AC Milan are preparing for the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie against Roma, and there is more than just sporting pride at stake.
Calcio e Finanza reports that winning and going through tonight could also guarantee entry into the top 20 of the UEFA rankings ahead of the 2024-25 season, a height that they have not reached for quite some time.
The Rossoneri have officially overtaken Juventus and that will be reflected in the standings next year, thanks to the Bianconeri’s absence from European competitions.
The UEFA five-year ranking – starting from next season – does not include the 2019-20 year in the calculation (since the last five seasons are considered), thus creating the conditions through which Milan can jump above Juve for the first time in 10 years.
Currently, the Rossoneri and Bianconeri are separated by 21 points in favour of the latter, a margin that seems comfortable but changes with the exclusion of the 2019-20 season and the inclusion of the current.
Precisely by virtue of this, Juve will lose 22 points while Milan lose zero, given that that was the season in which the Rossoneri negotiated with UEFA to agree an exclusion from the Europa League due to violations of Financial Fair Play.
It is a situation not too dissimilar to that experienced by Juve this year with the UEFA Conference League, after the capital gains and salary manoeuvres case.
Here is the current ranking for Juve and Milan (with relative position in the general ranking):
17. Juventus – 80 points
29. Milan – 59 points
The projection of the 2024-25 UEFA ranking is as follows:
20. Milan –59 points
23. Juventus – 58 points
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