Which Italian Giants are in Danger of an Early UEFA Champions League Exit?
11/17/2025
The international break has arrived, and for some teams, it was much needed. While the likes of England, Norway, Germany, and Croatia have been busy securing their seats at next summer's FIFA World Cup, plenty of the continent's top clubs have been taking stock and gearing up for a crucial stretch to round out 2025.
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Some of Europe's biggest and best have been thriving so far this term. Bayern Munich have won 16 of the 17 games they have played so far this season, including a perfect four from four in the Champions League. Arsenal have also been flying, matching Bayern's perfect record continentally. Both teams currently sit at the top of the UCL table, and it comes as no surprise to see that online betting sites make them the two frontrunners to leave Budapest with the famous 'Big-Eared' trophy next May.
Both teams are currently pegged as the 9/2 joint favorites to emerge with the crown, and the use of a betting calculator shows the margin between them and the chasing pack. The popular parlay payout calculator at Thunderpick calculates a punter's exact potential winnings. The tool shows that a $100 bet on either of those two would pay some $450 in potential winnings, while the same bet on reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain, the third favorites, would pay $600, a full $150 more.
But while the Bavarians and the Gunners are flying high, several teams are already sweating over a potential early exit. Here are two such teams that find themselves in real danger of suffering an early Champions League elimination.
Napoli
Expectations for Napoli were high heading into the 2025/26 season. Under Antonio Conte, the Partenopei surprisingly claimed the Scudetto last season, with former Manchester United man Scott McTominay thriving in the south of Italy. This summer, Manchester City icon Kevin De Bruyne was brought to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in a bid to add some sorely lacking creativity, while Rasmus Hojlund was signed on loan from the Red Devils to provide support for Romelu Lukaku. But so far this season, the Italian champions have taken a backward step.
Napoli are currently down in fourth in the Serie A standings after losing to the likes of AC Milan and Torino. In the Champions League, however, things are looking even bleaker. Conte's men are currently way down in 24th in the UCL table, clinging on to the last knockout playoff round spot for dear life.
The Partenopei have endured a miserable time on the continent, winning just one of their opening four games. But the real sickener was a stunning 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven. Add to that a 2-0 defeat away at Manchester City and a goalless draw at home to Frankfurt, and it's clear that Napoli are in trouble. With back-to-back games against fellow strugglers Qarabag and Benfica coming up, picking up six points in their next two games is crucial to their hopes.
Juventus
Another Italian side currently in the quagmire is the giants Juventus. Throughout the 2010s, the Bianconeri emerged as one of the continent's very best, winning nine straight Scudettos, as well as reaching two Champions League finals in three seasons in 2015 and 2017. However, nearly a decade on, those days are long gone.
The Turin club hasn't made it to the quarterfinals of the Champions League since 2019, with last season's disastrous knockout playoff round defeat to PSV setting a new low. This summer, the Bianconeri looked to build toward the future, with the addition of striker Jonathan David on a free transfer from Lille expected to revitalize their frontline. Unfortunately, the Canadian hasn't.
Juve currently sit in sixth in the Serie A table, already five points off leaders Inter Milan. In the Champions League, they're in 25th, and a league phase exit could well be on the cards. New manager Luciano Spalletti has just taken over from former boss Igor Tudor, but there is certainly work to be done for the former Scudetto-winning coach.
The Old Lady of Italian football has managed to stay competitive in the Champions League in their four games. They were narrowly defeated by Real Madrid in the Bernabeu, while they managed to pick up a 2-2 draw against Villareal, also on the road in Spain. Then, they rallied late to secure a 4-4 draw at home to Borussia Dortmund, scoring two goals in injury time to salvage a point. However, their 1-1 draw at home to Sporting has set alarm bells ringing, with Juve seemingly unable to convert draws into wins.
In the coming weeks, they will face back-to-back winnable fixtures against Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt and Cypriot minnows Pafos. Much like Napoli, beating both will be crucial to their hopes. Fail to do that and a second opening round exit in three years could well be on the cards.