McTominay is Napoli trump card on road to league glory

Conte’s side are favourites ahead of the Serie A’s final games

- RICHARD JOLLY SENIOR FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT

In France, it is 19 points. In Germany, 13. In England, the gap at the top is down to 12, but only because the drama was stripped from the title race when Liverpool won it and proceeded to relax. Meanwhile, Serie A’s status as the most unpredictable of Europe’s major leagues is reinforced by its fantastic, fraught final weekend with the scudetto decided today.

The days when Juventus reeled off seven straight scudetti are long gone. If the crown does not change hands for a fifth successive season now, it will be because of a dramatic turnaround. The reigning champions Inter Milan enter the last night a point behind Napoli, whereas they would have been league leaders but for Pedro Rodriguez’s 90th-minute equaliser for Lazio against them last week.

Napoli drew then, too; if they are held for a third successive time on Friday night, they risk being leapfrogged by Inter. In very different scenarios, with Napoli out of Europe altogether and Inter chasing the Champions League, they have been so evenly matched that they have drawn 1-1 twice with each other this season and both managers, Antonio Conte and Simone Inzaghi, are banned from the touchline after being sent off last week. Now Conte’s Napoli host Cagliari and Inzaghi’s Inter are at home to Como, but with each in the stands.