Three of Italy’s European magnificent seven return to action this week. Giancarlo Rinaldi assesses the prospects of success for the two capital clubs and the Rossoneri.
It hardly feels like we have had time to digest the last of the festive panettone before continental competition has returned to the table. Serie A enjoyed a string of good results prior to the Christmas break but we are now at the real business end of proceedings. First into the fray will be Lazio, Roma and Milan – but what chances have they got of going any further?
The toughest task, by some distance, lies with the Eagles who will have to reach new heights in their clash with Bayern Munich. However, there are some crumbs of consolation for Maurizio Sarri’s side if they choose to seek them. Their form in recent weeks has definitely taken an upturn after a poor start to the campaign and that gives them a little more encouragement than they might otherwise have had. They warmed up with a comfortable enough victory over Cagliari at the weekend – the cherry on the cake being Ciro Immobile’s 200th Serie A goal, joining a very exclusive club.
Their star striker, of course, spent a pretty unproductive spell in the Bundesliga himself with Borussia Dortmund, so he will know exactly the scale of the task facing the Biancocelesti against the German giants. Thomas Tuchel’s side are a colossus of the European game but they are not enjoying things their own way on the domestic front this season. Trailing Bayer Leverkusen, they lost to their main title rivals in pretty resounding fashion on Saturday. It was a rare show of frailty which the Romans will hope to pounce upon.
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They are a free-scoring side with Harry Kane leading the line and Leroy Sané providing assists galore. A familiar face to Serie A fans – Kim Min-jae – has already settled in pretty well in the defence of their preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. It will likely need more heroics from Ivan Provedel in goal to give the Laziali a chance. The last time these two met in the same competition three years ago, it ended in a heavy aggregate defeat. If they can still be in with a chance after they meet in the Stadio Olimpico that would be a major achievement.
Their city rivals face another side currently sitting second in their league. Feyenoord are a long way behind PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie but are on an undefeated run in competitive games that stretches back to their clash with Celtic last December. Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez is their biggest danger by far – although his form has cooled significantly in 2024 – but watch out for the creativity of Calvin Stengs as well. Fans of Calcio will also recall David Hancko who has become a stalwart of the Dutch side’s defence after a very brief sojourn in Italy with Fiorentina.
Roma, of course, have undergone a seismic shift on the bench with Daniele De Rossi taking over from José Mourinho who took the club to two European finals in a row. The new coach’s winning start came to a halt on a soggy night against Inter but he already appears committed to a more expansive approach. There is no doubt the Portuguese boss was a master in winning by any means possible but his replacement looks like he wants to show a bit more attacking intent. The Giallorossi saw off the same opponents in the same competition last year in a pretty epic clash so fans will be keen to see what progress, if any, has been made. Expect a few bitten nails at the De Kuip on Thursday.
Last, and least enthusiastic probably, are Milan who have dropped down into the Europa League alongside Roma. In truth, however, this competition looks a more manageable prospect for Stefano Pioli’s men than the Champions League ever was. Their Serie A form has been solid this calendar year and they keep defying the critics who believe their coach’s days are numbered.
Their opponents, Rennes, sit in a lowly seventh place in Ligue 1 but that disguises a significant upturn in their form of late. Their last league defeat was early in December and they saw off Le Havre on the road at the weekend. However, the likely loss of the talented Enzo Le Fée with a hamstring injury was a major blow during their recent cup thrashing of Sochaux. It will leave boss Julien Stephan with a few puzzles to resolve.
For the Rossoneri, after a win against Napoli, it will surely be a question of motivation. If they put their best team out and combine that with the right attitude, they should have too much quality for their French visitors at the San Siro. However, any failure to take the game seriously might well leave them with another European regret to add to those they already have this season.
Giancarlo Rinaldi is the author of a number of books on Italian football. You can follow him on X @ginkers