🏆 Champions League: Italian sides in trouble, even Inter 😱👎 | OneFootball

The Champions League returns, and for Serie A, these two days could be historic. Never, since the competition was expanded and the group stage was introduced in 1992/93, has Italy brought zero teams to the round of 16. 

Watch the entire Serie BKT live on OneFootball for only €9.99 per month. Click here to purchase the LaB Channel Monthly Pass with no automatic renewal.

The last time was in 1987, when it was still called the European Cup. Today—after the terrible flop in the first-leg matches—the risk is high. Among Inter, Atalanta, and Juventus, in fact, to even hope to reach extra time, 7 goals would be needed (two each for the two Nerazzurri teams, and even three for the Bianconeri). In other words, a feat.

As usual, while waiting for the matches, Opta has provided an idea of how things might go.

🤖 Few chances! And Inter...

Chivu's team heads into tonight's match aware that they've taken a significant step forward in the race for the Scudetto. The 10-point lead in the league could allow Lautaro and his teammates to focus on their European campaign, but first, they need to secure their pass. However, according to Opta, the chances are still slim: even playing at San Siro, Inter has just a 40.2% chance of qualifying.

And the other two? It's tough for Atalanta to overturn the 2-0 defeat in Dortmund. Despite their win against Napoli in the league, the Dea has only a 16.3% chance of making it.

Juventus, finally, is in the worst position. The 5-2 in Istanbul is a massive result to overturn, which is why Opta gives Spalletti's team no more than a 14.6% chance.

Since the controversial defeat in the Derby d'Italia, things have gone downhill for the Bianconeri. In short, it's hard to imagine a remuntada that would be nothing short of sensational.

👀 The other playoffs

As for the matches not involving Italian teams, according to Opta, Atletico (74.8%) and Real (80.9%) will go through against Club Brugge and Benfica, respectively.

The qualification percentages are even more lopsided for PSG (92.2%), Newcastle (99.8%), and Bayer Leverkusen (93.1%), thanks to their away wins in the first leg against Monaco (2-3), Qarabag (1-6), and Olympiacos (0-2).

But as we know, football is not an exact science, so we expect surprises. Hopefully, they will involve our three teams. Just weeks away from another playoff, which could see the National Team play in its first World Cup since 2014, our big clubs need to send a strong signal.

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

📸 BURAK BASTURK