After the elimination of AC Milan from the UEFA Champions League, there are still three Italian teams in the competition as Inter, Lazio and Napoli all qualified for the next round as second in their groups and will likely face strong opponents in the round of 16. Unlike the past, Italian football is now in a much better position as the last season showed when two Serie A sides ended up in the semifinals and Inter lost to Manchester City the final in Istanbul. Let's now take a look at the status of the current Italian sides that will play in the knockout stages next February and assess their chances:
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Inter look like a contender
The 2022-23 finalists are in a great shape and are the current Serie A leaders. The Nerazzurri went through the group stage but ended up second in the table after they failed to beat Real Sociedad at home in San Siro. For this reason, it's likely that Inter will face a top club in the round of 16 but the last two seasons showed that Inter are a difficult side to beat. In 2022, Inter were knocked out by Liverpool in the round of 16 but won away at Anfield while last season they only lost to Manchester City in the final, the same side that won the treble. Inter are a good team with a lot of talented players and a coach, Simone Inzaghi, who was able to work with many players that arrived in the summer such as Marcus Thuram and Benjamin Pavard, who replaced key players like Romelu Lukaku, Edin Dzeko and Milan Skriniar. It's clear that Inter are not the number one favorite to win the competition, but they must not be undermined by their opponents. After Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Arsenal, Inter are probably the strongest side of the competition.
Napoli are still a team that can make noise
It's difficult to predict how Napoli can perform in the upcoming months, especially because many things changed in the past weeks as coach Rudi Garcia was fired by the club and Walter Mazzarri took charge of the team that last season won the Italian Serie A for the first time in 33 years. Looking at the roster, the Azzurri are not that different from the past season and for this reason, whoever will face Napoli should not be too affected by the current status of the team but must be worried about how Napoli can be back to good form in the next months. Key players Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Victor Osimhen, if they are fit, can cause massive issues for all the European defenses that might face the Italian side in the knockout stage. Overall, Napoli are not the team that won last year's Scudetto but are definitely better than what they showed up to now. They have the chance to make a run.
Lazio are the big underdogs
While Inter and Napoli, depending on the opponents, have good chances to qualify for the quarterfinals, Lazio arrive to the round of 16 as underdogs. The side coached by Maurizio Sarri had a slow start in the league (currently 10th in the table) and managed to get through a difficult group stage with Atletico de Madrid, Celtic and Feyenoord. The Biancocelesti need to find themselves again and the next months will be crucial to see if they will be back as the past season when they ended up second in the league, behind Napoli. Unlike last season, Sarri's team is lacking of effectiveness in the attack and their usual quality of football. If they will be able to do it, then, they can be a challenging opponent for many in the tournament. But it's a doubt for now.
