Permutations and combinations for Italian clubs’ qualification to the Champions League RO16

Italian teams currently have some work to do to make sure that all the sides from the country qualify for the Round of 16 of the Champions League.

Lazio’s win over Celtic made sure that they qualified for the next round of the competition and Inter had sealed their qualification in the previous gameweek, with the dramatic 3-3 draw against Benfica yesterday only proving to be a very minor issue for the Nerazzurri.

But as things stand, Napoli and Milan have some work to do to ensure qualification into the Round of 16. Napoli lost 3-2 to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu yesterday and have a game against Braga left, with the Partenopei finding themselves second in the group and they are three points ahead of third-placed Braga. Against the Portuguese side, Napoli need to avoid losing by a margin of two or more goals and ensuring that will make sure that they go through.

Things are much more complicated for Milan, who lost 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund at home and their last game sees them take on Newcastle United. The Rossoneri have five points in the bag and are at the last spot in the table, tied on points with the Magpies. They now have to definitely beat Eddie Howe’s side and hope that Dortmund beat Paris Saint-Germain, who are on seven points. This will make sure that Milan finish second in their group with eight points.

It is a complex situation for Milan but Napoli seem destined to go through, unless there is a major debacle.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN