Italian pride clinging to Champions League hopes

MILAN: The battered pride of football mad Italians is now hanging on precarious Champions League ambitions less than a month after the country’s humiliating World Cup exit. The chances of last season’s runnersup Juventus and Serie A rivals Napoli and Roma reaching the knockout stages go down to the wire in this week’s final round of action.

Four-time winners Italy exited the World Cup prematurely for the first time in 60 years leading to a period akin to national mourning. Now the progress of Italian clubs to the knockout rounds of the elite European trophy, which they have held aloft 12 timesInter Milan winning their last title in 2010 — is still uncertain.

Juventus-runners-up twice in the last three seasons — would have expected to qualify when they were drawn in Group D alongside Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon and Olympiakos, but they head to Athens on Tuesday still needing a win to progress.

A draw or even defeat would be sufficient for the six-time defending Serie A champions unless Sporting Lisbon beat Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Napoli no longer control their own fate as they sit third in Group F before Wednesday’s trip to play last-place Feyenoord.

Maurizio Sarri’s side need to win in the Netherlands and hope Manchester City beat Shakhtar to finish second on a superior head-to-head record. Roma-second in Group C-also need to win against Azerbaijan minnows Qarabag to progress along with Chelsea, with Atletico Madrid still in with a chance if they win at Stamford Bridge.

Italian clubs’ problems in the elite European competition in which they will have a fourth spot next season mirrors their national struggles.—AFP