Serie A Power Rankings as Clubs Return from Break

Sixteen rounds of competition have passed as Serie A heads into the Christmas break.

The struggle for power and supremacy in Italy has been an incredible fight full of excitement. The battle at the top is among the greatest title races in all of Europe. Three teams separated themselves from the rest in the first four months of the season, but there are many other competitors who are not just quite out of it yet.

The battle for the European spots is also extremely intense. Five teams sit within five points of the second Europa League spot.

With all the intensity that is Serie A, where do the 20 clubs stack up against each other? This is the Christmas break version of the Serie A power rankings.

20. Lecce (20)

Round 16: Lost 4-1 vs. Inter (A)

Luis Murial did well to put the visitors up 20 minutes in at the San Siro, but Inter were too good a side to be held by Lecce.

The lead Lecce found quickly was short lived as they were brought back on terms 15 minutes before halftime and then three Inter goals in the second half sunk the Wolves for good.

Lecce are right on track with their preseason prediction. A team of mostly inexperienced and loaned players sits at the bottom of Serie A with nearly half the matches played. It will take more than a miracle for Lecce to be playing Serie A football for all of 2012.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Juventus (H)

19. Cesena (17)

Round 16: Lost 4-1 vs. Atalanta (A)

Cesena were ripped apart by Atalanta as their struggling season continued.

Antonio Candreva got Cesena off to a quick start with an 11th minute goal, but six minutes later, the hosts picked up two goals in the matter of a minute and it only got worse.

Cesena come back from the break sitting in 19th place in the table as relegation seems to be the destiny of the club, unless they find a way to end their struggles.

A somewhat challenging schedule awaits Cesena out of the holiday break, starting this Sunday.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Udinese (A)

18. Novara (19)

Round 16: Drew 2-2 vs. Palermo (H)

Playing against a tough Palermo team, Novara were able to come from two down in the dying minutes to get a point.

An own goal from Carlo Alberto Ludi 20 minutes in put Palermo up early and Palermo doubled up with 17 minutes to play.

Down and out it seemed, Novara kept their wits about them and pulled back into it with quick goals from Andrea Mazzarani and Marco Rigoni as the hosts were able to salvage a draw.

The promoted club still have work to do if they want to stay in Serie A next season. Sunday's tough test will give Novara a welcomed challenge.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Fiorentina (H)

17. Siena (18)

Round 16: Drew 0-0 vs. Fiorentina (H)

Siena grabbed a point against favored Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi, putting them three points in the safe zone.

Sitting in 16th place, Siena hold the tiebreak over Bologna with a -2 goal difference compared to Bologna's -10.

Like Bologna, Siena are the closest to peril when it comes to the relegation battle for all the teams in the safe zone.

If they want to be safe for another season, the Wolves need to ride the wave of their leading goalscorer and vice-captain Emanuele Calaio, but even Calaio will need some help to save the club.

Round 17: 1/7 vs. Lazio (H)

16. Bologna (16)

Round 16: Lost 2-0 vs. Roma (H)

It isn't surprising that Roma picked up the three points against Bologna, given the way they've been playing.

Despite a great season from Gaston Ramirez, Bologna sit only three points above the drop zone.

Luckily for them, the three teams at the bottom have been dreadful this season and it seems like they will be the three losers at season's end. That said, Bologna will want to get out of that 17th spot as quickly as possible to stop the sweating and nightmares of what awaits them next year if they slip up.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Catania (H)

15. Cagliari (14)

Round 16: Lost 2-0 vs. AC Milan (H)

Cagliari started so hot, but they iced up almost as quickly.

The Round 16 loss to AC Milan makes it now one win in the last 11 matches for Cagliari. The club have fallen on hard times. Massimo Ficcadenti led Cagliari out of the gates hot, but after a five-match winless run was replaced by Davide Bellardini. It seems unlikely that Bellardini hangs around much longer.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Genoa (H)

14. Genoa (13)

Round 16: Lost 6-1 vs, Napoli (A)

Ouch. Enough said.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Cagliari (A)

13. Chievo Verona (15)

Round 16: Drew 0-0 vs. Lazio (A)

A draw against Lazio in the Olimpico is a solid result for Chievo Verona, as they hit the 20 point mark before breaking for the holidays.

Chievo have proven to be a tough side at times this year, but lack the consistency of a top half team.

It doesn't seem like the Flying Donkeys will need to worry about relegation, but they need to step it up and try to claw up the table.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Roma (A)

12. Parma (12)

Round 16: Drew 3-3 vs. Catania (H)

Parma have hovered around this spot in the rankings all season.

Struggling to consistently pull off the big wins has been a theme for Parma. They are always frisky, but never successful.

Despite another great season from Sebastian Giovinco, it looks to be another plain season for Parma, who were expecting so much better this year.

Round 17: 1/7 vs. Inter Milan (A)

11. Fiorentina (11)

Round 16: Drew 0-0 vs. Siena (A)

Fiorentina have been a strange team this season. At one time, they can look really good. At another, they are one of the worst in the league it looks like.

They once again picked up an uninspiring result by playing Siena to a scoreless draw.

The return this season of Stevan Jovetic was supposed to revive Fiorentina, but after looking on the up and up, they have dropped again.

They need to step it up in the second half of the season. Europe may be out of the question, but finishing top eight certainly isn't.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Novara (A)

10. Catania (10)

Round 16: Drew 3-3 vs. Parma (A)

Catania impressively find themselves in eighth place at the break. However, the gap between eighth and 15th is seven points, so one slip up could cost them several spots.

The big question right now for Catania is whether Maxi Lopez stays or goes. Should AC Milan fail to acquire Carlos Tevez from Manchester City, it is more likely than not that Lopez will be wearing red and black by the end of January.

Whether he leaves or not, Catania will have a tough time staying in eighth in Serie A's table and will likely drop down before the end.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Bologna (A)

9. Palermo (9)

Round 16: Drew 2-2 vs. Novara (A)

Another bland performance from Palermo.

Once considered one of the dangerous teams in the league, the Rosanero have gone four straight matches without a win and have only two victories since the start of November.

Adding to their woes, but not affecting their ranking here, is the 4-4 match with Siena in Coppa Italia, which saw Palermo eliminated on penalties.

Palermo were lucky to have the own goal that gave them a 1-0 lead against Novara because without it, they would have lost 2-1 to the 19th place side in Serie A.

Time for Palermo to step it up. Unfortunately for them, they are in ninth place and with the talent in Serie A this season, they can likely only move up one spot.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Napoli (H)

8. Atalanta (8)

Round 16: Won 4-1 vs. Cesena (H)

What a start to the season for Atalanta. This is the success story of the 2011-12 season at the moment.

The Serie B champions in the year following their relegation from the top flight were bumped back up to Serie A for the 2011-12 season. They had to start at -6 points because of a deduction for match fixing.

La Dea fans have to be frustrated by that because those six points would mean Atalanta would currently be in 5th place, ahead of Inter Milan on goal difference.

However, Atalanta have left their mark on the league this year and could provide competition for a while in the top flight.

Of note, Germain Denis is currently the Capocannoniere in Serie A with 12 goals, one ahead of Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

The two top scorers meet up on Sunday for a head to head battle.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. AC Milan (H)

7. Napoli (7)

Round 16: Won 6-1 vs. Genoa (H)

Napoli gave Genoa a whipping at the San Paolo, beating the guests 6-1 in the last match of 2011.

Edinson Cavani (2), Marek Hamsik, Walter Gargano, Goran Pandev and Juan Zuniga all got in on the fun in the match and Zuniga's rocket at the end just defined the entire game.

Napoli have had a decent season, but will have to double their efforts if they want to get into the Champions League again next season. Either they need to step it up in Serie A or they need to make a miracle run in the knockout rounds this year. First objective for the ladder: beat Chelsea. That's a great welcome party for a newcomer to the Champions League's ultimate stage.

With Inter and Lazio in the Europa League spots and Udinese in third, Napoli have a long road ahead, but it isn't an impossible mountain to climb.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Palermo (A)

6. Inter Milan (6)

Round 16: Won 4-1 vs. Lecce (H)

What a turnaround for Inter Milan.

After a start to the season that saw them as part of the relegation battle until December, the blue and black are now fifth in the league and pressing Udinese for the Champions League.

The big question for Inter right now is what the fate of Wesley Sneijder will be. Rumors have him going to Manchester to either United or City.

With or without him, Inter are good enough to keep a European slot and if they do, it will be an incredible success story based on the poor start under Gian Piero Gasperini and the slow recovery under Claudio Ranieri.

Ranieri has righted the ship, however, and has his sights set on European goals. The Scudetto seems a bit out of reach right now, but with Inter in the Last 16 of the Champions League, they believe they have a shot at winning Europe for the second time in three years.

Round 17: 1/7 vs. Parma (H)

5. Lazio (4)

Round 16: Drew 0-0 vs. Chievo Verona (H)

A draw for Lazio at home was not the way the Romans wanted to go into the break.

A win would have put Lazio ahead of Udinese on goal difference and into the final Champions League position.

Two points is not insurmountable with 22 matches to play, but Lazio will need to continue to get the best out of Miroslav Klose, Hernanes and company.

The Eagles have what it takes to get into the Champions League, but they have to prove it in the next five months.

Round 17: 1/7 vs. Siena (A)

4. Roma (5)

Round 16: Won 2-0 vs. Bologna (A)

Roma are not out of the Champions League race yet.

The Giallorossi picked up the win over Bologna to head into the break on 24 points, eight points behind Udinese and two points from the second Europa League spot, currently held by Inter Milan.

What has become evident for Roma, however, is that Pablo Osvaldo needs to get the ball if Roma are going to win. In the four games before Roma's current two-game winning streak, Osvaldo did not score. With a goal in each of the last two, he is now on seven goals. The theme of the season seems to be that Roma are best when he scores.

Can Roma climb into the European slots, particularly the coveted Champions League positions? It will be a difficult test, but well deserved if they do.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Chievo Verona (H)

3. Udinese (3)

Round 16: Drew 0-0 vs. Juventus (H)

Udinese drew with rivals Juventus at the Friuli in the last match before the break, leaving them two points off the pace by the Old Lady and AC Milan.

After starting the season with a disappointing showing in their Champions League Play-off Round fixture with Arsenal, Francesco Guidolin's men have been very impressive. Their 32 points have them sitting third, and they are unbeaten in their last five.

While they may prove unable to keep pace with powerhouses Milan and Juventus, Udinese could very well take that final Champions League spot. Lazio and Inter Milan are currently the closest rivals for that spot, with Napoli and Roma also in the running.

To hold them off, everyone needs to play his part. This second of the season could be a big moment for young stars like Kwadwo Asamoah and Medhi Benatia as they look to prove their hype as two of the hottest young players in the game.

Round 17: 1/8 vs. Cesena (H)

2. Juventus (1)

Round 16: Drew 0-0 vs. Udinese (A)

Juventus drop to second in the rankings, as well as the actual table, following their scoreless draw at the Friuli against title contenders Udinese.

No one could get anything going in this clash of Serie A giants.

It's been an incredible start to the season for a club looking to finally regain its place at the top after years of suffering following the 2006 Calciopoli scandal.

Those days are in the past, and names like Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, Alessandro Matri and Juve legends Alessandro Del Piero and Gianluigi Buffon have fans of the Old Lady thinking Scudetto once again.

1. AC Milan (2)

Round 16: Won 2-0 vs. Cagliari (A)

AC Milan just keep the good times rolling.

Since losing to Juventus on October 2 in Turin, the Serie A champions are unbeaten in their last 12 league matches and have lost only once in their last 16 matches overall, that loss being 3-2 to FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.

Overall, that's incredibly impressive.

It took them a little while to get going, but Milan have hit their rhythm, and with Juventus' draw at Udinese before the break, they currently sit in first place. Both have 34 points, but Milan's +19 goal difference holds the tiebreak.

If Milan can keep up their form, and if Taye Taiwo can mold into the left back he's expected to be, the Rossoneri are looking primed for a title repeat. Juventus will have a lot to say about that, but Milan have what it takes to hold them off.