Serie A braced for lowest-scoring champions in nearly two decades

Napoli and Inter head into the final round of fixtures with the Scudetto still up for grabs. The Neapolitans hold a narrow edge on 79 points, while Inter, one point behind on 78, will be hoping for a slip-up from the southern outfit to retain their crown.

Their respective opponents – Cagliari for Napoli and Como for Inter – may prove decisive in a title race destined to go down in history, regardless of the outcome. Statistically speaking, this season's champions are on course to be the lowest-scoring Serie A winners since 2006.

Even in the best-case scenario – a Napoli win – the champions will finish on 82 points, the poorest title-winning total since that controversial 2005/06 season. And that year comes with an asterisk.

Inter were eventually awarded the title in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal – also known as Moggigate – despite having finished the season on just 76 points. On the pitch, Juventus had topped the table with 91 points, only to be stripped of the title and relegated due to their involvement in the scandal.

Since then, every Serie A winner has surpassed the 82-point threshold, except two sides who matched it exactly: Inter in 2009/10 and Milan in 2010/11.

From a statistical perspective, even Napoli's potential maximum of 82 points would place them among the lowest-performing champions of the 21st century when judged by average points per game.

With the Serie A expanding from 18 to 20 teams in 2004/05, Napoli's final average (2.16 points per game) would rank as the fourth worst of the century – behind Inter in 2005/06 (2.00), Juventus in 2001/02 (2.09), and Juventus in 2002/03 (2.12).

Lowest points tallies for Serie A champions (20-team era, 21st century):

1. Inter 2005/06: 76 points

2. Inter 2009/10 and Milan 2010/11: 82 points

*Napoli could equal or surpass this figure; Inter, if crowned champions, would automatically register the second-worst total.

Lowest points per game averages for Serie A champions (21st century):

1. Inter 2005/06: 2.00 points/game

2. Juventus 2001/02: 2.09 points/game

3. Juventus 2002/03: 2.12 points/game

*Napoli currently average 2.14; Inter sit on 2.11