The 121st season of Calcio kicks off on Saturday with Sampdoria hosting Atalanta whilst, simultaneously, A.C. Milan start the defence of their title at home to Udinese.
Serie A, unlike many other top European leagues, had a title race last season, as well as a battle for European places and a tight relegation scrap.
So, expect more excitement from Italy’s top-flight, with these ten of the most interesting teams and aspects to keep an eye on.
📰 Table Of Contents
- 1 Will Juventus be a force again?
- 2 Can A.C. Milan retain their title?
- 3 Will Inter regain the Scudetto?
- 4 Will new-look Napoli be able to challenge?
- 5 Can Roma break into the top four?
- 6 Are Atalanta able to bounce back from last season?
- 7 How will Fiorentina fare back in European competition?
- 8 Are Lazio able to kick on?
- 9 Will Monza make a splash?
- 10 Will any of the traditional heavyweights be embroiled in a relegation scrap?
- 11 Predictions
Will Juventus be a force again?
Between 2012 and 2020, Juventus were Serie A’s unstoppable force, winning nine consecutive league titles.
Before this, the previous record was five in-a-row, achieved by Torino in 1943-1949 and Inter in 2006-2010.
However, the Old Lady have now finished fourth in back-to-back campaigns and, last season, ended a season without silverware for the first time since 2011.
This summer, La Vecchia Signora have witnessed a mass overhaul.
Giorgio Chiellini, Matthijs de Ligt, Merih Demiral, Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot, Federico Bernardeschi, Paulo Dybala and Álvaro Morata have all departed.
Paul Pogba has returned, although he’s out injured, while Bremer is the new centre-back and Ángel Di María has arrived on a free.
Of course, this’ll also be Dušan Vlahović’s first full-season in Turin; he scored nine goals in 21 matches after joining from Fiorentina in January.
But, right now, Juve look significantly weaker than the two Milan clubs, so will surely need more if they’re to seriously fight for the Scudetto and the one they really want, the Champions League.
Tip of the season
Can A.C. Milan retain their title?
Back in May, A.C. Milan ended their decade-long wait to be Serie A champions, memorably beating Sassuolo 3-0 on the final day.
This was vindication for Head Coach Stefano Pioli, winning his first major trophy of his 19 year managerial career.
Now, amazingly, I Rossoneri are looking to retain the Scudetto for the first time since 1994.
This summer’s notable departure is Franck Yannick Kessié, who is yet to be directly replaced.
The plan appears to be for Sandro Tonali and Ismāël Bennacer to be the first-choice midfield partnership, as they were at times last season.
In attack is where Milan have strengthened their squad, with Divock Origi and Charles De Ketelaere joining the club.
Meanwhile, at the back, Pierre Kalulu’s emergence in the Spring was a key reason why they were able to win the title.
Having finished bottom of their Champions League group last season, now as Italian champions, they’ll be desperate to perform better on a continental stage.
Tip of the season
Will Inter regain the Scudetto?
Will 2021 champions Internazionale recapture the trophy?
Last season, I Nerazzurri missed out on the Scudetto only on the final day, but didn’t end the campaign empty handed.
They reached the Champions League knockout phase for the first time in a decade, also lifting both the Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia, defeating Juventus to both.
All of that proved that Inter will remain competitive under Simone Inzaghi, despite losing Antonio Conte last summer and all the concurrent financial issues.
All the talk this summer has been about Romelu Lukaku, who’s back on loan, 12 months after being sold to Chelsea for €100 million.
Meanwhile, André Onana will be the new goalkeeper, Robin Gosens has made his loan permanent and Henrikh Mkhitaryan has arrived on a free.
Veterans Matías Vecino, Ivan Perišić, Arturo Vidal and Alexis Sánchez have all left, but star assets Nicolò Barella and Lautaro Martínez remain.
There is talk that centre-back Milan Škriniar may need to be sold to balance the books, but this hasn’t yet materialised.
So, on paper, Inter have the strongest squad in Serie A, and should be favourites to win back the title.
Tip of the season
Will new-look Napoli be able to challenge?
Napoli did finish third last season, so will be back in the Champions League for the first time since 2019/20, but a lot has changed this summer.
David Ospina, Kalidou Koulibaly, Fabián Ruiz, Dries Mertens and Lorenzo Insigne who, between them, made 1,415 appearances for the club, have all departed.
Financially, with three of these players leaving for free, just €60 million has been recouped.
At the back, this has been spent of Mathías Olivera and Kim Min-jae, arriving from Getafe and Fenerbahçe respectively.
Meantime, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa’s loan has been made permanent, while Leo Skiri Østigård and Khvicha K’varatskhelia have also joined.
Nevertheless, Luciano Spalletti’s squad is undoubtedly weaker, so another top four finish looks tough.
Can Roma break into the top four?
José Mourinho is already adored in Rome, so will his team build on the success of last season?
Back in May, Roma beat Feyenoord in the Europa Conference League Final, winning their first silverware for 14 years and their first European trophy since 1961.
So, despite the fact they finished sixth in Serie A, just one point better off than the previous season, Roma fans were delighted with the campaign.
The bubble of optimism has only grown further by the club’s summer transfer activity.
Paulo Dybala has joined on a free from Juventus, with tens of thousands of fans lining the streets to welcome him to the capital; what a signing that could prove to be.
Georginio Wijnaldum, who’s come in on loan, has also been serenaded at Stadio Olimpico, while Nemanja Matić too bolsters midfield options.
I Giallorossi’s aim this season has to be Champions League qualification, last competing in Europe’s top-tier competition in 2018/19.
But, Roma fans are dreaming of even more; optimism hasn’t been this high since the early 2000s, back when they last won the Scudetto.
A top four spot is more than achievable for Roma, or they could just win the Europa League, a trophy Mourinho has already won twice, something his new tattoo makes abundantly clear.
Tip of the season
Are Atalanta able to bounce back from last season?
Will last season turn out to be just a blip or the start of a downturn for Atalanta?
La Dea, despite having a mid-table wage bill, finished third in three successive seasons between 2019 and 2021.
However, last season, they slumped to an eighth place finish, their lowest since 2016, thereby missing out on European qualification.
So, with only domestic football to focus on, Gian Piero Gasperini’s side will be targeting a top six finish, possibly threatening the Champions League places again.
The good news for Atalanta is, so far, they haven’t lost any key players this summer.
Merih Demiral and Jérémie Boga have made loan deals permanent, while Éderson and Ademola Lookman have arrived.
They’ll also be hoping to have Josip Iličić back to his best; he’s played just eight minutes, coming on the final day, since 9 January following compassionate leave.
So, this largely settled squad are one of the front-runners to take a European spot.
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How will Fiorentina fare back in European competition?
The club who qualified for the Europa Conference League at Atalanta’s expense are Fiorentina.
I Viola’s first match in UEFA competition since February 2017 will come later this month in the Europa Conference League play-off round.
There, they’ll take on FC Twente and, assuming they get through that, Fiorentina will play eight games in that competition before 3 November.
This could have an adverse affect on their league form after Vincenzo Italiano’s side did incredibly well last season.
Despite the fact he left in January, Dušan Vlahović was Fiorentina’s top scorer last season with 20.
He has now been replaced by compatriot Luka Jović, who’s arrived from Real Madrid on a free.
Also, Pierluigi Gollini is the new goalkeeper, Dodô the new right-back and Rolando Mandragora will bolster midfield options.
I Gigliati undoubtedly are stronger now than the end of last season, but those extra European games will surely take their tole.
Are Lazio able to kick on?
Lazio have now finished fifth or sixth in four of the last six seasons, only qualifying for the Champions League group stags once (2020), since 2007.
After a promising campaign, can I Biancocelesti kick on and finish in the top four this season?
In Maurizio Sarri’s first year in charge, they missed out on the Champions League by one point, although it was done and dusted three weeks before the end of the season.
Ciro Immobile did score 27 league goals though, thereby claiming his fourth Capocannoniere.
Only one player, namely Gunnar Nordahl of A.C. Milan in the 1950s, has been Serie A’s top-scorer on more occasions.
Immobile is still around, as is Sergej Milinković-Savić, who will forever be linked with a move away, usually to Manchester United.
Lazio have also been busy in the transfer market.
They’ve spent money on Marcos Antônio, Luís Maximiano, Nicolò Casale, Mattia Zaccagni, Mario Gila and Ivan Provedel, while Matías Vecino has come in for free.
So, they’ll certainly be targeting a Champions League place, but could fall just short in that regard.
But, winning the Europa League, a competition Sarri has lifted before, or the Coppa Italia, could be routes to success.
Tip of the season
Will Monza make a splash?
Monza are in the top-flight for the very first time, but aren’t just aiming to avoid relegation straight back to Serie B.
The club owned by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi overcame both Brescia and Pisa in May’s play-offs to secure this historic promotion.
Publicly, Berlusconi has stated he hopes to take Monza into the Champions League.
While this isn’t going to happen this season, a top ten finish may not be beyond I Biancorossi.
Michele Di Gregorio, Andrea Ranocchia, Pablo Marí, Pedro Pereira, Andrea Carboni, Leonardo Mancuso and Gianluca Caprari are all set to go straight into their starting XI.
They’re not done there though, with more signings imminent, meaning big things are expected of Giovanni Stroppa’s side.
They face Napoli, Roma, Atalanta and Juventus before 18 September, so the new boys’ credentials will be tested right away.
Will any of the traditional heavyweights be embroiled in a relegation scrap?
With Cagliari and Genoa joining Parma in Serie B, will any more of Italy’s biggest clubs suffer relegation?
Sampdoria did flirt with the bottom three last season before, unlike their city-rivals, scrambling away from danger.
Having sold Gianluca Caprari, who scored 12 goals last season, and Mikkel Damsgaard, I Blucerchiati could be in danger once again.
Similarly, Torino have finished 16th and then 17th, only surviving by four points in 2021, before surging up to tenth last time round.
Nevertheless, having lost talisman Andrea Belotti, Ivan Jurić’s side could be in for another tough season.
What could save these two is newly-promoted clubs Cremonese and Lecce, who are expected to struggle, as well as Spezia and Salernitana, who will continue to battle the drop.
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Predictions
Champions: Internazionale.
Other top four places: A.C. Milan, Roma & Juventus.
Europa League places: Atalanta & Napoli.
Europa Conference League place: Lazio.
Relegated: Spezia, Lecce & Cremonese.
