Serie A Power Rankings: Rounds 3 and 4

The first two-round week of the season in the Italian Serie A was interesting, to say the least.

There were only seven draws, but surprisingly six of them involved teams in the top five from the Round 2 rankings.

A couple of upsets hurt some big clubs in the rankings this week, including last week's top club.

Normally, these rankings become available on Mondays, but due to conflicts, they were unable to be posted before today.

So where does your club stand in the always-difficult Serie A? These are the rankings heading into Round 5 this weekend.

20) Lecce (Last Week, 18)

Once again, nothing special from Lecce this week. A 2-1 loss to Atalanta and a 3-0 shellacking at the hands of Siena see them down to the bottom once again.

Next up is Cagliari at home on Sunday. Looks like they will still be in the 20th spot come Monday.

19) Bologna (20)

This picture of Marco Di Vaio says it all.

Bologna are not a good team this year.

They did draw Juventus in the mid-week round, but were unable to follow it up as they got rocked by Inter Milan on their home ground.

A trip to Udin is the last thing Bologna want right now, but they must play Udinese this weekend.

18) Catania (14)

It's been an unconvincing week from Catania. Despite a draw with Juventus, the week started with a complete annihilation at the hands of Genoa.

The 3-0 loss was the last thing Catania needed. They will need to fight back against a tough Novara side. It will be no easy task for the Elephants.

17) Siena (19)

A draw with Roma and a domination of Lecce were enough to move Siena up the rankings a little bit this week.

Obviously, Roma have not been at their best and Lecce are Lecce, so there's no reason to be too excited about Siena.

A match with Palermo this weekend means a possible drop again next week.

16) Cesena (13)

Cesena struggled this week, although they were playing two of the league's powers.

They were beaten out by Lazio, and then had plenty of chances to beat Milan but couldn't capitalize.

This week will be an interesting test for Cesena as they head into battle with Chievo Verona. Chievo are coming off a strong week and are coming in hot. It will be a difficult challenge for Cesena.

15) Novara (17)

Novara may have lost to Atalanta, but they dominated Inter Milan to start the week.

A 3-1 victory gave Novara enough of a boost to jump two spots this week.

The club have a great chance to keep it going this weekend when they take on Catania.

14) Atalanta (16)

Not many clubs could boast two wins this week in Serie A, but the Serie B champions can. Victories over bottom-feeders Lecce and feisty Novara were just what Atalanta needed.

The six points were definitely appreciated by the club's fans. The team will have a tough time of it on Saturday when they face Roma.

13) Parma (12)

Parma were annihilated this week. They lost to Fiorentina 3-0 and then Roma went into the Ennio Tardini and beat the home side.

For a team that had so much promise to start the year, Parma have been pretty disappointing so far. They're really going to have to step up their game.

It will not be an easy task this week. Genoa are on the schedule, meaning it should be a tough clash.

12) Chievo Verona (15)

The Flying Donkeys were one of the stars of the week with wins against both Napoli and Genoa.

Though I had them at 15 last week, I did give them a chance of snatching some points this week and they capitalized.

They have a chance to make it nine points from three games this weekend when they travel to play Cesena. Things are looking up in fair Verona.

11) Genoa (10)

Last week started bright for Genoa, but a loss to Chievo took them down a notch.

So far, Genoa have been playing consistently. They need to keep that up and apply pressure to the big boys.

Parma provides a chance to capitalize this weekend. A win would go a long way for the team.

10) Roma (11)

It wasn't a great week for Roma, but not a so-so performance in their two matches, either.

For a team that did so much to repair its club this summer, it should be much easier to get points against Siena and Parma, but a 1-1 draw with Siena and a narrow win against Parma were not very impressive.

They have a chance to help the goal difference this weekend. Atalanta can be feisty, but a top form Roma would be deadly.

9) Inter Milan (7)

In a week of two managers, Inter had mixed results.

It wasn't a great week for Inter, who still show very few sings of being a competitor this year. A 3-1 win over Bologna was labored for and did nothing to make up for the 3-1 loss to Novara earlier in the week, a match which resulted in the firing of Giam Piero Gasperini and the hiring of Claudio Ranieri.

Inter need to write the ship. Things are not looking good.

The next test for the new boss comes this weekend in one of the marquee games of the round against Napoli. Can the Nerrazzuri finally find their groove? With the great Ranieri at the helm, they should be able to rise up.

8) Cagliari (6)

Cagliari had a tough schedule this week, but they fought hard.

This is a side that has been impressive so far this season, but they fell at the hands of Palermo 3-2 and fought their way to a scoreless draw with Udinese.

This has been my big surprise team this season and I think Cagliari will get back to impressing us. This weekend should certainly be entertaining. Lecce is on the schedule and it could be goals galore for the away side.

7) Lazio (9)

Quality results for Lazio this week.

The Romans went to Cesena early on and walked away with a 2-1 win before going scoreless with Palermo in a draw.

Lazio are going to have to flex their muscles this week if they want to prove they belong among the big boys. The Lazio-Fiorentina should match be a cracker. That's not one to miss.

Serie A is loaded with quality matches this week, but that's one of the big ones.

6) Fiorentina (8)

Fiorentina continue to play well this year.

The Viola completely dominated Parma, and then played to a scoreless draw with Napoli in Naples, not a poor result.

The return of Stevan Jovetic this season has really helped the Viola and it is good to see that the Riccardo Montolivo scandal is not hurting the team on the field.

Another big clash this weekend will certainly test the wits of the Florence club. Lazio lay in wait, and that match should prove quite entertaining. If a winner is to be found in that one, the winner will certainly assert themselves among the top contenders.

5) Juventus (2)

The Top Five are the same this weekend, but they have been rearranged in a different order. There was one loss among the bunch and each of them saw draws.

Juventus' two draws should have been wins, hence the drop from the second spot tot he fifth.

Draws with Bologna and Catania should not have happened to this team. The Old Ladies need to recover.

It will be a difficult match this Sunday, too. Despite Milan's many injuries (which now include Ignazio Abate, the converted right back who was courted by Juventus lately), the Rossoneri will prove to be no easy task.

The 27-time champions went into the San Siro last year and dominated. Can they do the same again this year?

4) Napoli (1)

Two hot teams met when Napoli, coming off their domination of AC Milan, traveled to Verona to play Chievo.

The hosts were victorious, doing enough to drop Napoli from their perch atop the league power rankings.

Napoli had a chance at redemption against Fiorentina, but were kept in line at the San Paolo.

I'm not saying that fans of the Azzurri should panic. Power rankings are not standings and change significantly every week. The top Serie A is so competitive that it is difficult to stay in one spot for long.

Napoli are a favorite for the title, and their strength will be tested on Saturday when they travel to the San Siro for a date with Inter Milan. That should be one of the two games of the week in the league.

3) Udinese (3)

Like Juve, Udinese drew twice this week, though they had the tougher schedule and therefore did not move this week.

A Christian Abbiati goalkeeping blunder helped Udinese earne a share of the spoils against champions Milan this week, which is not a bad result at the San Siro, but the Zebras could have gotten the three points against Cagliari and failed to do so.

It was a week for slip-ups in Serie A, so Udinese get the benefit of the doubt. Two-match weeks are always rough.

They have a great chance to recover this week when they take on Bologna.

2) Milan (4)

Despite their incredible amount of injuries, Milan were able to get four points from their first dual-round week.

Milan were out virtually an entire starting lineup as they have been for the past couple of weeks. Most notably, the club is without the attacking trio of Robinho, Pato, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The club is also missing the likes of Philippe Mexes, Massimo Ambrosini, and Kevin-Prince Boateng.

Had it not been for a rare goalkeeping blunder from Christian Abbiati, it may have well been all six points, but Milan drew Udinese before getting their first win over Cesena.

With everyone coming back bit by bit soon, though Ignazio Abate did just pick up a knock, Milan will be ready for a title run.

Ibrahimovic returns on Sunday in time for the epic clash with Juventus.

1) Palermo (5)

It wasn't a bad week for Palermo, and with Napoli's slip they move into the top spot.

The Rosaneri started off right with a 3-2 win over this year's big surprise Cagliari before drawing Lazio.

The always-pestering men in pink have shown little to make anyone believe that life without new PSG star Javier Pastore will affect the club negatively. Palermo have looked very good so far this year, and could be a contender for the Champions League.

Next up should be a simple three points from Siena, a good confidence booster before the big clash with Milan, whom Palermo always play tough.