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Serie A will receive an extra Champions League spot next season, following Fiorentina’s advancement to the Conference League semi-finals.
Despite being sent off, La Viola were unable to defeat Viktoria Plzen in normal time, but two goals in extra time ensured their second consecutive Conference League semi-final appearance, with Vincenzo Italiano now in his penultimate season at the club.
However, La Viola’s victory ensures Italy’s five Champions League positions next season, implying that Roma, now in fifth place, will also qualify.
The Giallorossi also defeated Milan in the Europa League quarter-finals, although the outcome has no influence on the co-efficients.
Atalanta lost 1-0 against Liverpool in the second leg of the Europa League quarterfinals. However, they went to the semi-finals with a 3-1 result.
Serie A receives the fifth Champions League slot
Juventus has just received a significant boost in their efforts to qualify for the Champions League next year.
The new Champions League framework includes two additional berths depending on UEFA country coefficient. Serie A has been jockeying for position in the top two with the EPL and Bundesliga all year, thanks to deep runs in all three European competitions last year (including Juventus’ run to the Europa League semi-finals), and on Thursday, the results of the Europa League and Conference League quarterfinals—Roma and Atalanta advancing in the former, Fiorentina in the latter—mathematically clinched one of the extra berths.”
Juventus has only dropped two league games since January 21st, following a ten-week descent. They no longer have to worry about finishing in the top four.
Juve led fifth-place Roma by eight points before Thursday, whose form has been diametrically opposed to Juve’s since Jose Mourinho was replaced by Daniele De Rossi. Following Thursday’s results, Roma is now in fifth place in the Champions League, and the team to watch is Atalanta, who are 12 points behind Juve in sixth.
That additional slot provides a significant margin for error, as three of Juve’s last six games are against other top-five teams, including a match versus Roma.
Given how important Champions League qualification is for the club’s finances, this is some of the best news we’ve heard in weeks. Of course, in the last three months, this team has shown that if given a rope, they can hang themselves.
Having a 12-point lead instead of eight is a significant advantage when crossing the finish line, and if managed well, it can protect the club’s short-term future.
We may owe our Italian brethren some gratitude for this one.
