Serie a Countdown: IL Grande Spettacolo DI Calcio | OneFootball

Yet another exciting season of Italian football is on the horizon and that drama, tension and excitement are greater than ever before. So many storylines are waiting to be written in what could be a season to remember; this is the 2025/26 Serie A preview.

The campaign starts on Saturday, 23 August 2025, when Genoa welcomes Lecce and Napoli visits Sassuolo. Both games will be at 4:30 PM GMT.

Who Are the Serie A Title Favourites?

Napoli just edged out Simone Inzaghi’s Inter last season in Serie A, with Scott McTominay in particular a key star in Antonio Conte’s side, scoring many key goals in key moments which made him the Scottish darling of Naples. But who can challenge for the Scudetto this season?

Napoli – They’re clear favourites to retain their crown as Serie A champions. An experienced coach, a serial winner, and a champion through and through in Antonio Conte.

They have strengthened with the additions of Noa Lang, Kevin De Bruyne, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Lorenzo Lucca and Sam Beukema. Kevin De Bruyne in particular – his quality will be so important and with McTominay they could form a deadly duo when attacking, with Stanislav Lobotka controlling things from deep. However, losing Romelu Lukaku to a thigh injury may see them struggle for goals. But there’s also a possibility Lorenzo Lucca can somewhat compensate for that, considering he’s a physical, strong and tall presence up top.

Inter Milan – Losing Simone Inzaghi to Al Hilal at the back end of last season definitely doesn’t help; he was a big part of why Inter were so strong in the last two seasons. But under Cristian Chivu, who will use similar tactics with the same formation, they shouldn’t see too many major changes and they’ve kept a strong core of their squad into the new campaign. Inter have the experience, the grit and the quality to take back what they feel is their Scudetto.

MILAN, ITALY – APRIL 27: A detailed view of the FC Internazionale logo on a corner flag inside the stadium prior to the Serie A match between FC Internazionale and AS Roma at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on April 27, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

AC Milan – This is one that will raise eyebrows but under Massimiliano Allegri, they have one of the most experienced and successful Italian coaches in the modern era across the last decade.

They’ve lost a key player in Tijjani Reijnders but have replaced him with someone who could be equally as good, if not better, in Ardon Jashari from Club Brugge. They have also added Pervis Estupiñan from Brighton, Koni De Winter from Genoa, Samuele Ricci from Torino and Luka Modric on a free transfer. That is quality and experience added to their squad, something they really lacked last season. They may have lost Theo Hernandez but it was clear he hasn’t been good enough in the last season or two. Also, without European football, that could be a big advantage, just like it was for Napoli last season.

Which Teams Will Challenge for European Football?

With the likes of AS Roma, Atalanta, Juventus and Lazio all expected to be in and around the top 4, there are also sides that aren’t expected to be in that mix that could break their way in. But who are those sides?

Como – They’ve got one of the most exciting projects anywhere around Europe. Under a top young coach in Cesc Fabregas, whilst also recruiting well by adding the likes of Álex Valle permanently from Barcelona, Alvaro Morata on loan from Milan, Jesus Rodriguez from Real Betis, Nicolas Kühn from Celtic, Maximo Perrone permanently from Manchester City, and Jacobo Ramón from Real Madrid, they have strengthened their squad, which signals an intent that their ambition is far greater than just surviving the drop. On top of what they have, they are exciting players who can combine to take Como into Europe.

Fiorentina – They have always been there or thereabouts. Prior to last season, they reached back-to-back UEFA Conference League finals under Vincenzo Italiano, which is some achievement. But they lost both to West Ham and Olympiacos, respectively. Having only taken charge of just one season, Rafaelle Palladino was able to take them to the Conference League semi-final, where they fell short to Real Betis, and to a respectable 6th place finish in Serie A.

This season under new Head Coach Stefano Pioli, they hope to replicate that, and they’ve added Simon Sohm from Parma, Edin Dzeko from Fenerbahçe, and Luca Lezzerini from Empoli, as well as making the loans of Albert Gudmundsson, Nicolo Fagioli, and Robin Gosens permanent. Pioli believes experience is the way to go.

Bologna – Last season was one to remember for Bologna and their fans. Firstly, they enjoyed a European journey in the Champions League and even though they were eliminated in the League Phase, it was definitely worth it. They then went on to lift the Coppa Italia in May, ending a 51-year drought by defeating Milan at the Stadio Olimpico to get into the Europa League. Whilst having to play Thursday-Sunday will be difficult, they’ll definitely fancy themselves to challenge for European football again.

Despite the losses of Sam Beukema to Napoli and Dan Ndoye to Nottingham Forest, they have strengthened their squad by adding Martin Vitik from Sparta Prague and Torbjoern Lysaker Heggem from West Brom, as well as adding the experienced Ciro Immobile and Federico Bernadeschi on free transfers.

Who Will Be This Season’s Serie a Surprise Package?

Udinese have made a couple of interesting additions this summer and after a mid-table finish last season, they’ll want to kick on this season and break into the top half of Serie A.

Lennon Miller is one that really stands out, one of the most exciting prospects on the rise. He was signed from Motherwell and what he will bring is a calmness and control to the Udinese midfield. In a sense he’s the Scottish Iniesta. If he can be the heartbeat in the midfield, Udinese are capable of having a good season.

Which Side Has the Biggest Point to Prove?

Sassuolo look like the side that has the biggest point to prove. They comfortably won the Serie B title last season, securing promotion back to Serie A at the first time of asking. They have a good squad with good players; keeping hold of Armand Laurienté in particular will be huge considering he had interest from Sunderland, where a deal fell through at the final hurdle, and also he was one of their key players last season. Considering how poor they were in 2023/24 as well, they will want to prove they’re good enough to belong in the top flight.

Who Are Favourites to Go Down?

Cremonese – The last time they were in Serie A, they went straight back down after one season. They don’t look strong enough; they must add more quality if they stand a chance of surviving.

Pisa – They’ve been out of Serie A so long, it’s really hard to tell where exactly they could be. In a way they’re a bit like Luton Town. They’ve added some quality and Serie A experience in Juan Cuadrado and Michel Aebischer on loan from Bologna but at this stage that isn’t enough. Juan Cuadrado’s recent injury record may be a concern too.

Lecce – They just about survived by the skin of their teeth last season and whilst they’ve added Riccardo Sottil on loan from Fiorentina and exciting young prospect Francesco Camarda on loan from Milan, that squad just doesn’t look strong enough to survive. They have also appointed Eusebio Di Francesco as their new Head Coach and looking at his record recently, being relegated with Frosinone in 2023/24 and Venezia in 2024/25, it doesn’t fill with confidence.