Atalanta supporters are smiling. Their club ended a 61-year drought by winning the Europa League with confidence at the expense of Bayer Leverkusen (3-0), who had been undefeated until then this season in 51 matches. A success which could also allow Italy to have six clubs involved in the Champions League for the 2024-2025 season.
And nine clubs in the European Cup?
Indeed, with Bergamo’s title on Wednesday evening, the additional place in the Champions League granted to Italy for having finished in the two best nations in the UEFA index this season becomes free. She should thus return to AS Rome, 6e of Serie A, unless Atalanta returns to the top 4, synonymous with direct qualification. The club is currently two points behind Bologna (3e) and Juventus Turin (4e) with one match in hand and the last day of the championship to go.
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Another scenario could even allow Italian football to enter no less than nine clubs in the European Cup. For this, Atalanta would therefore need to remain 5e but also that Fiorentina wins the Europa Conference League against Olympiakos on May 29. The Viola will also have to keep its 8e place in the championship or finish in a worse place. In this case, it is Torino, or even Naples, which would take the last European seat to bring the total to nine teams.
