, they dropped a make-up to Atalanta and dropped six valuable points.

They are now 10th in the table, but Fiorentina and Catania should be able to leapfrog them with two matches in hand.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Chievo Verona (H)

10. Cagliari (12)

Round 23: Won 2-1 vs. Palermo (H)

It was an impressive win for Cagliari at the weekend, as they knocked off Palermo at home.

Mauricio Pinilla and Daniele Dessena grabbed second half goals to put the game out of reach before the Eagles scored their goal.

Possession was basically even and Cagliari attempted 20 shots as they were able to challenge the Palermo defense all night.

Cagliari are in range of Europe, with only six points between them and Inter. It is not impossible, but they probably didn't want a trip to the Friuli on the schedule with that on the line.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Udinese (A)

9. Inter Milan (7)

Round 23: Lost 1-0 vs. Novara (H)

Oh Inter haven't we been over this?

The Milanese club lost to Novara as they continue to let points slip away. As horrifying as a loss to such a lowly team is, the numbers were even scarier for Inter.

Inter got six shots on goal, but that is only 20% of the shot total. Yup, Inter shot the ball 30 TIMES. How do you not score when you shoot 30 times? Horrendous performance in front of net by Inter and they need to recover before they lose their European spot.

Thinking to the Champions League next week, they need to get back on track. Both they and Marseille have been streaky this season. The hotter team will win the draw.

Round 24: 2/17 vs. Bologna (H)

8. Palermo (6)

Round 23: Lost 2-1 vs. Cagliari (A)

Palermo had a chance to close the European gap to two points as they dropped an away fixture with Cagliari 2-1.

Palermo had about half the possession, but they allowed Cagliari too many opportunities and only scored on an Abel Hernandez penalty kick.

The Rosanero will need to step it up as the season dwindles into it's final weeks. A win on Sunday could really boost morale.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Lazio (H)

7. Atalanta (8)

Round 23: Drew 0-0 vs. Lecce (H)

Won make-up match vs. Genoa 1-0

Atalanta picked up four out of six points in the last two matches and, as mentioned over and over, are regretting the Cristiano Doni scandal as they would be three points behind Inter.

22-year-old Guido Marilungo netted his second goal of the season coming off the bench in the make-up match on Wednesday to give La Dea the victory.

They now turn their attention to struggling Novara in what should be a successful road victory.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Novara (A)

6. Napoli (10)

Round 23: Won 2-0 vs. Chievo Verona (H)

Napoli had no problem taking down Chievo on Monday.

Miguel Britos and Edinson Cavani scored in the first half to secure the three points for the Azzurri. They controlled possession and Morgan De Sanctis needed only three saves to get the clean sheet.

Napoli have struggled, but they are only two points behind Inter for a Europa League spot.

Of course, in the unlikely event that they win the Champions League, they don't need to worry about their league finish. They're one of 16 teams with a chance (well, maybe about 14 at this point after four first leg matches) and get back to it next week against Chelsea.

Before that they have to play the Viola in Serie A.

Round 24: 2/17 vs. Fiorentina (A)

5. Roma (5)

Round 23: Lost 1-0 vs. Siena (A)

Roma will be hoping that their trip to Siena is merely a bump in the road as they were shocked 1-0 after a penalty kick sealed the win.

With a win, Roma would have surpassed Inter and taken over one of the Europa League spots, but that is still extremely doable and Roma may just be the favorites for the fifth and final slot.

The top four seem to be decided so this could be a race by about five or six teams for one spot.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Parma (H)

4. Udinese (4)

Round 23: Lost 2-1 vs. AC Milan (H)

It didn't seem possible, but Udinese lost at the Friuli, ending a season-long 11-match unbeaten run during which time only a draw with Juventus kept them from a 100% winning percentage.

A breathtaking goal from Antonio Di Natale put the hosts up early, but the defense collapsed in the second half and Milan put on a clinic in the final quarter of an hour.

Udinese out-shot the visitors, but they were unable to capitalize, despite dominating the early part of the match.

The loss drops Udinese out of the top three, meaning the top three will is not Juventus, Milan, and Udinese for the first time since very early in the season. They now trail Lazio by a point.

There is plenty of time to recover, but finishing third is more important this season with the reduction in Champions League spots from four to three.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Cagliari (H)

3. Lazio (3)

Round 23: Won 3-2 vs. Cesena (H)

Lazio earned three vital points that propelled them into third place in Serie A.

It was balanced scoring last Thursday as Hernanes, Senad Lulic, and Libor Kozak scored within 10 minutes of each other.

They now have position on Udinese, who dropped a huge game to Milan and are now on the outside looking in in the Champions League race.

Lazio have not seen the Champions League since the 2007-08 season. They will be hungry to get back.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Palermo (A)

2. AC Milan (2)

Round 23: Won 2-1 vs. Udinese (A)

Out of 12 Serie A teams to play against Udinese at the Stadio Friuli this season, how many can say they won the match? Just one, AC Milan.

The Rossoneri scored twice in eight minutes between the 77th and 85th minute marks to come from behind and get a vital three points, which sees them in first place over Juventus by one point despite Juve's game in hand.

Maxi Lopez's appearance in the game was vital. After coming on as a sub, he scored his first Milan goal since joining from Catania in the 77th minute and then set up 19-year-old Stephan El Shaarawy for his second of the season (both against Udinese).

Milan are reeling after the Udinese victory and now a 4-0 thrashing of Arsenal in the Last 16. This is a dangerous team right now.

Round 24: 2/19 vs. Cesena (A)

1. Juventus (1)

Round 23: Match vs. Bologna postponed

Make-up match vs. Parma ended 0-0

Juventus can't catch a break with the weather lately.

After being postponed against Parma in Round 21, they were postponed again against Bologna.

They finally got the match in with Parma, but they'll probably be wishing it was played on time while they were in a groove as the midweek make-up ended 0-0.

It was a fairly quiet game as neither team could really get anything going, but Juventus with a game in hand have a chance when they've made up their Bologna match to be two points up on Milan. Of course, they also have the derby with their long-time and currently title-contending rivals on the 26th.

Round 24: 2/18 vs. Catania (H)