In a surprising turn of events, Italy’s representation in the UEFA Champions League has been cut short earlier than expected. Despite boasting three quarter-finalists – two of which made it to the semifinals and Inter Milan all the way to the final – last season, all three of the country’s teams were eliminated in the Round of 16 this year. Napoli were dispatched by Barcelona in a champion vs champion showdown, Lazio had their one-goal lead overturned by Bayern Munich in the Allianz Arena and finally, the heavily favoured Inter Milan were dumped out by Atletico Madrid on penalties.
The early exits of all three teams, as well as AC Milan’s group stage elimination from the group of death, has certainly come as a surprise considering their exploits last term. However, perhaps we shouldn’t be shocked and it instead shows the sorry state of Serie A and Italian football as a whole, considering their standing in the game around the turn of the millennium.
But despite no teams competing in Europe’s elite competition between now and the end of the season, there are still four teams remaining in the continent’s second and third-tier tournaments. What are each of their chances at victory? Let’s find out.
AC Milan – Europa League
AC Milan were given perhaps the toughest task of any Italian team at the start of the European campaign when they were drawn in the Champions League’s group of death alongside Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, and Newcastle United. While victories against the former and latter of those three were impressive, they weren’t enough to secure progression and instead, the Rossoneri have had to drop into the Europa League.
They have now progressed through to the quarterfinals of the competition with victories against French side Rennes and Czech champions Slavia Prague, and they have done so in impressive fashion. Websites providing online sports betting in Canada and other countries have now made Stefano Pioli’s men the third favourites for glory in the competition, pricing them at +600. They are just behind runaway Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen and English Premier League title contenders Liverpool.
Both teams have been in scintillating form this term and are expected to contest the final in Dublin on May 22nd. But Milan will be hoping they can find the form that took them to the Champions League semifinals last season and throw a spanner in the works of the two frontrunners’ aspirations.
Atalanta – Europa League
In recent years, Atalanta have blossomed under Gian Pero Gasperini into one of both Italy and Europe’s finest teams. They qualified for the Champions League in three straight seasons starting in 2019/20 for the first time in the club’s history, even going as far as the quarter-finals in their maiden campaign. Since then, their performances have dipped somewhat, but they are still considered +1200 contenders for the Europa League this term.
The Bergamo outfit were unbeaten in the group stages, finishing with four wins and two draws from their six games. They finished three points clear of Portuguese outfit Sporting and ironically enough, that was the team they met in the round of 16 as well. The Lisbon-based club managed to hold the Italians to a 1-1 draw at home in the first leg before taking the lead in the return fixture in Bergamo. But it was Atalanta that rallied and two second-half goals from Ademola Lookman and Gianluca Scamacca sent them through to the quarterfinals.
Roma – Europa League
Under the guidance of Jose Mourinho, Roma have reached European finals in each of the last two seasons. They lifted the inaugural Europa Conference League back in 2022 with a 1-0 victory against Feyenoord before reaching the Europa League final last season. Unfortunately, some controversial refereeing decisions saw the Giallorossi lose on penalties to tournament specialists Sevilla and barely eight months on from that bitter defeat, the Special One has been relieved of his duties.
In his place comes club legend Daniele De Rossi, and the iconic midfielder has revolutionized his club’s fortunes. The capital city outfit was unbeaten in their last four Serie A fixtures and they are progressing nicely on the continent as well. They eliminated Feyenoord on penalties in the knockout round in a repeat of that 2022 final, before thumping Brighton 4-1 on aggregate to reach the last eight. De Rossi will be aiming to emulate his predecessor by leading the club to a third straight European showpiece.
Fiorentina – Europa Conference League
Fiorentina find themselves as one of the favourites in the Europa Conference League with odds of +350. They reached the final of the competition last year and were unlucky to be beaten by West Ham United, with English attacker Jarred Bowen netting a last-gasp winner in Prague. Their journey in the competition this term has been impressive once again, finishing the group stage unbeaten. They have since knocked off Israeli outfit Maccabi Haifa after a nine-goal thriller, and they will be doing their utmost to make it to back-to-back finals this May.
