Juventus were looking to make it ten Serie A titles in a row but Antonio Conte and Inter Milan put a stop to that by finishing 13 points clear at the top of the table.

CAN ALLEGRI TAKE JUVENTUS BACK TO THE TOP?

Last season was a fascinating one in Serie A. Juventus were looking to make it ten in a row and were the 10/11 favourites at the start of the season. However, it was a very poor year for them, which was coupled with a fantastic year for Inter Milan. Juve just got into the top four by one point and it was thanks to Napoli dropping points on the last day of the season.

The side managed by Antonio Conte lost just three games all season, taking the top spot on after game week 21 and staying there until the end. Conte made his side very hard to beat, conceding just 35 all season, the lowest in the Serie A. Romelu Lukaku had a fantastic season too, chipping in with 24 goals, which has earned him a big-money move this summer.

Juventus are once again the favourites though, with their new manager in charge. Betfair have them priced at 10/11, the same as last season. They have signed Weston McKennie on a permanent whilst also bringing in Manuel Locatelli who had a fantastic Euros. Juventus have also managed to keep hold of all their star players and given what has happened at other clubs in the Serie A, they will be confident of winning the league this year.

WHO CAN STOP THEM?

Inter Milan – 4/1

Despite winning the Serie A last season, Inter are fairly highly-priced this season. They have lost a lot of players from the club already including top scorer Romelu Lukaku and full-back Achraf Hakimi. A host of other players have gone too including Nainggolan, Politano and Ashley Young.

On top of this, manager Antonio Conte has left the club after a disagreement with the board over transfers. Simone Inzaghi has taken over after five years at Lazio.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Proven Serie A striker Edin Dzeko has joined the club along with Denzel Dumfries and Hakan Calhanoglu. No one expected Inter to win the league last season and with good players joining the club, what’s to say they can’t do it again this year?

Atalanta – 9/2

Atalanta had another good season in Serie A, finishing third on 78 points. They have now established themselves as one of the best sides in the league and were once again the highest scores with 90 goals.

On paper Atalanta doesn’t have the best squad, however, sometimes this can work in a teams favour. The opposition may not take them as seriously or certain players may be rested. Striker Luis Muriel chipped in with 22 goals last season and is now becoming one of the best forwards in the league.

For a club like Atalanta, their main aim will just be securing Champions League football and maybe even a cup run. At 4/11 to finish in the top four, there may be better value backing that then Atalanta to win the Serie A.

Roma – 12/1

Last season was a poor one for Roma, who finished seventh in the table. The fans will have expected a lot better and will be excited by the recent appointment of Jose Mourinho. The Champions League, Premier League, Serie A and La Liga winning joins the club with a lot of excitement and big reputation.

They have been busy this summer building up the squad with Tammy Abraham being the biggest signing so far for 336 million from Chelsea. He is similar to Edin Dzeko but 23 years old has many more years in him. Rui Patricio has also joined the club, who is a very good goalkeeper.

If there is one thing Mourinho knows how to do, it is winning ugly and when you’re not the best side. If he can make this side hard to beat, Roma may surprise everyone.

Napoli – 11/1

Napoli came fifth last season, which was an improvement on the year before. They are now back in the Europa League but will still feel like they should be competing with the best in the Champions League.

Napoli have a good squad and so far have managed to keep hold of them for this upcoming season. Politano has joined from Inter who will be a good addition to their forwards. Like Atalanta though, we think looking at a top four finish is for the best at 10/11.

RELEGATION BATTLE?

Similar to that of most leagues around Europe and the Premier Leauge, it is the bottom three sides in the Seria A who get relegated. There are no play-offs to decide who stays and goes and they are replaced by the three highest teams in Serie B.

Salernitana – 8/11

Finishing second in Serie B last season was Salernitana. They were last in the top flight in 1999 and since then have been through bankruptcy and started again from Serie D! This is going to be a very challenging year for them and given that they only won half of their games in Serie B, it’s easy to see why they are the favourites.

Venezia – 4/5

Another side who came up from Serie B is Venezia. They finished fifth in their league, 10 points behind Salernitana but came up through the play offs. Venezia have been in the Serie A before, but have been relegated from it six times, the most recent of which was in 2002. Given that they finished fifth last season, we fancy them to go down more than Salernitana!

Spezia – 11/8

Spezia finished 15th last season, six points above the drop zone, so it’s surprising to see them at 11/8 this season. One of their biggest issues is the amount of goals they concede. Of all the sides still in Serie A this season, they conceded the most with 72. For them signing some defenders and sorting the defence out in general is going to be key to surivial this year.

Serie A TOP SCORER ODDS

Cristiano Ronaldo – 9/4

Ronaldo finished the season with 29 goals last season, five ahead of Romelu Lukaku. He is one of the best players in the world still and with 29 last season he is definitely not slowing down. Juventus dominate most of the games and with players like Dybala, Cuadrado and Douglas Costa they will create many chances for him. Ronaldo has been top goalscorer before and with Lukaku out of the Serie A, we can’t see anyone else winning it!

Duvan Zupata – 6/1

The Atalanta striker finished on 15 goals last season, in 29 games. If he can get a full season of games played he could be up there. The 6 foot 2 Columbian striker is a handful for any defence and when you are playing in the highest scoring team in Italy, you’re going to be up there with a chance.

Ciro Immobile – 9/1

The last man to beat Ronaldo to the top scorer award in Serie A was Immobile. He got 20 last season which was 16 less than the one before but it is still a good return. If he can find the form he had in the 2019/20 season, then he has already shown he can beat Ronaldo to this award.

* Odds listed are with Betfair unless stated.