Italy v England: Whose clubs are best?

The trophy haul
UEFA Champions League/European Cups: Italy 12-12 England
UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup: Italy 9-7 England
UEFA Cup Winners' Cup: Italy 7-8 England

When it comes to UEFA's major club trophies, there is very little to choose between the two nations. Both have won 12 European Cups, and while England boast the most recent winner (Chelsea in 2012), they have not had a finalist since, while Juventus were in the final in 2015/16 – losing to Barcelona.

Italian sides, meanwhile, have amassed more UEFA Cups though have yet to reach the final of the UEFA Europa League – indeed there has been no Italian finalist in the competition since Parma's success in 1999. Chelsea won the competition in 2013, Liverpool were runners-up last term.

The final meetings
1973 Milan 1-0 Leeds (Cup Winners' Cup, Thessaloniki)
1984 Roma 1-1 Liverpool (European Cup, Rome – Liverpool win 4-2 on pens)
1985 Juventus 1-0 Liverpool (European Cup, Brussels)
1994 Arsenal 1-0 Parma, (Cup Winners' Cup, Copenhagen
2005 Milan 3-3 Liverpool (UEFA Champions League, Istanbul – Liverpool win 3-2 on pens)
2007 Milan 2-1 Liverpool (UEFA Champions League, Athens)

The countries' clubs have met in six major UEFA finals, with their respective representative teams emerging victorious three times each, though Italian fans can argue they have the moral high ground, since two of the English victories came after penalty shoot-outs.

The raw data
UEFA club competition meetings
Remarkably, in 192 UEFA competition encounters between English and Italian clubs, both nations have recorded 72 wins, with 48 draws. In the 92 of those games played in England (or Wales in the case of Premier League Swansea), the hosts' record is W54 D23 L15, though English teams have won slightly more matches in Italy than Serie A sides have in England. Italian clubs' home record in 94 visits from English teams (including the 1984 European Cup final – nominally neutral but played in Rome) is W53 D24 L17. Italy have had the better of their clubs' six meetings with English sides on neutral territory: W4 D1 L1 (excluding shoot-outs).

UEFA Champions League/European Cup meetings
England are 44-38 up in terms of victories in the 108 games between the countries' representatives in Europe's top club competition. The English teams' home record is W31 D11 L10; the Italians' is W26 D14 L13 (including that 1984 European Cup final as a draw). The four final duels – as mentioned above – are a sore point. No English side has beaten Italian opposition in open play in four European Cup/UEFA Champions League finals, yet two of those occasions ended with the English triumphing in a shoot-out.

UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League
The omens are good as Internazionale welcome Southampton: Italian clubs have had the edge in the nations' 64 meetings in these competitions, 26-21 up in wins, with a home record that reads W21 D8 L3. The English teams' home record is W18 D9 L5.

The English side has won just one of the last seven UEFA Europa League fixtures involving these two countries (W1 D3 L3), and Italian clubs are unbeaten in five UEFA Europa League home matches against English opponents (W4 D1). There is better news for Southampton ahead of matchday four though, with the English undefeated in their last four UEFA Europa League home games against Serie A visitors (W2 D2).

The record books
All competitions/European Cup/UEFA Champions League
Biggest home win for Italian side against English opponents
4-0: AC Milan v Arsenal
15/02/12, UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg
4-0: AC Milan v Manchester United
14/05/58, European Cup semi-final second leg

Biggest away win for Italian side against English opponents
1-4: Newcastle v Inter
21/11/02, UEFA Champions League second group stage

Biggest home win for English side against Italian opponents
7-1: Manchester United v Roma
10/04/07, UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg

Biggest away win for English side against Italian opponents
1-5: Inter v Arsenal
25/11/03, UEFA Champions League group stage
0-4: Lazio v Chelsea
04/11/03, UEFA Champions League group stage

Highest scoring draw between English and Italian sides
3-3: Leeds United v Lazio
14/03/01, second group stage
3-3: Milan v Liverpool
25/05/05, final (staged in Istanbul)

UEFA Europa League/UEFA Cup
Biggest home win for Italian side against English opponents
4-1 (twice): most recently Inter v Tottenham
14/03/13, round of 16 second leg
3-0 (four times): most recently Palermo v West Ham
28/09/06, first round second leg

Giovanni Pasquale celebrates a goal in Udinese's win in Liverpool©Getty Images

Biggest away win for Italian side against English opponents
2-3:Liverpool v Udinese
04/10/12, group stage
1-2: Liverpool v Genoa
18/03/92, quarter-final second leg
0-1 (three times): most recently West Ham v Palermo
14/09/06, first round first leg

Biggest home win for English side against Italian opponents
4-0: Ipswich v Lazio
24/10/73, second round first leg

Biggest away win for English side against Italian opponents
0-2: Roma v Liverpool
15/02/01, fourth round first leg

Highest scoring draw between English and Italian sides
2-2: Milan v Manchester City
23/11/78, third round first leg
2-2: Portsmouth v Milan
27/11/08, group stage

*last updated 12/10/16