The cups are back, and it's direct elimination.
The winter break is over for the Italians involved in Europe, ready to get back into the game to go as far as possible, without however distracting themselves from the fight in the championship which more easily opens the doors to rich continental tournaments.
Lazio in the Champions League, Milan and Roma in the Europa League are the first to be called up, while in the Champions League Inter and Napoli will play for the round of 16 the following week, when the Rossoneri and Giallorossi will conclude their playoff commitment.
And it will be Maurizio Sarri's team, next Wednesday, that will face the most difficult obstacle, Bayern Munich.
The vote was more lenient with Inter, who will face Atletico Madrid - in difficulty at this stage of the season, and with Morata at risk of being stopped - and did not smile on Napoli, who were opposed to Barcelona.
The Bavarians are a battleship that scores an avalanche of Harry Kane goals but they arrive at Wednesday's match with the shadow of the heavy 3-0 suffered on Saturday in Leverkusen.
Tuchel has been criticized by the fans and even some players seem to be on edge after Bayer's overtaking in the league.
The double comparison gives the Germans an advantage by going through to the round, as they are unlikely to miss two games in a row, but the awakening of Immobile - 200 goals in Serie A achieved on Saturday - can give the Biancocelesti a jolt.
Three years ago, in the last Champions League match against Lazio.
the German team won 4-1 at the Olimpico and 2-1 at home.
The first leg of the round of 16 features three other matches between Tuesday and Wednesday - Copenhagen-Manchester City, Leipzig-Real Madrid and PSG-Real Sociedad - which are not exactly balanced on paper.
Looking further ahead, the steamrolling Inter, as seen with Juventus and Roma, will take the lead from the championship to be able to overcome the insidious Atletico obstacle of Cholo Simeone.
Napoli will instead need to put Osimhen, fresh from the African Cup, back at the center of their game to have a chance against a Barcelona team that has a lot of quality.
Stopping talents like Pedri, De Jong, Gundogan, Joao Felix and Lamine Jamal won't be easy, but Mazzarri is accelerating to get the Azzurri back on track.
The less prestigious Europa League will be the battle ground for Milan and Roma.
The Rossoneri lost the Rennes of goalkeeper Mandanda and former Roma player Matic, currently seventh in Ligue 1 where, however, since Christmas they have put together a good string of victories.
There are no stars in the French team and a Milan with a transalpine backbone cannot afford missteps after the bitter exit from the Champions League and must try to close the matter already in the first leg at San Siro.
Roma revitalized by Daniele De Rossi will face Mexican striker Gimenez's Feynoord, who will return to the Olimpico a few months after the Champions League group game lost 1-0 against Lazio.
Coach Arne Slot's team has a fluctuating performance in the league, where it is still second, but the tradition in direct clashes is in favor of the Romans, with the Conference League final and the double match of the Europa League quarter-finals last season, the key moments of Josè Mourinho's Giallorossi journey.
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