Forget Inter Milan, the Race for the Top Four is Much More Exciting

TURIN, MONDAY – Inter Milan has extended their lead at the top of the standings. For the time being, the scudetto competition has become monotonous. The battle is, in fact, more interesting for the contention among the remaining three teams in the top four zone.

Juventus' 3-0 victory over Napoli, the defending champion of the Italian League, on Monday (26/1/2026) early morning WIB, at the Allianz Arena has intensified the competition among teams to secure a ticket to the Champions League for the upcoming season.

Juve has narrowed the point gap with Napoli to just one point. "The Old Lady" has collected 42 points, while Napoli remains with 43 points. Additionally, the scoreless result from Turin has caused Antonio Conte's team to drop to fourth place temporarily.

Napoli's position was overtaken by AS Roma, which added one point after holding AC Milan to a draw at the Olimpico Stadium on Monday WIB. The match ended with a score of 1-1.

Roma leads by goal difference over Napoli. Meanwhile, Milan has failed to maintain the competitive gap with Inter. Currently in second place, "I Rossoneri" are five points behind Inter. On the other hand, Milan is only four points ahead of Roma and Napoli, and five points above Juve.

In addition to those four teams having the opportunity to pursue a top-four ranking, Como, sitting in sixth place, also has a chance. The team owned by the Djarum Group from Indonesia is the sixth team to have reached 40 points in the 2025-2026 edition of the Italian League.

From Napoli's perspective, Conte believes it's too early to talk about the Scudetto race. He said Napoli is determined to maintain their lead at the top.

"It's an absurd question at this point to talk about the title. We're not out of the race yet because there are still 16 games," Conte told Sky Sport Italia.

He added, "We still have several other targets. The Champions League, the Europa League, or the Conference League. We will do our best, maintaining the best attitude possible."

Since the turn of the year, Napoli has only secured two victories from six matches. They have only achieved positive results against Lazio and Sassuolo. "The Little Donkey" was held to draws by Inter, Verona, and Parma.

Juve inflicted Napoli's fifth defeat in Serie A this season. Napoli's loss tally surpasses their record from the 2024-2025 Scudetto campaign. They only suffered four defeats in Conte's first season in charge.

"The match was balanced. However, when they (Juve) scored their second goal, space opened up a little, allowing them to produce a third goal. Nevertheless, my children have given their all. We want to continue fighting with all our abilities," Conte stated.

Having begun to pull away from the Scudetto race, Napoli are also on the brink of a Champions League knockout playoff spot. They are in 25th place out of 36 teams.

Napoli will host Chelsea in the final match of the Champions League group stage on Thursday (29/1/2025) at 03:00 WIB, at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. They must win to avoid an early elimination in the most prestigious club competition in Europe.

Meanwhile, Juve gained a boost of confidence by defeating Napoli. Jonathan David (22’), Kenan Yildiz (77’), and Filip Kostic (86’) were the decisive factors in Juve's revenge against the defending champion when they met last December.

A three-goal advantage is the largest victory record for Juve over Napoli since November 2013. Last season, "The Old Lady" failed to conquer Napoli.

"This is an important victory for the awareness of what we do and the players' ability to perform at a high level. A big match is an opportunity for players to showcase themselves and their identity," said Juve Coach Luciano Spalletti as reported by Tuttosport.

After the Serie A match, Juve's next mission is presented in the Champions League. Visiting the home of AS Monaco, Kenan Yildiz and his teammates are eager to secure a ticket to the knockout stage.

The competition for the top four spots cannot be separated from the draw in Rome, the capital of Italy. The goal by Milan's defender, Koni De Winter, in the 62nd minute was equalized by a penalty execution from Roma's attacking midfielder, Lorenzo Pellegrini, in the 74th minute.

Although they only earned one point, Roma displayed a better performance compared to their first encounter against Milan. The situation was nearly similar at San Siro in early December.

Roma fell behind early, then received a penalty in the middle of the second half. Fortunately, Pellegrini did not repeat Paulo Dybala's failure at San Siro, Milan.

"We played better against the second-ranked team. We left the match feeling stronger," said Roma Coach Gian Piero Gasperini as quoted by Corriere dello Sport.

AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri is grateful for the one point from the Olimpico. The focus on bringing home a draw was reflected in Milan's performance over the 90 minutes.

They maintained a very deep defensive line and allowed Roma to dominate possession. In response, I Rossoneri relied on counterattacks and set-piece situations.

In the match at the Olimpico, Milan only had five shots, resulting in 0.45 expected goals (xG). This figure is far lower than Roma's 2.72 xG from 15 shots.

One point from Roma is inseparable from the brilliant performance of goalkeeper Mike Maignan. The French national team's goalkeeper made six saves.