Playoff for salvation: all the possible scenarios in the final sprint of Serie A

With just one matchday remaining in the Serie A championship, attention is focused not only on the fight for Europe, but also on the tangled race to avoid relegation.

Salvation: the possible scenarios

If Monza has already been relegated for a few rounds, there are still two teams to be condemned to Serie B. At risk are Venezia, Empoli, Lecce, Parma and Verona, and in some cases the scenario could end in a play-off for salvation.

Let's see all the details in detail combinations which could generate a playoff, analyzing the various possibilities of arriving on equal points, in particular with 3 or 4 teams involved in the tie-break.

Let's start from the certainty of the standings on matchday 37: Verona – 34, Parma – 33, Lecce – 31, Empoli – 31, Venezia – 29, Monza – relegated.

Playoff, 32 points hypothesis

Possible play-off for salvation at 32 points (3 teams involved). Scenario: Lecce and Empoli draw. Venezia beats its opponent. Final standings: Lecce – 32, Venezia – 32, Empoli – 32. In this scenario, a three-way standings is formed that would condemn Empoli to relegation by goal difference (with a minimum gap of one goal). Venezia and Lecce would play for permanence in Serie A in a play-off to avoid relegation.

Playoff, hypothesis 34 points with 4 teams

Playoff for salvation at 34 points with 4 teams involved. Scenario: Lecce beats Lazio, Empoli beats Verona, Parma draws with Atalanta. Final standings: Lecce – 34, Empoli – 34, Verona – 34, Parma – 34, Venezia – 29 (still relegated). A separate standings would be formed with four teams at 34 points. In this case, Lecce and Empoli would be saved directly, while Verona and Parma – the two with the worst performance in direct clashes – would play for salvation in the play-off.

Playoff at 34 with 3 teams

Playoff for salvation at 34 with 3 teams involved. Scenario: Lecce beats Lazio, Empoli beats Verona, Parma wins in Bergamo against Atalanta. Final standings: Parma – 36, Lecce – 34, Empoli – 34, Verona – 34, Venezia – 29 (still relegated). In this scenario, Parma would be safe thanks to 36 points. Lecce, despite stopping at 34, has a better score in direct clashes and is saved. Empoli and Verona, on the other hand, tied at 34, would end up facing each other in the playoff for salvation.