A few teams watched the Coppa Italia final with a keen interest considering its ramifications on the Serie A standings. Had Fiorentina won, they would have qualified for the Europa League group stage directly. The fifth-placed team would have had to go through the playoffs, while the one just below would have been relegated to the European Conference League, Goal points out.
That won’t be the case, and Inter’s victory has little impact. They will obviously play in the Champions League if they finish in the top four. They are already certain to end up in front of Roma considering their six-point lead and their advantage in the head-to-head clashes.
Wednesday’s result helps Atalanta, the Giallorossi, and Juventus the most. They are basically bunched up together with two matchdays to go in Serie A. All three positions are now worth a European berth. The Bianconeri have a five-point lead over Monza, the only team that could catch them. The Brianzoli won both seasonal bouts. They will face Lecce and La Dea. Instead, the Old Lady will take on Milan and Udinese.
Should the Turin-based team stay ahead, it’d take a UEFA ban or another point deduction, which is possible considering they will stand another sports trial, to keep them out of any continental competition.
Fiorentina still have a shot to make it, but they need to beat West Ham in the European Conference League final. They’d play in the second-tier cup in that case, and Serie A would have eight total participants. Instead, Roma besting Sevilla in Budapest would grant them access to the Champions League, likely joining four other Italian sides given their current position, but it wouldn’t change the overall number.
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