Italian Clubs Aim to Extend Serie A Strong Champions League Presence | OneFootball

All four Serie A clubs to have entered the Champions League’s newly formatted league phase progressed from the opening stage. However, only Inter locked down a place in the round of 16, courtesy of an impressive fourth-place finish.

Milan wasted a glorious chance to join their San Siro rivals in the last-16 as Dinamo Zagreb stunned them 2-1 on matchday eight. Meanwhile, Atalanta held Barcelona to a spirited 2-2 draw but had to settle for a gut-wrenching ninth-place finish.

Finally, Juventus have scrapped into the playoff round despite only winning three league-phase fixtures. However, Thiago Motta’s charges have gained momentum after signing Randal Kolo Muani and will continue their European journey in high spirits.

Fans keeping up with Serie A live action will now turn their attention to the playoff round, where three Italian giants will fight to extend the country’s strong presence in the Champions League knockout stage.

Juventus

Allianz Stadium forms the backdrop for Juventus’ first-leg meeting with PSV Eindhoven, a side they thrashed 3-1 on this ground earlier this season. Motta’s men have since lost twice in three home matches in the Champions League and could make it three defeats in a single season for the first time in the club’s history.

The Turin giants’ bid to avoid setting this unwanted feat stems from Kolo Muani’s jaw-dropping start in the Bianconeri colors. The Paris Saint-Germain loanee became the first player to score five goals in his first three Serie A appearances in the three-points-for-a-win era, inspiring Juventus to a first set of consecutive league wins since November.

Milan

Milan will commence their playoff tie against Feyenoord on the road as odds-on favorites to reach the round of 16. Keen to end their hosts’ first knockout appearance at Europe’s top table since 1984/85 at the first hurdle, Milan must inflict the Dutch side’s second home defeat against Italian opposition in 12 matches (W6, D4).

The two sides met during the January transfer window to broker Santiago Gimenez’s switch to Lombardy. The Mexican scored on his Serie A debut to propel Milan to a 2-0 win at Empoli. He may need to upset his former team to help the Rossoneri defy a dreadful run of no wins from their last 11 Champions League knockout outings away from home (D4, L7).

Atalanta

Mateo Retegui put the wind back into Atalanta’s sails with a match-winning quadruple in a 5-1 demolition of Hellas Verona last weekend, setting Gian Piero Gasperini’s side nicely for the upcoming trip to Club Brugge. Fresh off halting a three-game winless run in all competitions, La Dea head to Belgium for only the second time ever.

However, they don’t have fond memories of only previous continental clashes against Belgian clubs, losing both European Cup Winners’ Cup legs against Mechelen in 1987/88. The Bergamo outfit should turn those fortunes around and reach the round of 16 for the first time since 2020/21, given their incredible away form in European football.

Indeed, Atalanta have only lost two of their last 13 Champions League outings on the road (W8, D3), netting at least two goals on 11 occasions!