Fifth team in Champions League: Italy closer to Spain
The two-day Champions League helps Italian soccer, but still not enough. Inter’s draw at San Siro against Bayern Munich is not only worth the semifinal reached by the Nerazzurri, but also a leap forward in the Uefa ranking. The very one that allowed five teams to participate in the competition this year (in addition to Simone Inzaghi’s team, there were also Atalanta, Bologna, Juventus and Milan).
The results of this season already make the first bonus, which will go to England, safe. For second place, however, Spain and Italy remain in contention, with the ranking gap narrowing as a result of Inter Milan’s passage through the round and Real Madrid’s defeat with elimination. On Tuesday, Barcelona had also lost, despite passing the round.
In other words: Italy is getting closer to Spain, but still cannot say it can challenge it. So important will be Thursday’s results, with Lazio and Fiorentina likely to pick up important points in the Europa League and Conference League. The same competitions that, a year ago, contributed overwhelmingly to Italy’s exploits thanks to the rides of Atalanta and the Viola themselves.
Uefa 2024-2025 ranking after Champions League quarterfinals:
1. England 25,892
2. Spain 22,607
3. Italy 20,750
