Getty Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring a goal during the Italian Serie A football match Juventus vs Napoli on August 31, 2019 at the Juventus stadium in Turin. (Photo by Isabella Bonotto / AFP) (Photo credit should read ISABELLA BONOTTO/AFP/Getty Images)
Another Serie A season is upon us and the Italian league once again boasts one of the deepest talent pools in the world. Juventus finished first in 2018-19, earning themselves a Champion’s League bid and the Italian powerhouse seems once again poised to contend for another Serie A title.
In their way of a ninth straight Serie A title, Napoli, AC Milan, and Inter Milan look to offer some stiff competition for the Italian and are undoubtedly worth keeping an eye on. You can watch all the Serie A action on ESPN+ for $4.99 per month. Go here to sign up.
Juventus vs Fiorentina – September 14
GettyJuventus’ Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo shoots on goal during the Italian Serie A football match.
Juventus is off to another hot start going 2-0 out of the gates with wins over Parma and Napoli. The early-season win over fellow Serie A powerhouse Napoli serves as a good sign with Juventus passing their first test. Meanwhile, Fiorentina has stumbled out of the game going 0-2 so far and desperately is looking to get into the win column.
Juventus is led by one of the best players in the world, five-time Ballon D’or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo notched 21 goals and 8 assists last season for Juventus and looks to once again lead the scoring charge for the dominant Italian club.
Federico Chiesa helps lead the way for a young Fiorentina team and while they lack the high-end star power that Juventus brings to the table, they offer heaps of youthful talent that has room to grow. With only three players north of 30 years old on the roster, Fiorentina looks primed to be one of Serie A’s top contenders in the coming years.
AC Milan vs Inter Milan – September 21
GettyLucas Paqueta of AC Milan is challenged by Matteo Politano of FC Internazionale.
The Milan Derby is upon us as AC Milan once again takes on Inter Milan in 2019’s edition. Both clubs figure to fight for a spot at the top of the standings this year with Inter getting off to a 2-0 start while AC comes in at 1-1.
AC Milan boasts some of the best keeper play in all of Serie A as they own the rights to Gianluigi Donnarumma, the keeper for the Italian National team. Also featuring superstar defender Alessio Romagnoli, AC Milan is built with an elite old-school Italian defense in mind.
The rich got richer over the offseason and the already loaded Inter Milan squad added Manchester United forward, Romelu Lukaku. Giving them an elite scoring presence up front to pair with an already strong defense. Lukaku should help create more looks for the talented Italian club and give them the necessary star power to give Juventus a run for their money.
Inter Milan vs Lazio – September 25
GettyLucas Paqueta of AC Milan is challenged by Matteo Politano of FC Internazionale.
Shortly after Inter Milan gets a tough test against AC Milan, they face another tough opponent in Lazio. While Lazio isn’t expected to contend for a Serie A title, they are expected to finish towards the top of the league and offer Inter Milan a difficult challenge on the heels of the Milan Derby.
Inter could find themselves a bit tired out from what is shaping up to be a close-fought Milan Derby and Lazio undoubtedly has the talent to make them pay. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is the star of the team in the midfield and was recently pursued by some of the biggest clubs in the world. While Lazio has some talent surrounding Milinkovic, his play is what should dictate how Lazio holds up and if they are capable of hanging with Serie A’s best teams.
As mentioned above, Inter Milan is loaded with fresh talent and one of the strongest rosters in Serie A. With the talent to rival fellow Serie A juggernaut, Juventus, Inter Milan looks to come out of the tough two-game stretch at 5-0 and send a message to the rest of the league that Juventus needs to look over its shoulder.
AC Milan vs Torino – September 26
GettyTorino’s Italian defender Lorenzo De Silvestri vies for the ball with AC Milan’s Polish forward Krzysztof Piatek.
AC Milan finds themselves back in action relatively soon after the Milan Derby as well. Playing against Torino the next day, Milan faces a similar path to Inter in that Torino isn’t a top contender but still boasts the talent to be one of the more dangerous teams in Serie A.
With a solid defense and depth in the midfield, Torino isn’t going to blow anyone away but instead is a team capable of keeping games close and low-scoring. Torino’s stellar defense should be back in force this season and if they can improve on the offensive end slightly, Torino has the talent to take a step into the Serie A elite.
Expect a defensive battle between the two teams with AC Milan holding the slight edge over Torino due to their proven ability to put the ball in the net. That said, with a win Torino send a message to the rest of Serie A that they are ready to contend this year and capable of taking down the league’s best clubs.
Lazio vs Genoa – September 29
GettyGENOA, ITALY – FEBRUARY 17: Joaquin Correa of Lazio (left), Cristian Romero of Genoa and Ivan Radovanovic of Genoa vie for the ball during the Serie A match between Genoa CFC and SS Lazio at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on February 17, 2019 in Genoa, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Rattini/Getty Images)
Wrapping up the month, Lazio gets back in action against another team looking to crack into the Serie A elite, Genoa. Genoa comes into the 2019-2020 season with a drastically changed roster. The biggest addition looks to come in the form of Cristian Romero, the former Juventus midfielder.
Genoa struggled last season and nearly found themselves relegated last year, yet have already picked up a win and draw in their first two matches behind a re-tooled roster. Superpower teams like Inter Milan and Juventus still look to be a bit too talented for Genoa to consistently hang with, though an early season win over Lazio would put them in a strong position to build towards a much better finish at the top of Serie A in 2019-2020.
On the other side, a win for Lazio helps cement their status as one of the up and coming clubs in Serie A behind Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
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