You’d have to go back to 2006 for the last time three Italian clubs featured in the Champions League quarter-finals. It was a golden time for Italian football — the Calciopoli scandal was yet to rip apart the fabric of their game, they had numerous teams competing at the business end of European competitions, and the national team were a few months away from winning the World Cup in Berlin.
17 years on, football in Italy has seen plenty of ups and downs in the intervening years. The fall of AC Milan and Inter from Europe’s top table, and the inability of Juventus to compete against the might of other club giants has seen the nation’s once stellar reputation in Europe crumble over the years. Since Inter won the competition in 2010 under Jose Mourinho, no Italian side has got their hands on the famous trophy.
That could change in 2023 though, with Inter, AC Milan and Napoli all lining up for the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League. The two Milan sides have slowly been rising from the ashes in the last few years.
With a Serie A title apiece over the last two seasons, they are now re-establishing themselves in Europe too. Napoli, meanwhile, are arguably Europe’s most in-form team in the 2022-23 campaign, cruising towards Serie A glory whilst making waves in the Champions League too. Those who bet on football are becoming increasingly confident of Napoli’s chances.
The structure of the draw is favouring an Italian charge for glory as well. The heaviest hitters — Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Chelsea — have been contained to one side of the draw, with Benfica joining the three Italian clubs in the other half. Napoli will face AC Milan, while Inter will be confident of ensuring an all-Italian semi-final when they take on Benfica.
The smart money appears to be on Napoli as the Italian side most likely to go all the way and lift the trophy in Istanbul on June 10. Luciano Spaletti’s side are enjoying one of those rare campaigns where everything they touch turns to gold. The form of striker Victor Osimhen and winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia especially has powered Napoli towards the prospect of a Serie A and Champions League, something even their most ardent supporters could hardly have dreamed of at the beginning of the season.
AC Milan, meanwhile, are the defending Serie A champions and seem to be bringing their best form to the Champions League this season. They got past a tricky last-16 opponent in the shape of Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur, and Stefano Pioli’s side will be hoping to take advantage of Napoli’s inexperience on the biggest stage.
Inter will also see the Champions League draw as a chance to flex their European muscles once again. The challenge of Benfica should not be taken lightly though. The Portuguese side looked imperious in their 7-1 aggregate win over Club Brugge, while I Nerazzurri got past Porto with just a solitary goal across the two legs. Indeed, Benfica will be motivated by the idea of upsetting the Italian love-in.
Whatever happens between now and the lifting of the trophy at the Ataturk Stadium in three months’ time, it’s a sign of real progress for Italian football that they have three sides going strong at the business end of the Champions League.
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