The Serie A sides had the deck stacked against them in the Champions League after finishing second in their respective groups, and the draw didn’t do them any favors. Inter will face Atletico Madrid, Napoli will take on Barcelona, while Lazio had the worst luck, as they have been paired up against Bayern Munich.
The Nerazzurri will meet with their former icon Diego Simeone, as vice-president Javier Zanetti highlighted to Mediaset.
“He’s a friend of mine, and I know very well how he’ll prepare these games. He left a good memory here. His sides don’t give up, and we’ll do the same. Our group is aware of its strength but also humble.”
Round of 16 ties ✅#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/N3xvSSNw1w
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 18, 2023
Simone Inzaghi and Walter Mazzarri commented on their clubs’ sites.
As for two Serie A sides that will go through the Europa League playoffs, Milan will defy Rennes, while Roma have been drawn versus Feyenoord. The Giallorossi will face the Dutch team for the third consecutive season. They beat them in the European Conference final in 2022 and the Round of Eight of the second-tier cup last year.
Rossoneri legend Franco Baresi talked to Sky.
“You must never underestimate anybody in football. We must be ambitious. French sides are always peculiar, but we must focus on winning. We’ll have to be properly motivated. We must think big but always with respect. It’ll be paramount to recover players for February. I don’t think we need to pick between the Scudetto or the Europa League. We need to play our cards in every competition.”
Knockout round play-off ties are set! 🤩#UELdraw || #UEL pic.twitter.com/jRDSob63rz
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) December 18, 2023
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