Roma Draws Chelsea, Atletico and Qarabag in Champions League Group C

Roma’s fight to earn direct qualification into the Champions League was exactly that, a fight. The Giallorossi need each every minute of their 38 matches to fend off Napoli for Italy’s final direct qualification spot, holding off their southern neighbors by a solitary point to qualify for the greatest club competition in all of sports. So, considering how hard it was to make the damn tournament in the first place, we shouldn’t have expect any favors when it came to the actual draw.

Give ‘er a look:

Was Roma cast into the prohibitive group of death? Yeah, probably, though you can certainly argue that Group H is slightly tougher; though that depends on the relative weight of Roma v. Tottenham. In any case, Roma drew the short end of the stick, as they’ll run smack against two of the world’s most dangerous sides in Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, while Qarabag, the competitions first Azerbaijani side, remains very much a mystery.

We’ll have a more detailed analysis of each of the opponents when the time comes, but suffice it to say, Roma has a tough road to hoe. Despite that seeming doom and gloom, bear one thing in mind: Group C is the group of death because Roma is there too, they won’t simply rollover.

Here’s the schedule: