Italy Juventus' 10-point deduction in Serie A means Lazio and Napoli are certain to qualify for the Champions League, leaving five other clubs to compete for the remaining two tickets.
Juventus fans wave the club flag at the Allianz Stadium. Photo: AFP
With the ruling of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) Court of Appeal on May 22, Juventus fell from second to seventh in Serie A, and is at risk of missing out on the European Cup next season.
Lazio, on the other hand, benefited by moving up to second with 68 points, seven points ahead of fifth-placed Atalanta with two games remaining. As a result, Maurizio Sarri's team is certain to finish in the top four and join champions Napoli in next season's Champions League.
The remaining two positions in the top four and the two remaining tickets to the Champions League will be a competition between five clubs. After the same 36 matches, Juventus is seventh with 59 points, behind Roma (60 points), Atalanta (61), Milan (64) and Inter (66).
Inter only need to draw with Atalanta at Giuseppe Meazza on May 27 to soon secure a ticket to the Champions League. At that time, the gap between Inter and Atalanta is still five points, in the context of only one round left in Serie A.
If they lose to Atalanta by a goal, Inter only need to draw with Torino in the final round to secure a top-four finish. Coach Simone Inzaghi's team has a superior goal difference compared to Atalanta (+27 compared to +16).
Inter can only miss out on the top four if they lose their last two games. But even then, they can still qualify for next season's Champions League if they beat Man City in the final in Istanbul, Türkiye on June 10.
After being deducted 10 points, Juventus dropped out of the top 6 and faces the risk of not participating in the European Cups next season. Photo: screenshot
The match between Milan and Juventus on May 28 is also important for the race for the top 4. If Milan wins against Juventus, they will definitely qualify for the Champions League and if Inter also scores against Atalanta, Juventus will lose all hope. Therefore, Juventus must defeat Milan to wait for the fate to be decided in the final round.
Meanwhile, Roma are not highly rated when they visit Fiorentina on May 27 and host Spezia on June 4. However, Jose Mourinho and his team can win tickets to the Champions League through the Europa League - where they will face Sevilla in the final in Budapest, Hungary on May 31.
In Serie A, the top four teams go straight into the Champions League group stage, the fifth-placed team enters the Europa League group stage, and the sixth-placed team has to play in the Europa Conference League play-off round.
Hong Duy
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