Juventus saw their Champions League hopes take a hit after a 1-1 draw with AS Roma on Sunday.
Juventus captain Manuel Locatelli opened the scoring five minutes before halftime, but Roma came back out of the tunnel with renewed determination, and soon equalized when substitute Eldor Shomurodov capitalised on a rebound off the crossbar.
The draw leaves the Bianconeri fifth in the league table but level on points with Bologna in fourth place, although the latter have a game in hand.
The race for the Champions League spots in Serie A is intensifying, with the teams down to eighth all sporting realistic chances of qualification. Juventus, who crashed out of this season’s Champions League in the knockout phase playoffs after their loss to PSV Eindhoven, would need at least a fourth-place finish for a guaranteed spot next season.
After holding Juventus to a draw, Roma remain three points behind them in seventh place, maintaining their pursuit of a first Champions League appearance in seven years.
It is possible for Italy to get a fifth spot in the Champions League next season. However, that would require the increasingly unlikely scenario of either England or Spain dropping out of the top two in UEFA’s season association coefficient rankings.
According to UEFA’s new format, the top two leagues based on each season’s coefficient rankings get an extra spot in the next season’s Champions League. England and Spain currently occupy the first and second spots respectively, while Italy is third.
