Milan, Juventus, Inter and Napoli will all find out their Champions League group stage fates today, hoping this year will finally be a better showing in Europe for Italian sides.
Last season, only the Bianconeri and the Nerazzurri managed to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition, but neither side progressed much further than Milan or Atalanta, and both were duly knocked out in the Round of 16. This left no Italian teams left in the Champions League by the quarter-finals, a painful sight for Serie A fans.
The Italian league is seemingly recovering from the lull of the 2010’s and both Milanese clubs are finally returning to the top again, providing Juventus with some competition for the Scudetto. Napoli have also grown tremendously under Luciano Spalletti, playing an exciting and electric brand of football in their opening two fixtures this season.
All four Italian teams will find out their group stage opponents today, and these match ups could be a clear sign of which sides are likely to progress and which not. For example, last season Milan were drawn against Liverpool, Atletico Madrid and Porto, an incredibly tough group.
Whilst Italian sides have been growing and improving in recent years, it’s still hard to imagine any making a run for the semi-finals, let alone the decisive match, as squad depth and schedule congestion may ultimately prove too troubling for Serie A sides.