Inter Milan are the bookmakers favourites to dethrone Napoli as the 2023/24 Serie A champions despite a summer of limited big money signings and notable departures. Simone Inzaghi’s 19-time Scudetto winners have sold keeper Andre Onana to Manchester United, holding midfielder Marcelo Brozovic to Saudi Arabia and wing back Robin Gosens to Union Berlin in a transfer window that was also witnessed the departure of strikers Romelu Lukaku and Edin Dzeko, as well as center back Milan Skriniar.
Purse strings are tight at the Suning Group owned Champion League losing finalists who begin the new campaign at home to Monza on Saturday with 34-year-old Swiss keeper Yann Sommer as the first choice between the sticks. Inzaghi is counting on French forward Marcus Thuram, a free transfer from Gladbach and Davide Frattesi to help regular centre forward Lautaro Martinez spearhead Inter Milan’s attempt to win back the Scudetto.
Champions Napoli are without title winning manager Luciano Spalletti who has taken a sabbatical from the beautiful game. Rudi Garcia, the new manager at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium helm, can count on the services of virtually the entire squad that won Partenopei their first Serie A title since 1990. South defender Kim Mi-Jae and Andrea Petagna are the only big name exits from the side that dazzled at home and in Europe. Crucially, club president Aurelio de Laurentiis has held onto prized assets Victor Osimhen, last season’s Serie A top scorer, and Kvicha Kvaratshkelia, who got into double figures for goals and assists.
Record champs Juventus begin their campaign away to Udinese on Sunday with the Turin club still shaken by a punishment that saw them stripped of a Champions League place and former chairman Andrea Agnelli reprimanded for financial irregularities. Manager Massimiliano Allegri stills boasts of one of the division’s best squads but energy has been sapped by the on and off speculation linking striker Dusan Vlahovic with a move away from the Allianz Arena.
AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli’s starting line up in Monday night’s game at Bologna will have several new faces following the arrival of USA pair Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musa, Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze, former Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus Cheek and Swiss striker Noah Okafor. The Giuseppe Meazza Stadium based 19-time champions are only fourth favourites behind Inter, Napoli and Juventus but they have the squad to challenge for silverware.
SATURDAY
Empoli v Hellas Verona,
Frosinone v Napoli,
Genoa v Fiorentina,
Inter Milan v Monza
SUNDAY
AS Roma v Salernitana,
Sassuolo v Atalanta,
Lecce v Lazio,
Udinese v Juventus
MONDAY
Torino v Cagliari,
Bologna v AC Milan
