And so onto Naples and Como.

The outcome of one of the most dramatic title races in Serie A’s history will be decided on the shores of the Gulf of Naples and Lake Como, with league leaders Napoli hosting Cagliari at the Diego Armando Maradona as they attempt to win a second title in three seasons. Inter Milan head across Lombardy knowing they must better their rivals’ result if they are to defend the Scudetto they won so emphatically last term.

Friday marks the 28th time the title race in Serie A has gone down to the wire and the first time it involves Napoli and Inter. In a good omen for the Partenopei, in the previous 27 occasions one team has arrived at the final day in the lead, they won it 24 times.

Only four times has a team won the league after starting the final game of the season in second place, with Inter pipped to the Scudetto by Juventus in 1967 and 2002 and the Bianconeri sneaking home ahead of AC Milan in 1973, before suffering the same fate themselves in 2000 as Lazio won.

Simone Inzaghi and Antonio Conte, of course, are well versed when it comes to final day-drama, both playing huge roles in 2000 and 2002. Inter manager Inzaghi was on the scoresheet for Lazio in both years, while his Napoli counterpart experienced despair and elation as Juventus captain.

And, of course, a Scudetto play-off could still be on the cards should Napoli lose at home and Inter draw in Como. It would be only the second time and the first since 1964 when Bologna beat the Nerazzurri in a winner-takes-all decider.

Here, Destination Calcio takes a look at the best final days in the history of Serie A.

Verona Proves Fatal – 1973

Verona was the setting for a truly Shakespearean drama on the final day of the 1972-73 season, as Juventus pipped AC Milan and Lazio to the title.

Just a few days removed from winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup after beating Leeds 1-0 in Greece, the Rossoneri travelled to Veneto with a one-point gap over defending champions Juventus and the newly-promoted Biancocelesti.

Milan’s energies, however, were all but sapped after 90 attritional, ill-tempered minutes on a pitch resembling a quagmire due to the heavy rain that had battered Thessaloniki ahead of kick-off.

Aware of the toll the European final had taken on his players, Nereo Rocco pleaded with the FIGC (the Italian FA) to postpone the fixture against Verona by one day, but his request fell on deaf ears.

Rocco’s concerns proved prescient and the Gialloblu raced into a 3-0 lead as Paolo Sirena and Livio Luppi scored either side of a Giuseppe Sabadini own goal.

Roberto Rosato revived Milan’s dwindling hopes and at half-time a three-team play-off seemed to be on the cards, with Juventus trailing Roma 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico and Lazio being held to a draw in Naples.

But Jose Altafini drew Juventus level while Luppi bagged a second and Maurizio Turone’s own goal made it 5-1 to Verona, before Sabadini and Rosato made the scoreline slightly more respectable.

By then, however, Milan’s slender hopes had all but evaporated as Antonello Cuccureddu’s volley three minutes from time sealed a 2-1 win for Juventus and second consecutive Scudetto while Lazio’s title bid ended in a 1-0 defeat at the San Paolo.

Il Diavolo, meanwhile, would have to wait another six years to win a 10th league title and earn the right to have a star on their shirts.

Their implosion has been known as ‘Fatal Verona’ in calcio‘s lexicon ever since.

Torino’s Last Hurrah – 1976

The Derby della Mole may not get the pulses racing outside of Turin these days, but there was a time when it decided the destination of the Scudetto as Torino and Juventus battled it out over the course of two extraordinary seasons.

Chasing a first Scudetto since the Superga air disaster had wiped out their legendary Grande Torino team 27 years earlier, the Granata arrived for the final day of the campaign with a one-point lead over their rivals and the wind of destiny firmly in their sails for once.

With a perfect home record of 14 wins in 14 matches, it seemed straightforward enough for Luigi Radice’s men as they hosted Cesena at the Stadio Comunale, while Juventus headed to Perugia.

Renato Curi put Perugia ahead 10 minutes into the second half, before Torino had lift-off in their match six minutes later, Paolo Pulici notching his 21st goal of the campaign with a superb diving header as the Comunale erupted.

Roberto Mozzini’s own goal drew Cesena level halfway through the second half, but the Granata would not be denied a seventh Scudetto.

Not that Radice was in a celebratory mood at the final whistle, as he was still in the dark about the Juventus result.

Followed on to the pitch at full-time by a journalists and a TV crew, he quickly addressed one of his players: “Jesus, I’m really gutted. You’ve let yourself down a bit, lads.”

Then a journalist, puzzled by his reaction, broke the news to him. “Aren’t you happy? Juventus have lost, you’ve just won the league,” he said, hugging the Torino manager.

Radice’s reply was typically understated. “Have they? Well I’m a bit disappointed. We’ve thrown a 1-0 lead away,” he said without breaking into a smile.

He would smile even less 12 months later, when Juventus pipped the Granata to the title on the final day by a point after winning 2-0 away against Sampdoria as Torino trounced Genoa 5-1 at home.

Liam Brady’s Glorious Farewell – 1982

Liam Brady’s days at Juventus were numbered as the Bianconeri travelled to Catanzaro for the final day of the 1981-82 season, with the Irishman about to become surplus to requirements due to the impending arrivals of Michel Platini and Zbigniew Boniek.

The future, however, could wait a while longer as the title race went down to the wire with Juventus and Fiorentina locked on 44 points each after the Bianconeri were held to a draw by Napoli the previous week and La Viola thrashed Udinese 3-0 to set up a grandstand finish.

But while Juventus faced a Catanzaro side that had already cemented their Serie A status, Fiorentina travelled to Sardinia to face relegation-threatened Cagliari.

The Sardinians held Fiorentina to a draw to secure another season in the top flight, while Brady’s 75th-minute winner in Catanzaro secured Juve’s second consecutive title.

Perugia’s Torrential Rain – 2000

With Lazio nine points behind Juventus and eight matches left, the title race seemed all but over.

A Biancocelesti win in Turin hinted that the tide could turn but Juve remained five points clear with three games to go after Lazio were held to a 3-3 draw against Fiorentina, Gabriel Batistuta rattling in a late free-kick.

But Juventus wobbled again, losing in Verona to allow Lazio to cut the gap to two points heading into the final day of the season.

A campaign of dramatic twist and turns had kept its most astonishing of all for last. While Lazio thrashed Reggina 3-0 at home, torrential rain in Perugia delayed kick-off in the second half by 80 minutes, making for an excruciating wait for all those packed inside the Stadio Olimpico, players and fans alike.

Eventually, despite a waterlogged pitch, referee Pierluigi Collina deemed the fixture could continue, with Juventus needing a draw to seal a first Scudetto in two years.

Already safe, the Grifoni had nothing to play for. Worse still, when Lazio had relied on them for a favour 12 months earlier, they had crumbled at home to AC Milan on the final day as the Rossoneri held off Sven-Goran Eriksson’s team to win the title by a point.

This time, however, Perugia delivered, with defender Alessandro Calori scoring the winner 10 minutes into the second half to hand the trophy to Lazio.

Ronaldo’s Tears – 2002

The Stadio Olimpico was also the stage for final-day drama for the following two years. In 2001, Roma swatted aside Parma 3-1 to maintain their two-point gap over Juventus and replace Lazio on the throne, with the Biancocelesti finishing six points adrift in third place.

Twelve months later, Lazio were no longer contenders as they welcomed league leaders Inter Milan, who entered the final day of the campaign with a one-point lead over Juventus and a two-point margin over Roma.

Juventus made the first move in the sprint for the Scudetto, David Trezeguet heading home Antonio Conte’s cross two minutes into the contest, before turning provider to set up Alessandro Del Piero’s goal nine minutes later.

Sixty seconds elapsed before Christian Vieri swept home the opener at the Olimpico as Inter seemed to take a decisive step towards a first Scudetto in 13 years until Karel Poborsky lashed home an equaliser seven minutes later.

Inter, however, rallied and soon took the lead again through Luigi Di Biagio and they at last looked to be ditching their Pazza Inter – Crazy Inter – moniker. Or so it seemed, until Vratislav Gresko misjudged his header back to Francesco Toldo, allowing Poborsky to nip in behind and level on the stroke of half-time.

With Juventus cruising to victory in Udine, former Nerazzurri midfielder Diego Simeone put Lazio ahead at the Olimpico 10 minutes into the second half.

The Argentine declined to celebrate, but his goal sparked wild scenes in the stands at the Stadio Friuli, which got wilder still after current Inter manager Simone Inzaghi delivered a killer blow with 20 minutes left, just second after Antonio Cassano had put Roma ahead in Turin.

With Inter’s dreams crumbling, Ronaldo was substituted and sat on the bench in floods of tears having played his last game for the Beneamata.

The shot of the Brazilian sobbing uncontrollably with his head in his hands remains one of Serie A’s most iconic pictures, while in Udine it was time for Conte to settle a few scores.

“This is for those who celebrated in Perugia,” he bellowed as Juventus celebrated, a not-so-subtle reference to Inter defender Marco Materazzi, who had helped the Grifoni stop Juventus two years earlier.