Juventus and Roma may as well give up hope of winning the Serie A title this season after just five matches, according to a study by Tuttosport.
Defending champions Juve have picked up just five points from their first five games of the season. Never in the last 20 years -- since three points have been awarded for a win, and not considering the 2005-06 Calciopoli scandal season -- have a team recovered from such a start to win the Scudetto.
In fact, Juve have even more to be concerned about after making their worst start to a season since 1970. According to the statistics for the past two decades, Juve would have to do something which has never been done before to qualify for the Champions League next season.
The prospects are not much better for Roma, who have picked up three points more than Juve in their first five games, and enjoyed a 2-1 win over the Bianconeri.
They have only a five percent chance of winning the title this season based on just one precedent in the past 20 years -- set by Allegri when he was in charge of AC Milan in 2010-11. They managed to win the title despite picking up just eight points from their first five matches.
The Giallorossi did go close to winning the title in 2009-10 when they had only seven points at this stage, missing out only on the final day of the season to Roberto Mancini's Inter Milan.
Mancini can be confident of winning another Serie A title this season given his side's perfect start to the season, on the other hand. Only Roma in 2013-14 and again last year failed to win the title after starting with five straight wins, while Inter had 11, 11, 10 and 13 points respectively in their previous four Scudetto triumphs, up to 2010.
Roma do at least still have hope of playing in the Champions League next season, and not necessarily by winning it this term. In the past 20 seasons, one of the teams finishing inside the top three has started with eight or fewer points after five games nearly eight times. However, only four times have they managed to finish second.
Inter face second-placed Fiorentina this weekend while Juventus head to Napoli, who have just one point more from their first five matches in what has been an anomalous campaign so far for the sides who have finished in the top three in the past two seasons. Roma will be hoping for three points when they host winless Carpi on Saturday.