Champions League: What do the Italian teams need for qualification to the knockout stage?

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The Champions League has 18 simultaneous games today, which would signal the end of the league phase of the competition. All 4 Italian teams still have a chance of going through to the next phases of the competition, but they are of varying levels of difficulty.

Atalanta enters the final matchday as the top-ranked Italian side, though their momentum was halted by a bruising 3-2 home defeat to Athletic Club. To secure a direct path to the knockout stages and avoid the playoffs, they now face a high-stakes trip to Union Saint-Gilloise.

Trailing just behind, Juventus and last season’s runners-up, Inter, are clinging to slim hopes of an automatic top-eight finish. Luciano Spalletti’s Juve must secure a victory in Monaco and pray for a collapse from those above them, while Inter faces a grueling atmosphere in Dortmund against a team still mathematically alive in the race. Regardless of the final outcome, every result remains vital, as climbing even a few spots will secure a much more favorable seeding in the upcoming playoff draw.

The task is a much more difficult one for Antonio Conte’s injury ravaged Napoli. They need to beat Chelsea, who have 13 points, at home, and hope that other results go their way, if they are to go into the play-offs.

Kaulik Mitra | GIFN