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The chance that AS Roma will participate in the Champions League next season has become a little smaller again. Due to Bologna's 2-0 defeat against mid-table Genoa, number 5 Atalanta needs only one more win in the two remaining matches to exclude Roma from Champions League participation. That means one less thing to worry about for Feyenoord, which was eliminated from Europe by the Romans in the past three seasons.
It is like this. The top 4 of Serie A receive a direct ticket to the Champions League. Due to the good results of Italian teams in Europe, the new Champions League format provides an extra ticket for the number 5 of the Serie A.
If Atalanta retains that fifth place, where it is now, that direct Champions League ticket will move back to Italy's number 6, Roma. However, if Atalanta finishes in the top 4, that extra ticket will expire.
Then Atalanta would take a ticket from the automatic top 4 and the number 5 (Bologna or Juventus) would get the extra spot. The direct ticket from the Europa League then disappears and goes to number 2 of Portugal, which is now Benfica.
Bologna lost 2-0 to Genoa on Friday and finished with 68 points. Atalanta has two games left to play and has only two points less. It is therefore likely that Atalanta will pass Bologna into the top 4, meaning that the Champions League ticket will not go to Roma.
In that case, Roma would receive a direct ticket to the Europa League. This makes a confrontation with Feyenoord virtually impossible, as in the new European setup it is impossible to enter the Europa League from the Champions League.
This seems to put an end to Feyenoord's annual meeting with Roma. Over the past three years, the people of Rotterdam have faced a European exit against the Romans.
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