Champions League Glory for Haaland or Italy?
by Steve Ashfield | by Steve Ashfield
Italian Renaissance But Manchester City are the Favorites
Not since 2010 has the Champions League been won by an Italian club. Will this year finally see an Italian success or will it finally be Manchester City who become European champions?
It was in 2010 that Inter won the Champions League. Since then, only Juventus in 2015 and 2017 has reached the final, losing on both occasions. This season has seen Italian clubs reaching the latter stages of all three European competitions.
This includes three in the last eight of the Champions League with at least one guaranteed to make it to the semi-finals. Will an Italian club side follow in the footsteps of their national team and become the European champions? Or will 2023 be the year that Manchester City finally win the Champions League.
Napoli Lead Italian Challenge
It’s 34 years since Napoli won the UEFA Cup but they have been a revelation this season. Their 4-0 win at Torino last Sunday saw them go 19 points clear at the top of Serie A. It’s surely only a matter of time before they are crowned champions.
Victor Osimhen (above) has been in great form all season and he scored twice against Torino. It’s not all about scoring goals though. Napoli are a hard team to score against with just one goal conceded in their last nine games.
In Europe this season, they topped a group that included Liverpool. They lost at Anfield but won their other five games and both legs of their last 16 tie against last season's Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt. 25 goals have been scored in their eight games, including 11 on the road.
This is the first time that Napoli have reached the Champions League quarter finals. They face familiar opposition with a last eight tie against fellow Serie A side Milan. Napoli beat them 2-1 away earlier in the season and they host them on April 2, just ten days before the first leg in Milan. Napoli will be confident of progressing if they can continue their excellent form of 10 wins in their last 11 games.
An All-Milan Semi-Final?
When it comes to winning the European Cup/Champions League, only Real Madrid have had more success than Milan. Could they win an eighth title this season? It’s 16 years since they last lifted the trophy and 11 since their last quarter final appearance. However, they will be hoping for more goals from the evergreen Olivier Giraud (above).
They finished second behind Chelsea in their group. Their away record is a concern with a 3-0 loss at Chelsea and 1-1 drawn in Salzburg. The last 16 saw them beat Tottenham, winning the home leg 1-0 and drawing 0-0 in London.
Their current form isn’t that impressive with only one win in their last five matches. The 3-1 loss at Udinese on March 18 left them in fourth place in Serie A. With only one away win this year, they may well struggle against Napoli.
The winners of the Napoli v Milan quarter final will take on either Inter or Benfica in the last four. A win for Inter will of course guarantee us an Italian club in the Champions League final and the most important Milan derby matches ever.
Inter are the last Italian team to win the Champions League. Their previous success had been achieved 45 years before that. This is their first quarter final since 2011 and the first time they’ve reached the knockout stages in 11 years. That’s another illustration of how Italian clubs have struggled in this competition in recent years.
A tough group was successfully negotiated, finishing behind Bayern Munich but ahead of Barcelona who they earned four points against. That was followed by a narrow 1-0 aggregate win over Porto in the last 16. Now they take the Primeira League leaders Benfica for a place in the last four and that possible Milan derby match.
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Maybe this time?
While there are three Italian clubs in the last eight, two come from England. Manchester City are again the favourites to win the Champions League but have been for the past few seasons. Only once have they reached the final and have a tough battle in the last eight as they take on Bayern Munich.
Of course, City now have Erling Haaland and he’s the current top scorer in this season’s Champions League. He has ten goals and half of those came in the 7-0 demolition of Leipzig in the last 16. With Haaland in their team, they have an advantage over other sides.
Like Napoli though, it’s not just about all the goals they score. Only three goals have been conceded in eight Champions League games and only one on the road. They have a tough draw though and if getting past Bayern will take on either Chelsea (who seem to be improving or late) or defending champions Real Madrid who are always difficult to beat in this competition.
The 2022/23 Champions League looks to be set for an exciting climax. Whether it is going to be an Italian renaissance remains to be seen. Follow all the action at Sportytrader, including previews of all the matches.
Other articles of interest
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Who will qualify for the Europa Conference League last eight?
