Serie A Returns With Inter Milan Defending Title Amid Revival Hopes

Serie A is set to launch its 125th season this Saturday, and Inter Milan enters as the defending champions. They face stiff competition from a revitalized AC Milan and Juventus, while Napoli and Roma aim for a resurgence. Northern Italian clubs are expected to dominate the league, a trend that has held true since 2001 when those three teams won every title except two. Napoli and Roma stand as the primary hopes for the southern regions of Italy.

Inter clinched last year's championship under manager Cristian Chivu in his first season at the helm. They finished with an eleven-point lead over Napoli. Yet, the league is not what it once was. Italy holds third place globally for Champions League titles with twelve honors, trailing only Spain and England. No Italian club has won European football's top prize since Inter's victory in 2010. The Nerazzurri lost in the finals in 2023 and again in 2025.

Critics blame the league's decline on aging stadiums, a shortage of player development, fierce outside competition, and diluted internal rivalry caused by too many teams at the top level. Serie A expanded to twenty teams back in 2004, and proposals to reduce the squad to eighteen have been rejected. Al Jazeera Sport examines the major talking points ahead of this new campaign.

Significant changes have reshaped the league's elite squads over the summer break. Inter has updated their defense by signing right-back Djed Spence from Tottenham and center-back John Stones from Manchester City. They also brought Aleksandar Stankovic back to the club after his stint at Club Brugge. The Serbian midfielder is expected to be joined in midfield by Curtis Jones, who arrives from Liverpool.

However, Inter faces a potential blow with their captain. Argentinian striker Lautaro Martinez may leave for Barcelona. He was the top scorer in Serie A last season with seventeen goals and remains under threat. Meanwhile, rivals Milan finished fifth and Juventus sixth, both taking ambitious steps to catch up. Milan appointed Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim after his failed spell at Manchester United ended in January.

The Diavoli Rossi signed Goncalo Ramos from Paris Saint-Germain for seventy-four million euros, a sum equivalent to eighty-four point five million dollars. They also acquired Diego Moreira from Strasbourg to likely replace Rafael Leao. Juventus, the record holders with thirty-six championships, hope Luciano Spalletti can lead them back to glory since their last title in 2019-20.

The Bianconeri moved on from Dusan Vlahovic after three years and signed French forward Randall Kolo Muani. They bolstered the defense by adding Colombian center-back Jhon Lucumi and goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who is on loan from Tottenham. Napoli's success now relies heavily on Massimiliano Allegri managing both domestic matches and European schedules. Kevin De Bruyne, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Scott McTominay drive the midfield, while Rasmus Hojlund handles the scoring duties.

Roma, led by Gian Piero Gasperini, added Portuguese midfield prodigy Rodrigo Mora and Argentinian forward Santiago Castro to their roster. Can Inter recapture its past glory? Building another era of dominance might depend on the midfield in Chivu's 3-5-2 formation. The plan involves Jones supporting Nicolo Barella and Petar Susic in the center, with Spence and Federico Dimarco covering the wings.

A battle for places on the back line is expected between Stones, former Manchester City teammate Manuel Akanji, Alessandro Bastoni, Yann Bisseck, and Benjamin Pavard. In preseason training, eighteen-year-old Leonardo Bovio started at center-back. Inter led Serie A with eighty-nine goals last season, finishing twenty-four points clear of Como.

If Martinez walks away, the scoring burden lands squarely on veteran Marcus Thuram, alongside 22-year-old Ange-Yoan Bonny and 21-year-old Francesco Pio Esposito. The stakes have never been higher for Italy's attack.

Luka Modric found a second wind at Milan after what seemed like the end of his long road. A career spanning more than two decades featured six Champions League titles and four La Liga championships with Real Madrid, yet he looked ready to quit. Then came the move to Milan. He hit the ground running. The Rossoneri dropped their Serie A opener last season but followed it with a 24-game unbeaten streak, largely because Modric dominated the midfield.

Modric turns 41 on September 9 and showed incredible resilience. His anticipation and exquisite touches kept opposing defenses guessing. He also gave Croatian-American winger Cristian Pulisic something to chase before injury slowed him down. The midfielder missed time late last season after a broken cheekbone in a clash with Juventus's Manuel Locatelli, but he returned for his fifth World Cup appearance with Croatia.

Can Pio Esposito bring the old magic back to Italian calcio? He carries the hopes of a national team that has failed to qualify for three straight World Cups. Inter's striker is expected to restore faith in Italian goal scorers. Last season, Serie A scoring plummeted from 973 goals in 2024-25 down to 922. That averages out to just 2.42 goals per game, the lowest figure among the top eight European leagues. Only three Italians reached double digits with 10 goals: Federico Bonazzoli, Riccardo Orsolini and Gianluca Scamacca.

Esposito comes from a football-playing family in Castellammare di Stabia in Campania. He moved north as a youngster along with two brothers. He burst onto the scene during the 2025 Club World Cup, setting up a goal in his Inter debut and scoring against River Plate in his second game. Standing at 6-foot-3, he is a powerful figure who offers an aerial presence while threatening defenders with either foot. He tallied seven goals in 35 appearances for Inter last season, logging 15 starts.

Recent Italian national team Serie A Golden Boot winners include Argentina-born Mateo Retegui in 2025, Ciro Immobile in 2018, 2020 and 2022, and Fabio Quagliarella in 2019. The list shows how hard it is to find consistent Italian strikers.

Can Como keep climbing the Serie A ladder? It has been a lightning-fast rise for Cesc Fabregas and Como, one of the league's smallest clubs. Fabregas joined as a minority investor and player in 2022-2023, moved into an assistant role the next year, and became head coach last season. He guided Como to its first winning record in Serie A since 1952.

The team plays at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Lake Como's shores near the Swiss border. They set a club record with a fourth-place finish and earned Champions League qualification. Fabregas built an effective attacking style using a 4-2-3-1 alignment. He mixed prospects like Martin Baturina, Anastasios Douvikas and Nico Paz with veterans such as Alvaro Morata.

Jean Butez led Serie A with 19 shutouts last season, but European competition will test the Biancoblu defense differently. Trevoh Chalobah and right-back Yan Couto are expected to reinforce the back line. The challenge ahead is clear and demanding.

What lies next for Aurelio de Laurentiis and Napoli? After saving Napoli from bankruptcy and relegation to Serie C in 2004, de Laurentiis promised to return the club to European competition and win the scudetto. He delivered on both fronts. Napoli won Serie A twice, matching their total from Diego Maradona's era. Remarkably, they captured the 2025 title despite selling Victor Osimhen before the season started and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia midway through.

Maintaining those standards proved difficult last season. The team dropped to second place in the league and failed to advance in the Champions League. Defense became a weakness, coinciding with injuries to Amir Rrahmani. De Laurentiis remains resourceful, having enticed Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte and Luciano Spalletti to manage Napoli. His latest coup was bringing in Massimiliano Allegri, a winner of six Serie A scudetti with Juventus and Milan.