Inter, one point with Atalanta to prepare for the Champions League final a week in advance

Close the question of qualifying for the next Champions League a week before the end of the championship to have, compared to Manchester City engaged in the FA Cup final on Saturday 3 June against United’s “cousins”, less stress and a few more days to work on the last act of the Champions League scheduled for June 10 in Istanbul. Tomorrow evening against Atalanta Simone Inzaghi needs a point to secure at least fourth place and the “minimum” of 45-50 million prizes that UEFA gives out for simply participating in the most prestigious European cup.

Advance to June 3rd

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At that point the next weekend’s away game on the Turin field (Saturday 3 June: almost certainly there will be an advance and the simultaneity will not be respected… in blocks; the same for Sassuolo-Fiorentina given that the Viola will play the final Conference League on June 7) would be a simple formality and would only count towards the final placement: second, third or fourth place. Agreed, in terms of millions coming from Lega Serie A there is a certain difference (about 10, including the difference in the prize for placement coming from Nyon), but with the Champions League final on June 10 in Istanbul on the horizon it would be an impossible sacrifice not to “take on”.

Injury factor

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Not having to compete for qualification for the 2023-24 Champions League in the last round in Turin, against the grenades motivated because they are in the running for eighth place (which could mean qualifying for the Conference League if Juve are “rejected” by UEFA), would keep them from tiredness and the risk of injuries for the holders of the final on Turkish soil. If he were safe from nasty surprises, Inzaghi in the Grande Torino could give space to players who will not be protagonists in Istanbul, from Handanovic to D’Ambrosio, passing through De Vrij, Bellanova, Asllani and Gosens. He could even test Skriniar’s form, perhaps using the Slovak for a piece in the final (Milan worked separately today after the consultation on Thursday). It would be a crazy advantage and would allow the others to recharge their batteries in view of the match… of life against Guardiola’s men. All hoping to get Mkhitaryan (simpler) and Correa (more complicated) back on June 10th.

Edge case

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Not finishing in the top four of Serie A, qualification for the next Champions League, which is the minimum goal set by the club at the beginning of the season, could also be guaranteed by Ataturk’s victory in the final. On the contrary, the triumph against City would allow the Nerazzurri to enter the first urn, the one reserved for “champions” or the winners of the main national championships (Naples, City, Barcelona, ​​probably Psg…), the Champions League and the Europa League . If, on the other hand, Inter enter the top four in the league and do not lift the Cup to Ataturk, they will start from the second urn given that their path in this edition has allowed them to obtain 29,000 points so far and to recover several places in the rankings compared to the past UEFA club. So goodbye third tier, which in the August draw had been “paid” by being placed in a grouping with Bayern Munich and Barcelona.