The week after "Black Thursday", Italian soccer's reputation is clearly on the line when Lazio and Fiorentina step out to do Champions League battle against Marseilles and Manchester United respectively.
"Black Thursday", for the uninitiated, came last Thursday when league leaders Juventus, UEFA Cup holders Parma and championship challengers AS Roma all crashed out of the UEFA Cup, beaten respectively by Celta Vigo, Werder Bremen and Leeds United. To make matters worse, a fourth Italian team, Udinese, had also crashed out of the UEFA Cup two days earlier, eliminated by Slavia Prague. This quadruple white-wash left Italian soccer without a UEFA Cup quarter-finalist for the first time since 1984.
Inevitably, the entire Italian soccer community was seized by a fearful fit of the jitters. Italian clubs are accustomed to success in Europe. Eight of the last 11 UEFA Cups have been won by Italian clubs, while in the same period, Juventus and AC Milan won the European Cup four times between them. No other European country comes anywhere near the recent Italian record.
Yet, for all that, Italian soccer's reputation is on the line this week. Past results mean nothing. No Italian side will be winning the UEFA Cup this year. Furthermore, a Champions League "whitewash" similar to that in the UEFA Cup is by no means impossible given that both Lazio and Fiorentina have to come from behind to qualify in their groups.
Lazio come into tonight's Group D tie at home to Olympique Marseilles in third position on five points, two behind joint leaders Feyenoord and Chelsea. Accordingly, Lazio have to win tonight and then hope for a big performance away to Chelsea next week.
Their Swedish coach Sven Eriksson remains optimistic, notwithstanding a week when Lazio were held to draws by Feyenoord and by Inter Milan last Saturday night.
Eriksson is playing his selection cards close to his chest. Chilean striker Marcelo Salas may be partnered by Croat Alen Boksic whilst Argentine Diego Simeone and veteran Roberto Mancini could be drafted into the midfield to compensate for the suspension-enforced absence of Argentine playmaker Sebastian Veron.
If Lazio's situation in Group D seems compromised, then Fiorentina may well be even more up against it in Group B. Fiorentina travel to Old Trafford tomorrow night for a tie that has already been named the "mother of all games" by Italian sports media. Beaten 1-0 away to Torino on Sunday and now in a disappointing eighth position in Serie A, Fiorentina know only too well that their whole season could revolve around tomorrow night's clash with Manchester United.
Beaten 1-0 away to Valencia last week, Fiorentina come into the game in second place on seven points, two behind United and one clear of Valencia.
It is "do or die" time tomorrow night at Old Trafford. Fiorentina are likely to field their strongest side with their attack led by in-form Yugoslav Pedrag Mijatovic and Argentine captain, Gabriel Batistuta. Rui Costa, Torricelli and Di Livio all return to midfield.
Even if they have already beaten both Manchester United and Arsenal in Champions League ties this season, Fiorentina go into this match more in hope than conviction, spurred on by a worrying thought best expressed by their experienced Argentine reserve striker Abel Balbo: "In Wednesday in Manchester, our whole season is up for grabs".
You could say the same about Italian soccer, too.
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