Last Day Deciders: Part 1 of 3 - Lo Scudetto - Thursday, 15 May 2008

The last day of the season will determine the winners and losers in 3 vital areas: The title will be won on Sunday, by either Inter Milan or Roma, Milan and Fiorentina will battle over the last remaining Champions League spot, and Catania will try to stay out of Serie B at the expense of Parma.In this 3 part series we will look in more depth at these key last day deciders.

Little more than a month ago, there was a 6 point margin between the two sides, and with news that Francesco Totti was out for the season, you would have been laughed out of local Ultràs bar for suggesting the Giallorosso would take the Scudetto. But Inter have had a bout of their famous vertigo again, and allowed nerves to settle in. The defeat at the hands of rivals Milan was a missed opportunity, but not entirely unexpected due to il Diavolo's necessity for the 3 points that day. However, the following 2-2 draw with Siena had become a must-win game.

Blame cannot be placed solely upon Marco Materazzi, who missed a penalty. The nerves, lack of confidence, or even complacency had clearly gotten the better of them. We even saw it before the derby, in the 2-1 win over Cagliari, who missed many chances to score against a shaky defence. What Inter know is that they must win away to a Parma side fighting for their Serie A survival, a Parma side that beat them 3-2 in the corresponding fixture earlier this year.

Roma on the other hand, seem to have relaxed in recent weeks, taking the mentality that the title race is over, so that they concentrate on enjoying their football. In doing so, they have kept the pressure on Inter, scoring freely and getting results. Having seen off Atalanta in week 37 with relative comfort, they now face a Cagliari side with nothing to play for. Roma should get the 3 points, so it all depends on what happens at gthe Stadio Ennio Tardini

Scudetto winners verdict: AS Roma

Tim D