All four Serie A teams are still alive in the Champions League, but we must go all the way back to 1998 to find the last time all the Italian clubs qualified for the knockout stages.
Inter and Juventus are already through to the second phase of the competition, while Atalanta and Milan are still in with a chance of securing a place in the next round.
Milan secured an emphatic win over Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital on Wednesday and Liverpool’s win over FC Porto made sure there’s hope for Stefano Pioli’s men.
Milan finish off the group with a home game against the Reds from Merseyside and need a win to have a chance, while the result between Porto and Atletico will be decisive for the Rossoneri’s future in Europe.
Atalanta have wasted nine points from leading positions in the competition, the latest arriving at Young Boys in Bern, when it ended in a 3-3 draw.
The Orobici are playing a direct clash for the place in the knockout stages with Villarreal, who won the Europa League last term.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s men have played two times in the Champions League and are aiming for a third consecutive qualification for the next phase.
If all four clubs manage to get through, it would be the first time since 1998-99, but then there were only two teams from Italy in the competition.
Juventus played in the semi-finals and Inter managed to arrive in the quarter-finals of the competition, both beaten by eventual winners Manchester United.
Champions League since the last time all Italian teams qualified for the knockout stages
1998-99:
Juventus: semi-finals
Inter: semi-finals
1999-00:
Lazio: quarter-finals
Fiorentina: second group stage
Milan: first group stage
Parma: preliminaries
2000-01:
Lazio: second group stage
Milan: second group stage
Juventus: first group stage
Inter: preliminaries
2001-02:
Roma: second group stage
Juventus: second group stage
Lazio: first group stage
Parma: preliminaries
2002-03:
Milan: Winners
Juventus: Final
Inter: semi-final
Roma: second group stage
2003-04:
Milan: quarter-finals
Juventus: last 16
Inter: group stage
Lazio: group stage
2004-05:
Milan: Final
Inter: quarter-finals
Juventus: quarter-finals
Roma: group stage
2005-06:
Milan: semi-finals
Inter: quarter-finals
Juventus: quarter-finals
Udinese: group stage
2006-07:
Milan: Winner
Roma: quarter-finals
Inter: last 16
Chievo: preliminaries
2007-08:
Roma: quarter-finals
Milan: last 16
Inter: last 16
Lazio: group stage
2008-09:
Juventus: last 16
Inter: last 16
Roma: last 16
Fiorentina: group stage
2009-10:
Inter: Winners
Fiorentina: last 16
Milan: last 16
Juventus: group stage
2010-11:
Inter: quarter-finals
Roma: last 16
Milan: last 16
Sampdoria: preliminaries
2011-12:
Milan: quarter-finals
Napoli: last 16
Inter: last 16
Udinese: preliminaries
2012-13:
Juventus: quarter-finals
Milan: last 16
Udinese: preliminaries
2013-14:
Milan: last 16
Juventus: group stage
Napoli: group stage
2014-15:
Juventus: Final
Roma: group stage
Napoli: preliminaries
2015-16:
Roma: last 16
Juventus: last 16
Lazio: preliminaries
2016-17:
Juventus: Final
Napoli: last 16
Roma: preliminaries
2017-18:
Roma: semi-finals
Juventus: quarter-finals
Napoli: group stage
2018-19:
Juventus: quarter-finals
Roma: last 16
Inter: group stage
Napoli: group stage
2019-20:
Atalanta: quarter-finals
Napoli: last 16
Juventus: last 16
Inter: group stage
2020-21:
Lazio: last 16
Atalanta: last 16
Juventus: last 16
Inter: group stage
2021-22:
Juventus: qualified
Inter: qualified
Milan: not determined
Atalanta: not determined
Hard to call them Italian these days when sometimes there is not a single Italian in the lineup
Agreed.
Disgusting that they are failing Italian players in their own league. No where besides England does this occur. Every other nation has their leagues for their own players.