Expect the unexpected. It may sound like a cheap cliche but it perfectly sums up the Serie A title race, which has swung one way, then the other and back again.

A six-point swing over the past two rounds of fixtures handed the initiative to Napoli and they are three points clear with four games left, or “four steps” as manager Antonio Conte put it following the win over Torino.

Three defeats on the bounce in all competitions ruined Inter’s dreams of another Treble and they are contemplating the prospect of finishing a season, that had promised so much, empty handed.

Fatigue, mentally as much as physically, has set in for Simone Inzaghi’s men who have already played 16 fixtures more than Napoli this season and still have their finely poised Champions League semi-final against Barcelona to contend with.

Napoli’s entire focus, meanwhile, will be on their next four Serie A fixtures.

Here, Destination Calcio takes a look at the run-in for the Scudetto.

Napoli

The Partenopei’s remaining fixtures are equally split between home and away, with the tantalising prospect celebrating the Scudetto in front of their own fans at the Maradona on the final day of the season against Cagliari. Crucially, they have already beaten all of their remaining opponents.

But before popping any champagne corks, the path to a second title in three seasons goes through Lecce and Parma, Napoli’s two remaining away fixtures of the campaign.

Conte takes his team to his home town on Sunday to face Lecce in what is arguably the trickiest of the Azzurri‘s four remaining games, with the Salentini still in the midst of a relegation battle after an 11-game winless run.

Sitting 17th, Lecce widened the gap to 18th-placed Venezia to two points on Sunday, courtesy of a draw against Atalanta and the Lagunari’s defeat by AC Milan, but the home side desperately need a win to put daylight between them and the drop zone.

The good news for Napoli is that Lecce’s home form is dismal, with the most recent of their three wins at Via del Mare dating back to December 15. They have lost six of their last nine home games, by an aggregate score of 13-3.

Genoa, Napoli’s next opponent, have no relegation concerns as they have mathematically ensured Serie A status for another season. Four points adrift of 10th-placed Torino, the Rossoblu’s hopes of a top-half finish have been dented by consecutive defeats by Lazio and Como.

Without a goal in their past three fixtures, Genoa have scored just 29 this season – only the bottom four teams have claimed fewer – and have beaten Napoli just twice in their last 28 meetings in calcio’s top tier.

Like Genoa, Parma could be safe by the time Napoli travel to Emilia for the final away game of the season on May 18. The Ducali all-but secured survival courtesy of a win over Juventus and a draw against Lazio, which left them seven points clear of Venezia with four games left to play.

The same applies to Cagliari, who visit the Maradona on the final day of the campaign and are eight points clear of the relegation zone following a precious 2-0 win over Verona on Monday night.

Since losing at home to Lazio in December, Napoli have won seven of nine fixtures at the Maradona, with only Udinese and Inter leaving Naples with a point over the past five months.

Should the title go down to the wire, the Partenopei will back themselves to get the job done on home turf.

Inter Milan

Like Napoli, Inter’s remaining fixtures are equally split between home and away and, like Napoli, they have also beaten all their remaining opponents this season.

That’s where the similarities end, as Inter face a trickier run-in than their rivals, even before considering their recent wobble and the fact they are still competing on two fronts.

The reigning champions host Verona on Saturday night, three days before the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Barcelona, and on paper at least they could hardly have asked for an easier fixture.

Despite two consecutive defeats, the Scaligeri remain seven points clear of the relegation zone and have not won against Inter in the past 28 attempts, losing 23 times in the process.

Next up after the return leg against Barcelona is a trip to face Torino, who have long cemented top-flight status for another season and have nothing left to play for, bar a top-10 finish. The Granata remain consistently inconsistent, with two draws, two wins and two defeats in their last six games and have a dismal record against Inter, who have won 10 of their last 11 meetings and drawn the other.

But while Torino’s recent form and their record against the Beneamata should be reason for optimism for Inzaghi, it feels as though this fixture will hinge on the outcome of Inter’s Champions League semi-final second leg following a 3-3 draw in the first leg in Barcelona. Progress and Inter could arrive in Turin with renewed impetus to chase down Napoli, but finding the mental energy to mount a late rally could prove nigh-on impossible should their Champions League quest end against the Catalans.

Lazio are the visitors for Inter’s final home game of the season in what could well be a decisive weekend in the race for the Scudetto. The Biancocelesti have slipped out of the top four after three draws in their last five outings, but remain two points adrift of Juventus in the race for the coveted last Champions League berth.

When Inter trounced Lazio 6-0 at the Olimpico in December they seemed unstoppable, now the same opponents could derail their title bid.

Inter’s campaign ends on the shores of Lake Como, an idyllic scenery that may still provide the backdrop for a 21st Scudetto even if, on current form, the Lariani are the last team the Nerazzurri would want to face.

Como have cemented Serie A status at the first time of asking and could still finish in the top half following a run of four consecutive wins – their best streak in the top flight in over seven decades. They are playing some lovely football under Cesc Fabregas.

But history shows Inter are no strangers to winning the title away from home. In 2008 they clinched the Scudetto on the final day following a 2-0 win in Parma and repeated the feat two years later, when they won 1-0 in Siena to pip Roma to the post for the second time.