Serie A Power Rankings: Round 27

Round 27 in Serie A is in the books, leaving only 11 matches to play for each team.

As the season gets closer to its conclusion, some teams have really heated up and some teams are on a rapid downward spiral.

The madness may not be as mad as the NCAA Tournament in college basketball, but the action this March has been pretty exciting in Serie A as we are getting down to the wire.

Teams are making their claims in all parts of the table. Which teams most want survival? Which teams are in position to qualify for Europe? And which team stands out as the clear title favorite? These are the Round 27 Serie A Power Rankings.

20. Cesena (20)

Round 27: Lost 2-0 vs. Siena (H)

Cesena lost again. That's now 18 losses from 27 matches and a 14 point separation between them and 17th place, really 15 because they hold a -26 goal difference compared to Cagliari's -9.

What else do you want me to say? This team is gone.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Cagliari (A)

19. Novara (19)

Round 27: Won 1-0 vs. Udinese (H)

Great win for Novara, but in the grand scheme of things it's very small.

Udinese is a hard team to beat, but they should have beaten the many weaker teams throughout the season if they wanted a chance to play in Serie A again next season.

Hope they enjoyed Serie B when they were there because they're making a return trip this year.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Siena (A)

18. Lecce (18)

Round 27: Lost 2-0 vs. AC Milan (A)

Lecce couldn't have been expecting too much when they went to the San Siro. Despite being about as good on the road as they are at home, there was no chance of repeating their 3-0 first half performance from the first match with Milan, a match they lost 4-3.

Milan had control right from the start, but a trip to the San Siro to face Milan is a match most teams are going to lose 95% of the time. Therefore, Lecce have to get over it and move on. While Cesena and Novara have absolutely no chance of survival, Lecce are in with a chance. It'll be tough, but they sit only six points back of Cagliari and Parma so while it's Mission Improbable, it certainly isn't Mission Impossible.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Catania (A)

17. Fiorentina (15)

Round 27: Lost 1-0 vs. Catania (A)

It's been a miserable time for Fiorentina. They can't find a way to win and have only won a couple times since February began.

Seven points from the drop zone, there's still a chance Fiorentina could face the chopping block of relegation, but I'm still not sold on that. They are playing dreadful football, but they are not that bad.

Round 28: 3/17 vs. Juventus (H)

16. Parma (16)

Round 27: Drew 1-1 vs. Atalanta (A)

Gabriel Paletta's second half equalizer earned Parma a draw against the always tough Atalanta side.

Parma are struggling to right the ship and are six points clear in the relegation battle. They will want to get some big results soon to push themselves away from that dangerous place.

Round 28: 3/17 vs. AC Milan (H)

15. Siena (17)

Round 27: Won 2-0 vs. Cesena (A)

Siena refuse to have the fire lit under them as they picked up a big three points on the road.

Franco Brienza and Erjon Bogdani scored big goals late in the match to secure victory for Siena.

Sitting seven points up is still nerve-racking, but Siena are in good position to retain their position in Serie A for another season.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Novara (H)

14. Cagliari (11)

Round 27: Lost 6-3 vs. Napoli (A)

Normally, three goals is the sign of a good day, but not for Cagliari.

The defense was nonexistent from both sides, but more-so from the visitors as they fell 6-3 to Napoli at the San Paolo.

Joaquin Larrivey recorded a hat trick, but by the time of the first goal it was 3-0 with the second coming at 5-1 and the third at 6-2.

It was a miserable day for Cagliari and one they will want to forget quickly as they now sit just six points from the relegation zone.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Cesena (H)

13. Genoa (14)

Round 27: Drew 0-0 vs. Juventus (H)

Genoa were able to put even more pressure on Juventus, who are seeking to get back on top in Serie A, so kudos to them.

The draw moves them up to 13th in the league table, eight points clear from the bottom three. They shouldn't be worried about relegation as the teams that seem to be fighting to stay out of 18th are further down this list.

Round 28: 3/19 vs. Roma (A)

12. Chievo Verona (10)

Round 27: Lost 2-0 vs. Inter Milan (H)

Chievo lost at home late as Inter Milan scored twice in the last three minutes.

Stefano Sorrentino made a brilliant save on a penalty 14 minutes in to keep the Flying Donkeys on level terms, but Inter would grab the late win.

Chievo are now 11th in the table with the potential to still finish in the top half. That seems to be more of a possibility then getting dragged deeper into the fight for survival.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Bologna (A)

11. Palermo (9)

Round 27: Lost 1-0 vs. Roma (H)

A third minute goal was all it took to sink Palermo in their home match with Roma.

Roma had most of the possession and never really gave Palermo a chance of getting back into it.

Only in the top half because of goal difference, Palermo will need to start getting results again to secure their place in the top half.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Lecce (A)

10. Inter Milan (13)

Round 27: Won 2-0 vs. Chievo Verona (A)

Something amazing happened this past weekend; Inter Milan won a match!

It has become a rarity for Inter to get all three points out of a match since their hot streak ended following a derby victory over Milan.

Walter Samuel and Diego Milito scored in the 87th and 90th minutes respectively to get the victory for Claudio Ranieri's team. It was a much needed three points as Inter had started to fade. Recently, they were in the fifth and final European spot, but now they are in seventh place, six points back. This is a team in desperate need of recovery.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Atalanta (H)

9. Bologna (12)

Round 27: Won 3-1 vs. Lazio (A)

Look at these guys!

Bologna have been on fire recently and it doesn't look like they'll be slowing down anytime soon.

For anyone who thought the wins against the lower half were a fluke, they just dominated Lazio in Rome. Daniele Portanova, Alessandro Diamanti, and Rene Krhin scored for the visitors in the thrilling victory.

In the span of a few weeks, Bologna have gone from at one point 17th to now sitting ninth in the table on 35 points.

Can the hottest team in Serie A keep it up? That will be one of the great stories to watch the rest of the year.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Chievo Verona (H)

8. Atalanta (7)

Round 27: Drew 1-1 vs. Parma (H)

Atalanta were hoping for a better result against struggling Parma, but were only able to capture a draw.

Thomas Manfredini scored five minutes in, but that was all the offense La Dea would get. Despite 16 shots, only four found the target and Parma were able to grab an equalizer.

Draws have been a major theme for the club this year. Their 12 draws are second most in the league behind Juventus' 14.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Inter Milan (A)

7. Catania (8)

Round 27: Won 1-0 vs. Fiorentina (H)

Catania keep rolling with another stellar win.

Francesco Lodi's eighth goal of the year was all the Elephants would need. Juan Palo Carrizo's six saves prevented Fiorentina from ever having a chance of getting back in this match.

With their recent run of form, Catania are in eighth place and if we want to get bold, they are only eight points out of a European spot. However, if Napoli finish fourth or fifth and win Coppa Italia, sixth place, for which Catania are three points behind Roma, becomes a Europa League spot.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Lazio (H)

6. Udinese (5)

Round 27: Lost 1-0 vs. Novara (A)

Not a good result for Udinese.

At one point, it seemed like Milan, Juventus, and Udinese would run away with the three top spots, but one question I always had was whether Udinese were just hot, riding the success of Antonio Di Natale, or were they for real.

I think recently we've found our answer. Udinese have fallen to fifth, two points out of the top three and Lazio and Napoli are in their way.

Can Udinese return to the top three? Or, can Udinese survive and even qualify for Europe next year?

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Napoli (H)

5. Lazio (4)

Round 27: Lost 3-1 vs. Bologna (H)

Lazio were the latest victim of a hot Bologna side.

No one scored for Lazio. The goal came on an equalizing own goal, but Bologna were too much for Lazio to handle and they failed to get anything out of the match.

Despite the loss, Lazio remain in the third Champions League spot for next season. With two points separating them and Napoli and Udinese, can they hold on?

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Catania (A)

4. Roma (5)

Round 27: Won 1-0 vs. Palermo (A)

Fabio Borini netted three minutes in and that was all Roma would need to pick up a much appreciated three points.

Roma controlled the game from start to finish and Palermo never really had a chance.

The Giallorossi have a great chance of returning to European football next year. They are closest to the current clubs in the European slots at the moment, sitting five points behind Napoli and Udinese. Should Napoli win Coppa Italia, sixth place, currently held by Roma, would become a Europa League spot.

Round 28: 3/19 vs. Genoa (H)

3. Napoli (3)

Round 27: Won 6-3 vs. Cagliari (H)

Napoli were relentless and needed to be, as they managed a 6-3 victory over Cagliari.

Marek Hamsik, Paolo Cannavaro, Ezequiel Lavezzi, Walter Gargano, and Christian Maggio each scored to add to an own goal.

Napoli sit in fourth, two points behind Lazio, and hold a 9-goal difference over Udinese who also have 46 points.

Out of the Champions League, Napoli have more time to focus on winning Coppa Italia and maybe even knocking Lazio out of the Champions League spot and getting back next season.

Round 28: 3/18 vs. Udinese (A)

2. Juventus (2)

Round 27: Drew 0-0 vs. Genoa (A)

Draws on draws on draws.

That is why Juventus are looking less likely every match to win the Scudetto for the first time since 2003.

A scoreless draw in Genoa allowed Milan to open up a four-point gap at the top. Antonio Conte's men have a bad habit of not being able to take control of matches. Their 14 draws are the most in the league.

Barring a sudden change in characteristics, Juventus may have to wait until next year to make another run at the title.

Round 28: 3/17 vs. Fiorentina (A)

1. AC Milan (1)

Round 27: Won 2-0 vs. Lecce (H)

AC Milan are the best team in Serie A. It's that simple.

Despite having them second on this list for so long following the loss to Inter Milan, I've always believed that they would find their way back to the top. With Juventus' recent slip-ups, they have seized the opportunity.

With the win against Lecce and Juventus' draw, Milan now hold a four-point lead at the top.

Guess who scored for Milan? No surprises as Antonio Nocerino scored his ninth goal of the season and Zlatan Ibrahimovic captured his league-leading 19th. His 19 is the most goals by a Milan player since the 2005-06 season when Andriy Shevchenko had 19. He is currently in position to be the first Milan player to win the scoring title since Shevchenko scored 24 in the 2003-04 season.

Round 28: 3/17 vs. Parma (A)