Champions League 2025/26: Napoli lead Italians, Inter eleventh | OneFootball

The Athletic has published its usual starting grid for the Champions League, ranking the clubs most accredited for the trophy win.

Champions League 2025/26, The Athletic ranks the favorites. Napoli leads the Italians, Inter only eleventh

The surprise? Napoli is the first of the Italians, ranking ninth, ahead of Inter, Juventus and Atalanta, but distant from the European superpowers. At the top, as expected, is Paris Saint-Germain, followed by Barcelona and Real Madrid.

Napoli: Conte's team among the outsiders

The British portal justifies Napoli's placement as follows: "The quarterfinals of 2023 seem like a good starting point. Antonio Conte, fresh from the Scudetto, does not boast a great tradition in Champions but has managed to consolidate the squad and add a top player like Kevin De Bruyne. A turbulent Napoli is expected, and it will not be easy to face them at Maradona."

The Neapolitan club is therefore seen as a possible wildcard: solid, reinforced and with the experience of a winning coach at the national level, but yet to be fully consecrated in Europe.

Inter: from finalist to unknown

The judgment on Inter, just eleventh, is surprising: "Just a few months ago it was in the final, but PSG has shown the distance. The departure of Simone Inzaghi and the arrival of Cristian Chivu represent an important variable: some young additions have arrived, but Inter remains an unknown."

Juventus and Atalanta: projects in transition

Juventus, thirteenth, pays for the difficulty of the last year: qualification in extremis in the league and a disappointing European path. The arrival of Jonathan David and João Mario could improve things, but prospects remain cautious. Atalanta, even eighteenth, is seen as an overrated team: the farewell of Gasperini and the arrival of Ivan Juric do not convince The Athletic, which highlights the recent difficulties of the coach.

The European hierarchy

At the top is the reigning champion PSG, followed by Barcelona and Real Madrid. Completing the top five are Manchester City and Liverpool. Closing the ranking is Kairat Almaty, in its first historic participation.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.