Serie A preview – Predictions, offers and latest odds
As one of Europe’s top five leagues, Serie A has a lot of competition for places every time the table is rearranged.
Inter Milan are the reigning champions and will be looking to defend their crown against their city rivals, as well as resurgent Juventus and Napoli.
Meanwhile, it is expected to be a tough battle at the bottom as it is expected that there will be a number of groups fighting for their safety.
The 2024-25 season is going to be a scary one for Italy and we’re here to explore what’s to come.
All odds were correct at the time of writing on 12 August and are available at bet365.
Serie A winners
Inter Milan (3/5)
Inter Milan ran away with the title in 2023-24, comfortably taking top spot, with AC Milan trailing by 19 points.
But with their rivals around them getting stronger, it may not be easy this time around.
Lautaro Martinez will have to be in top form again for the champions while the defense will do well to repeat the 22 goals they conceded last term.
Juventus (7/2)
The Old Lady are back on the rise after finishing third last season, 23 points off the pace.
Head coach Thiago Motta will be expecting nothing but success in Turin and will be keen to continue his silverware run having won the Coppa Italia last season.
The additions of both Douglas Luiz and Kephren Thuram will only strengthen their chances of closing the gap on Inter Milan, but there is still a big gap to cover last season’s results.
AC Milan (7/1)
AC Milan are not tipped to match their San Siro rivals in 2024-25, but they could be a surprise contender for the Serie A title.
At 7/1, they are a good outside bet, especially since they have signed Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata.
The Spanish captain has guided the team to Euro 2024 glory and alongside Rafael Leao, the Rossoneri certainly have an exciting attack.
Naples (8/1)
Antonio Conte is already facing problems at Napoli but he knows how to win.
The Italian is determined to get more players through the door before the start of the campaign, with Romelu Lukaku one name heavily linked.
Conte is known to have an immediate impact on any club he leads so don’t be surprised to see Napoli shoot up the table after finishing 10th.
Champions League race
The four teams mentioned above will be fighting each other for the Champions League, but there are a lot of other contenders for the top four.
Five teams will compete in Europe’s top competition this season thanks to Italy’s high points so teams are more motivated than ever to go as high as possible.
Atalanta (13/8)
Atalanta finished fourth last season, just ahead of Bologna, who enjoyed a good campaign.
Charles De Ketelaere joined permanently this summer, as did Everton defender Ben Godfrey.
They put together an impressive team that will be able to challenge the top four players.
Romans (9/4)
The club from the capital finished sixth in 2023-24, but were just seven points off the Champions League.
Long-term injuries to Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori have hampered their performance to some extent but they will be back with a vengeance now.
Roma have spent around €80m on signings so far in the transfer window hoping to close the gap on their rivals.
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Competitors
35 points saw them relegated from Serie A last season so teams will have to overcome that if they want to stay in Italy’s top flight.
With Como and Cesc Fabregas making a statement of intent by bringing Raphael Varane to the club, it could be the other mainstays who are most vulnerable to the drop.
Venezia (8/13)
Venezia is one of the teams promoted from Serie B last summer so it is only natural that they will be relegated.
They finished third, behind Como and Parma in the second division.
However, on 8/13, there seems to be some doubt among the bookies as to who will face the upset in May.
Empoli (4/5)
Empoli survived Serie A by the skin of their teeth last term.
They have collected 36 points, which keeps them safe by very small margins.
But having lost 20 games in 2023-24 – the third longest – they have some work to do if they are to complete the great escape again this year.
Cagliari (6/5)
Cagliari also had 36 points last season, which shows how strong they can be at the bottom of Serie A.
Only three relegated teams have conceded more than 68 goals in the entire campaign.
They bought a new center back in Sebastiano Luperto to try and make sure things go smoothly, but it may take more than one to do that.
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Verona (11/10)
If Verona had not beaten Salernitana on the last match day of 2023-24, they would have been playing in Serie B.
Three points from safety isn’t much in the grand scheme of things but it’s enough to ensure another year of quality football.
Parma (2/1)
Parma won the second division last season, but according to the bookies they are more likely to go down than second-placed Como.
The Serie B champions are back in the top flight from 2021 and will look to stay there for years to come.
But with only two signings this summer, that may be easier said than done.
Prediction
Inter Milan are heavy favorites to win back-to-back titles and rightly so.
However, I think Juventus will be very strong in the 2024-25 campaign as they look very stable under Motta.
I expect Conte to get Napoli back into the Champions League with Roma far behind, but the battle below is too hard to call.
The drop may swallow any of the teams mentioned above but the odds on each side are good enough to give you good value on any bet.
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