Bologna in search of ’13’. These are the points that are missing for the Champions League certainty

Bologna’s Champions League dream is a little closer. While waiting for the big match at the Olimpico on Monday evening, which will offer a good share of fourth place, the most valuable news comes from the Italians involved in Europe: with three of them in the semi-finals, Italy locks up the first position in the ranking and the fifth place in the Champions League for next season.

In short, Bologna will be able to make the race against Atalanta to enter among the big teams in Europe and with an eight-point margin over Gasperini’s team, who still have to recover the match against Fiorentina.

The news was in the air and with the conclusion of the quarter-finals of the European Cups it became official. Italy, first in the ranking, is now unreachable by England, third: because Roma, Atalanta and Fiorentina continue their run in the Europa League and Conference, reaching the semi-finals, while Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and West Ham finish their run , with only Aston Villa left in the running in the Conference. Across the Channel they no longer have any hope of reaching Italy.

In short, fifth place will be enough (so to speak) for the Champions League and this makes the feat a little more possible for Thiago Motta’s group. What’s more: it makes it close, also because Bologna is in the hare’s position, in solitary fourth place with 59 points: four more than Roma, who have to recover the last 20 minutes of the match against Udinese (stopped on the result of 1 -1) and therefore potentially -3 or -1 from the rossoblù. To date, Atalanta is sixth in the Europa League, with a two-point margin over its pursuer: ergo, Bologna has ten points ahead of Lazio and Napoli, fighting for the Conference. In short, the return to Europe is really close, considering the advantage with six days to go.

But it is the big target that Bologna is aiming for, who at this point, in the event of a bad coup at the Olimpico, would truly launch into flight. But the good reasons to support the Italians in Europe are not over: because if Roma or Atalanta were to win the Europa League and finish outside the top five, Italy would have six places in the Champions League, in the Europa League it would climb to seventh and in the Conference the eighth, with the first excluded from Europe the ninth: currently Torino, which has 45 points, 14 less than the rossoblù.

Bottom line, there are 6 games left and 18 points available and Atalanta can reach a maximum of 72 points (because they have to play seven games): it means that Bologna, who have a favorable direct comparison, currently need 13 for the the arithmetic certainty of the Champions League, that is, 4 wins and a draw, 8 for the Europa League. The account will have to be updated from week to week, but one thing is certain: only a vertical collapse could deny Bologna and the rossoblù a return to Europe.