Inter Milan lead Serie A title race as rivals reshape their squads for 2026-27

Serie A begins its 95th season on Saturday, 22 August 2026, with Inter Milan seeking a third consecutive title and a host of rivals hoping to prevent another dominant campaign. The 20 top-flight clubs will also compete for European qualification, while several less established sides face an immediate battle to avoid relegation.

Nasser Eddy, a consultant for NCI Sport and presenter of the European Champions League on radio Nostalgie, has provided his analysis and predictions for the new campaign, which the source describes as a new Premier League season.

Inter Milan favourites despite significant departures

Inter Milan start as the clear favourites to retain the Scudetto after winning the title in each of the past two seasons. They have, however, entered a new phase after losing a number of important players, including goalkeeper Yann Sommer, defenders Denzel Dumfries, Stefan de Vrij, Francesco Acerbi and Matteo Darmian, and midfielder Davide Frattesi.

The champions have responded by signing defenders Manuel Akanji and John Stones from Manchester City, while Djed Spence has arrived from Tottenham after an excellent World Cup with England. Goalkeeper Ivan Provedel has also joined from Lazio Rome for €3m.

Inter Milan have retained their most important attacking players, including the partnership of Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram. Their pre-season was encouraging, with three wins and two draws from five matches. Two of those games were against direct Serie A title rivals, Juventus Turin and AC Milan.

Inter Milan are priced at 2.65 to win the championship again. AC Milan are next at 5.5, while AS Roma are considered an outsider at 9.

Juventus Turin and AC Milan, traditionally among Italy’s leading clubs, are both aiming to return to the top after several difficult and trophyless seasons. Both will play only in the UEFA Europa League this term, rather than the UEFA Champions League, and know they must quickly recover their previous status.

Juventus Turin have lost only once in seven pre-season matches, against Inter Milan, recording five wins and one draw in the other games. Their transfer activity has so far been cautious, although they have completed the signing of Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario after abandoning their pursuit of Dibu Martinez. The Turin club is expected to accelerate its recruitment during the next 10 days.

AC Milan have undergone a much more extensive overhaul. The club has changed its structure, appointed Ruben Amorim as manager and invested €200m in new players. Among those arrivals are Goncalo Ramos from Paris Saint-Germain, Mario Gila from Lazio Rome and Diego Moreira from Racing Club de Strasbourg. Rafael Leao, meanwhile, is expected to leave.

Napoli and Roma challenge for Europe

Those changes could allow AC Milan to challenge SSC Napoli, who have been close to the summit for the past two seasons. Napoli’s transfer activity has been relatively limited, with their main business involving the permanent signings of former Manchester United forward Rasmus Højlund and former Sporting CP attacker Alisson Santos.

AS Roma are the other club viewed as a serious contender for a UEFA Champions League place, and possibly the title. They have confirmed the signing of Donyell Malen and recruited World Cup runner-up Nahuel Molina from Atletico de Madrid, as well as former FC Porto forward Rodrigo Mora. Roma have also managed to keep almost all of their key players, including Cote d’Ivoire international defender Evan Ndicka.

AC Milan and AS Roma are predicted to complete the top three and secure qualification for the 2027-28 UEFA Champions League, with odds of 1.55 and 1.75 respectively. Juventus Turin are favourites for the fourth and final Champions League place at 1.48, ahead of SSC Napoli.

SSC Napoli are expected to finish fifth and take the final UEFA Europa League place. Como 1907 and Atalanta Bergamo are predicted to finish sixth and seventh respectively.

Como 1907 surprised everyone by finishing fourth last season, but repeating that achievement is considered unlikely. Cesc Fabregas’ side would be satisfied with sixth or seventh place after signing high-profile players such as Alvaro Morata from AC Milan, Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea FC and Yan Couto from Borussia Dortmund. Their pre-season was less convincing, producing only one win in four matches.

Atalanta Bergamo, who finished sixth last season, are expected to challenge Como 1907. The club has lost important players, including Marco Palestra, who joined Chelsea for €57m. Lazio Rome, managed by Gennaro Gattuso, and Bologna are not expected to mount as strong a challenge.

Relegation battle

Lecce have finished as the highest-ranked relegated-threatened side in each of the past two seasons and may now struggle to avoid the drop. Eusebio Di Francesco’s squad has changed little, with former Paris FC forward Willem Geubbels the only notable arrival. Christian Fruchtl and Þorir Helgason have departed.

Parma and Cagliari, both familiar with the lower reaches of the table, are also expected to be involved in the fight but are predicted to survive. Two of the three promoted clubs, Monza and Frosinone, are forecast to go straight back down because of their limited top-flight experience and relatively quiet transfer windows.

Venezia are viewed more positively on their return to Serie A, two years after their previous appearance. They have strengthened with Nigeria international Akor Adams from Sevilla FC and Morocco international Redouane Halhal from Belgian club Mechelen. Halhal was part of the Morocco squad at the most recent World Cup.

Lecce are priced at 1.83 for relegation, while Frosinone and Monza are at 1.33 and 1.51 respectively. Venezia, Parma and Cagliari are all expected to retain their Serie A status.

Martinez backed to lead the scoring charts

The top five scorers from last season are expected to remain in Serie A, setting up another competitive battle for the Capocannoniere award.

Defending champion Lautaro Martinez is the overwhelming favourite to finish top again. The Inter Milan striker is regarded as one of the few world-class centre-forwards in the Italian league and will benefit from playing in a team expected to dominate possession and create regular chances.

Thuram scored 13 goals and finished fourth last season, but his attacking opportunities may again be restricted by Martinez’s presence. He is therefore not expected to challenge for the individual prize.

Donyell Malen, who enjoyed an impressive first season with AS Roma, finished second last term, only three goals behind Martinez, and could mount a significant challenge if Roma improve further. Goncalo Ramos is another potential contender after joining AC Milan from Paris Saint-Germain for more than €70m.

Rasmus Højlund of SSC Napoli and Anastasios Douvikas of Como 1907 are expected to find the challenge more difficult because their clubs are not forecast to occupy the leading positions.

Despite the threat posed by Malen, Martinez is predicted to finish as Serie A’s leading scorer in 2026-27 at odds of 2.7.

Odds are subject to change.