Which Serie A Side Has The Toughest Champions League Fixtures?
Now that the draw has been completed, many will be wondering which Serie A side has the toughest UCL fixtures? Italian participants Napoli, Inter, Atalanta and Juventus all found out their opponents on August 28. The Nerazzurri were the only club placed in pot 1 with La Dea and Juve in pot 2. Antonio Conte’s […]
Ben Horlock
Updated on 29 August 2025
Now that the draw has been completed, many will be wondering which Serie A side has the toughest UCL fixtures?
Italian participants Napoli, Inter, Atalanta and Juventus all found out their opponents on August 28. The Nerazzurri were the only club placed in pot 1 with La Dea and Juve in pot 2.
Antonio Conte’s side – who won the Scudetto last season – found themselves in pot 3. All four sides will begin their European adventure in mid-September.
The ultimate prize 🥰#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/ccMSCGYXvX
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 28, 2025
UCL Fixtures – Who Will Italy’s Representatives Play?
Although the new UCL format is still taking some getting used to, teams from Italy have a strong chance of progression to the last 16. On paper at least.
The four candidates will all play four home fixtures and four away games. Those that finish in the top eight of the new-look league phase will automatically qualify for the knockout stages.
Teams that finish from 9th-24th will enter into the playoff round. Victors over the two-legs will also progress to the last 16. Clubs finishing 25th-36th will be automatically eliminated from all European competition.
Therefore, all Serie A sides will fancy their chances of at least entering the playoffs. But which Italian side has the toughest eight fixtures to navigate?
Inter UCL Fixtures:
? Arsenal, Liverpool, Slavia Prague, Almaty
? Dortmund, Atleti, Ajax, Union SG
Atalanta UCL Fixtures:
? Chelsea, Club Brugge, Slavia Prague, Athletic Club
? PSG, Frankfurt, Marseille, Union SG
Juventus UCL Fixtures:
? Dortmund, Benfica, Sporting, Pafos
? Real Madrid, Villarreal, Bodo/Glimt, Monaco
Napoli UCL Fixtures:
? Chelsea, Frankfurt, Sporting, Qarabag
? Man City, Benfica, PSV, Copenhagen
KDB back in Manchester soon 💙#UCLdraw pic.twitter.com/Qgd4P3NoM2
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 28, 2025
Which Serie A Club Has The Toughest UCL Fixtures?
FootItalia has determined that Inter has the hardest games to navigate. Head coach Cristian Chivu will be coming up against English heavyweights Arsenal and Liverpool on home soil.
However, the Nerazzurri beat the Gunners in the league phase at the San Siro last season. The other home games against Slavia Prague and Almaty should generate maximum points.
On the road, Chivu will face uncomfortable trips to Dortmund, Atleti and Ajax. The Union SG game is more than winnable.
As for Atalanta, Le Dea has three attractive home games in the form of taking on Club Brugge, Slavia Prague and Athletic Club. The Chelsea game is the hardest at the Gewiss.
On the continent, Ivan Juric’s side faces the likes of Frankfurt, Marseille and reigning champions PSG. Like Inter, the Bergamo-based club play Union SG whereby they’ll be aiming to win.
Over to Juventus, the Old Lady has attractive looking fixtures home and away. The major obstacle will likely be the visit to Real Madrid but the remaining seven games look inviting.
Antonio Conte’s Napoli will also fancy their chances of finishing in the top eight. The Scudetto winners will visit Man City in what will be an emotional return for KDB.
The home ties against Chelsea and Frankfurt will likely be tight affairs but facing the likes of PSV, Qarabag and Copenhagen will give Azzurri supporters confidence.
Italy’s Most Successful UCL Teams
Italian soccer clubs have been relatively successful in Europe’s elite club competition over the years. Although they won’t be participating this season, Milan leads the way with seven wins.
Only serial victors Real Madrid (15) have more to their name. The Rossoneri became champions of Europe in 1963, 1969, 1989, 1990, 1994, 2003 and 2007.
Next up is city rivals Inter. The Nerazzurri tasted success in 1964, 1965 and 2010. They also finished runners-up last season as well as 2023.
Juventus are the only other Italian club to win soccer’s elite European club competition. The Old Lady got their hands on the trophy in 1985 and 1996.
Ben Horlock
Ben has a long standing devotion to Italian soccer and in particular, Serie A. Ben grew up watching legendary presenter James Richardson deliver the latest news and views with the daily papers and breakfast in hand. Not only does Ben follow Italy's top soccer division, he is an avid follower of all the major European leagues. Ben is an expert on all things Serie A and has produced a number of features and news articles for FootItalia as well as UK-based outlets such as HITC, 90min, GiveMeSport and Betfair. In the US, Ben has been published on ESPN and Sports Illustrated.
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