Paris (France) (AFP) – Reference of the football world for decades, Calcio may be left without representatives in the Champions League, with Inter, Juventus and Atalanta forced to come back to save Italian honor, while PSG and Real Madrid have the opportunity to seal their place in the round of 16 at home.

First modification: 02/23/2026 - 11:43 Last modification: 02/23/2026 - 17:18

Since the birth of the Champions League (in 1992), with a different format to the round-trip qualifiers from the first round that characterized the European Cup, Italy always had at least one team in the round of 16 (in 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 the second phase was played in a league format and the matches began in the quarterfinals, without Italian presence).

In the 1990s there were seven consecutive finals with Italian presence, (Sampdoria in 1992; Milan in 1993, 1994, 1995; and Juventus in 1996, 1997 and 1998) with two titles (Milan in 1994 and Juventus in 1996) and in 2002-2003 there was even a final with two representatives of Serie A, the champion Milan and Juventus.

But since Mourinho's Inter title in 2010, Calcio has not won the "Orejona" again and has lost four finals (two to Juventus in 2015 and 2017 and two to Inter in 2023 and 2025).

Inter, Juventus and Atalanta must come back

This decline of Italian football, whose championship was the world reference and attracted the biggest football stars for decades, is also reflected at the level of the national team, four-time world champion but absent from the last two World Cups and which must go through the playoffs to try to be in North America next summer.

With the current champion of Serie A, Naples, eliminated in the first phase, the presence of an Italian team in the round of 16 of the Champions League necessarily requires a comeback.

On Tuesday, Inter must overcome a two-goal deficit after the defeat suffered in Norway last week against the surprising Bodo/Glimt (3-1).

With the doubt of captain Lautaro Martínez, injured in the first leg, the leader of Serie A and current European runners-up will not have an easy time against a team that in the league phase was already able to beat two heavyweights like Manchester City and Atlético de Madrid.

The mission of Juventus and Atalanta seems much more complicated, as on Wednesday they must overcome Galatasaray (5-2) and Borussia Dortmund (2-0), respectively.

Favorite for the title, Paris Saint-Germain, current champion of the competition, must confirm its superiority against Monaco (3-2 in the first leg) to meet Barcelona or Chelsea in the round of 16.

Tension at the Bernabéu

The Newcastle and Bayer Leverkusen matches also seem like a formality after their victories in Qarabag (6-1) and Athens against Olympiacos (2-0).

The other two tickets will be decided in Madrid. On Tuesday, Atlético must offer its best face to confirm its pass against Bruges (3-3 in the first leg), while Real Madrid will defend on Wednesday the victory obtained in Lisbon against Benfica (1-0).

With Mourinho absent, sent off in the first leg, in what could have been his return to the Bernabéu stadium, much of the interest in the merengue temple was going to be focused on Gianluca Prestianni, accused by Vinícius of racist insults in Lisbon... but UEFA announced this Monday the provisional suspension of the young 20-year-old Argentine forward.

These two absences should reduce the tension in the Bernabéu and allow Real Madrid to concentrate on a single objective: certifying their place in the round of 16.

-- Program of the second leg matches of the playoffs for access to the round of 16 of the Champions League:

Tuesday

(17H45 GMT) Atlético de Madrid (ESP) - FC Brugge (BEL) (3-3)

(20H00 GMT) Newcastle (ENG) - Qarabag (AZE) (6-1)

Inter (ITA) - Bodo/Glimt (NOR) (1-3)

Bayer Leverkusen (GER) - Olympiacos (GRE) (2-0)

Wednesday

(17H45 GMT) Atalanta (ITA) - Borussia Dortmund (GER) (0-2)

(20H00 GMT) Juventus (ITA) - Galatasaray (TUR) (2-5)

Paris Saint-Germain (FRA) - Monaco (FRA) (3-2)

Real Madrid (ESP) - Benfica (POR) (1-0)

© 2026 AFP

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