Italian Teams Struggle as UEFA Champions League Heats Up

ROME, Italy — The 2025-26 UEFA Champions League is reaching a critical juncture, yet Italian teams have faced challenges this season. Currently, Inter Milan stands as the only Italian team in the top eight, boasting three wins from three matches.

Despite their strong start, Inter’s position mirrors their performance during the same stage last season, where they also claimed seven points across three matches. Atalanta‘s journey has been less stable; they sit in 17th place this season with four points, slightly trailing their five points from the previous year.

Juventus, under new coach Thiago Motta, has had a rocky start with only two points from their initial three games. They currently sit in 25th place, a stark contrast to the six points accumulated at the same point last season. Juventus is gearing up for their match against Sporting CP shortly.

Napoli, coached by Antonio Conte, follows closely in 23rd place with three points. They must boost their performance if they wish to reach playoff status.

This season, there are only four Serie A teams vying in the Champions League, down from five last year after a strong campaign by Italian clubs. Despite reaching the final last year, Italian teams could not maintain their fifth-place coefficient, which impacts their standing in European competitions.

In examining the UEFA Country Coefficients: England leads with 8.166, followed by Portugal at 7.600, then Poland at 7.375, Germany at 7.285, Spain at 7.250, Cyprus at 7.250, Denmark at 7.125, and Italy last at 6.857. If Italian sides hope to reclaim a fifth spot for the next season, improvements are essential.

Fiorentina has emerged as one of the few successes, winning both of their Conference League matches, while Bologna and AS Roma have struggled. Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta team must find consistency, having secured only one win and two defeats in their recent matches.

As the week of European soccer unfolds, Italian teams will have critical opportunities to enhance their standings and influence their futures in these competitions.