epa10928762 Real Madrid's head coach Carlo Ancelotti speaks during a press conference after the training session at Valdebebas Sports Complex in Madrid, central Spain, 20 October 2023. Real Madrid will face Sevilla in a LaLiga match on 21 October. EPA-EFE/Sergio Perez

Just three Italians are still in with a chance of lifting the Champions League trophy at the end of the 2023-24 season after Inter, Napoli and Lazio all crashed out of the tournament at the round of 16 stage over the last two evenings.

Inter were beaten on penalties by Atletico Madrid on Thursday night, Napoli lost 4-2 on aggregate to Barcelona, while Lazio were bettered 3-1 over two legs by Bayern Munich.

Milan were eliminated from the Champions League at the end of the group stages, but are still in the pot in the Europa League and will face Slavia Praha in the second leg of their round of 16 tie on Thursday evening.

There are no longer any Italian clubs left in the Champions League, but three individuals from the peninsula could still be victorious come the final at Wembley on June 1.

The three Italians left in the competition are Jorginho at Arsenal, Gianluigi Donnarumma with Paris Saint-Germain and coach Carlo Ancelotti of Real Madrid.

Jorginho started the second leg of Arsenal’s round of 16 second leg against Porto on Tuesday night. Mikel Arteta’s side were taken to penalties after two legs, but won 4-2 in the shoot-out at the Emirates.

Donnarumma has started all eight of PSG’s Champions League matches this season, including both legs of their round of 16 tie with Real Sociedad, winning 4-2 on aggregate.

Ancelotti and Real Madrid are also through to the quarters after a narrowly-contested round of 16 clash against RB Leipzig, which the LaLiga side won 2-1 on aggregate, consisting of a 1-0 home victory and a 1-1 draw in Germany last week.

The draw for the Champions League quarter-final will take place at UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon on Friday March 15 at 11.00 GMT.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *