Even though they didn’t play, Juventus were among the winners of the final round of the Champions League group stage. Milan did their part at St. James’ Park but finished third as Borussia Dortmund and PSG drew.
Per SportMediaset, the Rossoneri bowing out place the Old Lady in the driver’s seat to participate in the new Clubs’ World Cup in 2025. They had the most realistic chance of overtaking them.
Sans Milan, Juventus will have to monitor the performances of Napoli and Lazio. They have a six-point lead over the Partenopei in the ranking. The Walter Mazzarri-led squad must either reach the semifinals or win three of their next four matches in the Round of 16 and 8 to draw level. It’s uncertain what the tie-breaker would be in such a long-shot scenario. Instead, the capital club has to take home the trophy to catch up with the Bianconeri.
The new competition will have 32 participants, 12 from Europe, at most 2 per each country, with an exception for the recent winners. Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, and Inter have qualified. Al-Hilal, Urawa Reds, Al-Ahly, Wydad, Monterrey, Leon, Seattle Sounders, Palmeiras, and Flamengo have already punched their ticket from other continents.
As Sky points out, Serie A is currently second in the UEFA ranking for this season, which would give an extra team in the Champions League in 2024/2025. Two English sides have been eliminated from everything.
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