Artem Dovbyk was in the right place at the right time.

The striker, like he has so often done, scored the winner in Roma’s 1-0 victory against Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico last weekend.

The Ukrainian nodded home Eldor Shomurodov’s header across goal to score for the 12th time this season.

More importantly, for a brief moment it meant Roma had climbed into the top four and the final Champions League spot.

By evening’s end, Juventus had reclaimed the position after a 1-1 draw against Bologna in Emilia-Romagna.

Now firmly at the business end of a long and arduous season, Serie A is one of the few major European leagues with much at stake.

The title race between Napoli and Inter remains the most exciting on the continent, with three points separating Antonio Conte’s men and the reigning Serie A champions.

At the bottom, Monza said goodbye to the top flight after three years in the sun. 

The Lombardy outfit have been underwhelming all season, and their 4-0 home defeat by Atalanta just about personified their year.

Two of Empoli, Venezia and Lecce are also set to go down, with Parma just about out of reach (not mathematically, yet).

But it is the race for the fourth Champions League spot that has the most interested parties.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta are third in the league and firmly on their way to claiming their place at Europe’s top table for a fifth time in seven seasons, five points clear of fourth with three games remaining.

Juventus, Roma, Bologna, Lazio and Fiorentina are all in with a shout of taking fourth. Even AC Milan in ninth are not out of the equation, but they would need something close to a miracle to qualify.

A single point separates Juve in fourth and Bologna in seventh, with Fiorentina four points off the pace in eighth. And none of the five clubs have ‘easy’ finishes to the season.

So, who is likely to nab the final spot?

Juventus

The Old Lady had higher aspirations than fourth at the onset of the season, but finishing there now would save their campaign.

After the 1-1 draw with Bologna last weekend, the Bianconeri face Lazio in the capital where a victory would likely knock Marco Baroni’s side out of the race.

Udinese at home follows the trip to Rome before they round off the campaign with an away day in Venice against Venezia, who could still be fighting for Serie A survival.

Cementing fourth would mean avoiding financial implosion this summer for Juve, and the club would not be forced to sell any of their most valuable players. 

Roma

The fact Roma are even in the race is outrageous.

Claudio Ranieri has rallied the troops since taking charge in November, losing only three times in the league and remaining unbeaten in 2025. They have won three in row and have conceded just two goals in the past two months.

There is no doubt that they are the most in-form side in the league this year.

Roma’s final three games, however, are not straightforward. Atalanta in Bergamo are up next, followed by a home game with Milan and a trip to face Torino. 

The clash with Milan will likely be conditioned by the Rossoneri’s Coppa Italia final against Bologna on May 14 and, with Torino having nothing to play for, the big game for the Lupi will be Atalanta on Monday. 

Considering their momentum, you wouldn’t bet against them.

Bologna

Vincenzo Italiano is more than surpassing expectations this season. Few believed the Rossoblu could challenge for top spots again after having the spine of the team ripped out last summer.

Yet Italiano has gone one better. After a slow start, Bologna are in their first Coppa Italia final since 1974 and are level on points with Juve in their attempt to play Champions League football for the second consecutive season.

Yet the club’s thinking going into the final few matches of the season could be conditioned by managing director Claudio Fenucci, who told Rai Radio that winning the Coppa Italia would mean more than qualifying for the Champions League.

“The answer is obvious: if one had to choose, we would prefer to bring home the Coppa Italia,” said Fenucci.

Coincidentally, one of Bologna’s remaining league games is against Milan, with the clubs playing in Serie A on Friday night in a dress rehearsal for the final next week.

Italiano rounds out the season with a game against his old side Fiorentina in the Derby dell’Appennino in Florence, before a home game with Genoa.

Lazio

Lazio have dropped off spectacularly in the second half of the campaign, a slump characterised by their Europa League quarter-final exit to Bodo Glimt on penalties.

Baroni’s men have lost just three league games in 2025 but have drawn too many in the final weeks, with their light squad looking leggy.

They emerged with a 1-0 win over Empoli in Tuscany and go into the final rounds with the hardest run of the Champions League contenders.

Juve await on matchday 36 at the Stadio Olimpico before a game with Inter on May 18 in San Siro.

They round the season out with an away game against Lecce and, with the Puglia outfit still potentially fighting for Serie A safety, no points will be easy for the Biancocelesti in the run-in.

Fiorentina

La Viola have managed to stay the course and are still in contention but have paid the price for their wobbly form in the winter.

Seven defeats between December and February set Raffaelle Palladino’s side back and they have been playing catch-up since as they attempt to get back into the Champions League for the first time since 2010.

The weekend loss to Roma was a massive blow for Palladino’s men but their fixture list is arguably the easiest of the five.

Venezia, Bologna and Udinese finish Palladino’s first campaign in Florence and will command their full focus after their European adventure ended against Real Betis in the last four of the Europa Conference League.

If they could somehow slink into fourth spot, it would be a major achievement for Palladino.