By winning the Europa League, Atalanta might open up a sixth Italian spot in the Champions League for Roma, but only if they finish in fifth place and no higher.
La Dea flattened favourites Bayer Leverkusen 3-0 in Dublin last night to lift the first UEFA trophy in their 116-year history.
As they had already qualified for the Champions League via Serie A, then it makes no difference to their own prospects for next season’s tournament.
However, it could let Roma enter the top tier competition if certain conditions are met.
Specifically, Atalanta must finish fifth in Serie A and no higher.
Why Roma need Atalanta to falter now
If Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are fourth or even third, then the sixth position will not open up and Roma cannot enter the Champions League.
This is because when UEFA set the stipulation for an extra spot opening up for the Europa League winners, Italy only had four automatic entries into the Champions League.
A fifth was added for Italy’s exceptional performance in the UEFA rankings.
As things stand, Atalanta are fifth with 66 points, whereas Bologna and Juventus are on 68.
There is one round left to play in Serie A, but crucially Atalanta have a game in hand to be played against Fiorentina on June 2.
