Serie A’s UCL Representation: Old Glory vs. New Hope | OneFootball

The 2025-26 Champions League season  is starting in less than a week’s time, and the excitement among the fans of the game is growing with each passing day. It’s been a while since a Serie A team has managed to win the much-coveted trophy, with Inter being the last Italian winner and the last team to reach the final.

They’ve done it twice in the last couple of years and lost both times to Manchester City and PSG. Over the last decade, Juventus has also made two trips to the Champions League final, losing both times to Real Madrid and Barcelona, respectively.

It took Jose Mourinho dark arts to bring trophy to Italy, as the last team to do it was the famous treble winners Inter way back in 2010-11 season, when the team was led by the likes of Dejan Stankovic, Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito, Wesley Sneijder, Goran Pandev, Maicon, and the current Inter head coach Cristian Chivu, among many other. Serie A teams have a lot of pride, and the game of football is highly revered in Italy. They will enter the competition eager to win it. Yet, the question remains, can they do it? Let’s explore the possibilities.

TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 13: Hakan Calhanoglu of Internazionale celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Serie A match between Juventus FC and FC Internazionale at on September 13, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Inter

Let’s start with Inter. It is no secret that Inter is the best team in Italy at the moment. They’ve been for a while now. The failure of not winning Serie A more than two times in the last five years was masked by two trips to the CL finals. This year, while no longer led by Simone Inzaghi, the focus will be first and foremost on the league, and the Champions League will be in the shadow of the domestic competition. It is a lot of pressure to put on Chivu, but the Romanian head coach has spent years at the top of the European game, and he knows how to deal with pressure.

While winning the league remains the imperative for the Nerazzurri, they have an experienced and high-quality squad that can fight on both fronts. The Champions League is an important competition for the Milan team, and they’ve shown that they have a squad built for cup competitions. During the summer, the team was reinforced, but without too many big signings. There were no splashes in the transfer market, as the team continued to rely on their players who were on the team in the last few years. Inter brought in Andy Diouf from Lens, Petar Sucic from Dinamo Zagreb, Yoan Ange Bonny from Parma, and Luis Henrique from Marseille.

Based on these names and the amount of money spent, it is evident that all eyes will once again be on Lautaro Martinez, Marcus Thuram, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Denzel Dumfries, Federico Dimarco, and Alessandro Bastoni. Many fans are worried, as the first eleven are strong on paper, but this team lacks depth, and the CL success fans are accustomed to may not be attainable this season. Some even doubt the team’s ability to battle it out with their rivals on two fronts.

There might be some truth to it, as the Inter summer spending can’t be compared to transfer budgets of Arsenal, Liverpool, or even Newcastle, who have spent their entire budget on individual targets such as Hugo Ekitike, Nick Woltemade, or Viktor Gyokeres. Despite the monetary and roster limitations Inter has faced this off-season, we see them as the Italian team that can go the farthest in the CL this year, with a quarter-final appearance being the bare minimum. After all, they’ve surprised many in the last few years, and are not a team to be underestimated. Their odds of winning the competition are set at 26.00, making them dark horses in this year’s race. If you think Inter is without chances and that there are better teams, check these UEFA Champions League expert picks and predictions before cementing your opinion.

TURIN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 13: Igor Tudor, Head Coach of Juventus, celebrates with Kenan Yildiz after the team’s victory in the Serie A match between Juventus FC and FC Internazionale at Allianz Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Turin, Italy. (Photo by Valerio Pennicino/Getty Images)

Juventus

The Old Lady of Turin is better known as a domestic powerhouse than for its success on the European stage. When it comes to European competitions, Juventus appears to many as a cursed team. They’ve lost so many finals that it is hard to count. During each of the last three decades, they’ve played a final. Since 1990, they’ve won only one Champions League, losing five finals in the process. There’s still time for Juve to turn around its fortunes, but we wouldn’t put too much money on it happening this season if you plan to bet on the UEFA Champions League.

Juventus’ glory days are behind them, and since the turn of the decade, the team has been going through a slump, after dominating Serie A for the better part of the 2010s. At the moment, Igor Tudor is in charge of leading the team through a soft rebuild, hoping for a better tomorrow. If we know one thing about the Old Lady, it is that if the season doesn’t start with a bang in the CL, they will shift their entire focus to Serie A, looking to win another title as they’ve been on a drought since the 2019-20 season. If not careful, Juve could face a decade of failure after a decade of winning.

Their team, at least at the moment, is not built to parry Europe’s best. Juve is far removed from the days when they were breaking the bank each offseason on transfers of Gonzalo Higuain or Cristiano Ronaldo. Seen as one of the top five teams in Europe during the 2010s, Juve of today doesn’t have the same prestige, nor do they command the presence of a European top team. Of course, they are pesky Italians, and making a wonder run late in the season is not off the cards entirely.

They need to remain healthy and to have their new signings gel with the rest of the team. On paper, the likes of Jonathan David and Lois Openda could be a fantastic forward pairing. Also, Dusan Vlahovic showed that he’s top quality in the two opening rounds of the Serie A despite having a contract dispute with the club. Much is expected from Teun Koopmeiners, who had a bad first season in Turin. Of course, all eyes will be on Kenan Yildiz, who at times reminds Juve fans of the club’s legend, Alessandro Del Piero. Also, there is the small matter of their defensive leader and a player who missed the better part of the last season, Bremer. If the Brazilian ace continues to play as he knows, Juve might have an outside chance of going far in the CL. Yet, if you take a look at their odds of winning the competition, set at 41.00, you’d think they stand no chance.

FLORENCE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 13: Antonio Conte manager of SSC Napoli celebrates after scoring a goal with Rasmus Hojlund of SSC Napoli during the Serie A match between ACF Fiorentina and SSC Napoli at Artemio Franchi on September 13, 2025 in Florence, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Napoli

The reigning Serie A champions have the least European pedigree of all Italian teams entering the competition this season. What they do have is the best manager in the league, and one of the best in Europe, in Antonio Conte. Yes, the Italian football expert has failed to leave his mark in European competitions, but all of that could change this season. Known for his hot temper and ability to create winning teams where there’s no place for having one, Conte could make Napoli a team to be respected on the European scene, too.

In an unexpected turn of events, Antonio Conte and Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis have found common ground, and it is the bright future of Naples. Conte is known for leaving when things aren’t going his way, but nowadays it appears that he has either changed or believes ADL has done enough for Napoli to make strides in all competitions they enter at the start of the year. With the current state of Serie A, and the start Napoli had to the season, the title is theirs to lose.

Napoli is playing an amazing, attacking, fluid, but defensively solid type of football. That is the recipe for success in the Champions League. Their odds at Stake.com are set at 26.00, meaning that both the bookies and their adversaries are going to underestimate Mr Conte and his team. Yet, we believe that the Italian southerners shouldn’t be taken lightly. Their defence, with Alessandro Buongiorno and Giovanni Di Lorenzo, is not to be underestimated. But the true strength of this team lies in midfield, where they now have two Premier League cast-offs in Kevin de Bruyne and Scott McTominay. When healthy, these boys will feed Lukaku, Neres, Lang, Lucca, and Højlund.

Of course, the focus for Napoli will be on establishing domestic dominance, if possible. Unlike Inter, Juventus, and Milan, their number of Serie A titles is limited, and those won were few and far between. Yet, if they hit a good run of form, at the right time, this Napoli team can beat anyone, especially at home. Don’t hold water for them to dominate all the way to the final, but know that they are playing Europe come springtime. That much we guarantee.

BERGAMO, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 14: Charles De Ketelaere of Atalanta BC competes for the ball with Riccardo Sottil of US Lecce during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and US Lecce at Gewiss Stadium on September 14, 2025 in Bergamo, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)

Atalanta

The team from Bergamo just won the club’s first European title two seasons ago. It was a reward for all the work the club’s top brass and Gian Piero Gasperini have invested during the last decade or so. They’ve been dominating Europe with talent scouting and high-priced sales that kept the team afloat, always competing for a top 4 Serie A finish, Coppa Italia, and reaching spring competition in both the Europa League and the Champions League, eventually winning the former. Now, for many onlookers, the fairytale has come to an end. Gasperini has left the team and joined Roma.

For anyone following Atalanta during the last decade, it was evident that Gasperini was the man in charge of making his Atalanta teams work. There are many examples of players being sold who only played world-class football under this tutelage. Now that he is gone, it is hard to envision the team remaining competitive as it was in years past. Even during the best Gasperini years, the team was never a serious title contender. The goal in |Europe was always to go as far as possible and make life difficult for rivals.

While seeing Gasperini leaving was shocking enough, Atalanta made an even bigger surprise when they hired Ivan Juric as their next head coach. The idea is clear, as both Gasperini and the Croatian manager play similar formations, so it is believed that he can replicate the same success with the tools at his disposal in Bergamo. The only matter no one can understand is that, besides the tactics, Juric hasn’t really proven himself outside of Serie A mid-table teams. He is also coming to town after abysmal runs with Roma and Southampton. This is his chance to shine on the big stage, and if he fails, it is hard to believe he will be getting a new opportunity at one of the Italian top teams anytime soon.

Juric has little experience on the European stage, and he will be hoping that the quality of his team can take him far. The bookies do not see this happening, as Atalanta’s odds at winning the CL are set at 51.00, right behind Juventus’ 41.00. Of course, the quality in the team is still there, as Atalanta refused to sell any of the team leaders, to leave as little space for Juric to fail. The likes of Sulemana, De Ketelaere, Maldini, Krstovic, and Scamacca are among the best forward rotations in the league, able to play well on the European nights. Lookman, Zappacosta, Zalewski, de Roon, Ederson, Pasalic, Samardzic, and Musah can all contribute from midfield and from the wings. At the back, Atalanta have enough quality in Kolasinac, Bakker, Bellanova, Hien, Kossounou, Scalvini, and Djimsiti.

When you look at Atalanta’s roster, they have better rotation than Inter, Napoli, and Juventus. The depth is there, and all that it takes is for Juric to be the best version of himself, or at least Gasperini’s worst.

It’s been a while since Italian teams have dominated European football, and to be honest, due to the financial dominance of English and Spanish clubs, it is hard to see them taking the reins anytime soon. Yet, as Inter has shown, it is possible to make runs and compete for the Champions League trophy. Whether Juve, Napoli, and Atalanta can do the same, we will see come the season’s end.