Champions League

With the quality of Champions League opposition about to take a drastic hike, what can we already expect from the surviving Serie A clubs’ respective knockout fixtures?

Juventus favourites despite slim margins
In reality, the presence of Juventus in the knockouts was always a given, and they had secured Group D’s top spot even before their final group stage matchday. Cementing that berth via a close-fought 1-0 win over Atlético Madrid showed the full extent of Juventus’ tenacity. It also followed a theme, with 66% of their preceding 2019 Champions League group wins also being settled by a single goal.

Roma manager Eusebio di Francesco is pleased with the club’s late win over strugglers Frosinone on the road. The Giallorossi faced a must-win situation to catch up with fourth-placed AC Milan but they managed to do so in the hard way with the EdinDzeko coming up with the winner in the 95th minute of the game.

Speaking after the clash, Di Francesco acknowledged that no games are easy during the backend of the season and the same was the case with Frosinone, who are vying to beat the drop. He added to state the importance of the victory which has propelled the club to within one point off the Rossoneri, who are holding the final Champions League qualification spot.

The Champions League Round of 16 will be starting in just a few weeks time, and Juventus have landed in one of the most compelling pairings.

Juve will take on Atlético Madrid, the notoriously stingy defensive side out of La Liga with a strong recent history in Champions League play. And while Juventus is still being widely perceived as a potential contender for the league title, it’s not a matchup the side seems particularly thrilled with in the early going.

Whichever way you look at it, Massimiliano Allegri deserves plenty of credit for the way that he has rebuilt this Juventus side. Critics may claim that his job has been easy and that Italian football has been on the decline but the 49-year-old has moulded Juve into one of Europe’s elite clubs. And best of all, this is only the beginning...

Earlier this month, just days after losing to Real Madrid in the Champions League final, Juve signed Allegri up to a new and improved contract. With an extended deal until 2020, Allegri can continue to shape this Juventus side to push for a first European Cup victory since 1996.

Roma's attacking playmaker Miralem Pjanic has said that Champions League football is one of the main aims for Roma this season. After a few years of struggling in the Italian Serie A, Roma seem to be back where they belong. The presence of new owners has provided them with the necessary impetus both in terms of the moral and also in terms of the cash to take on the big teams like Juventus, AC Milan, and Inter Milan.

Even though they had a poor start to the season, they have recovered since then. One of the main reasons for the poor start to the season has been the high level of a number of new players. One of them has been Miralem Pjanic.