Serie A 2025/26 Predictions: Title Race, Top-Four Contenders, Relegation and Golden Boot

Yahoo

6 hours ago

The 2025/26 Serie A season begins on Saturday, and a three-way race for the title is likely to take shape.
Antonio Conte did the unthinkable in his first season at Napoli as the Partenopei wrestled back the Scudetto from Inter Milan in one of the most dramatic title races in recent memory.
Only one point separated the two sides after 38 rounds, but it was enough to earn the southern giants their fourth-ever title in Italy's top flight.
Juventus eked out a fourth-place finish in the Serie A table on the final day, while Atalanta finished third in Gian Piero Gasperini's last season at the Gewiss Stadium.
Despite Claudio Ranieri's best efforts, Roma missed out on Champions League qualification by a single point. He returned to retirement after the end of the season.
AC Milan miserably flopped and failed to secure European football altogether. With a new manager, the Rossoneri will look to atone for a dreadful campaign.
Title Favourites
Conte resurrected Napoli in his first season at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.
The Partenopei went from a miserable 10th-place finish in 2023/24 to reclaiming the Scudetto despite losing star forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia midway through the season.
In the absence of the Georgian winger, a new hero emerged in the form of Scott McTominay, who won the MVP award for his title-winning exploits in his maiden season in Serie A.
Reluctant to rest on their laurels, Napoli have been among the most active Italian clubs in the transfer window this summer.
Kevin De Bruyne has arrived from Manchester City to reunite with his international colleague Romelu Lukaku.
Sam Beukema's transfer from Bologna is intended to strengthen Conte's options at the back, with Noa Lang and Lorenzo Lucca expected to add to Napoli's firepower.
With Conte at the steering wheel and a heavily reinforced squad, the Partenopei seem well-positioned to become the first defending Serie A champions to go back-to-back since Juventus in 2020.
Genuine Contenders
Conte's 'second season' syndrome could be Napoli's worst enemy this term, with several seasoned contenders poised to pounce at the first sign of weakness.
Inter Milan could reclaim the crown, even though they lost long-serving manager Simone Inzaghi to Al-Hilal at the beginning of the summer.
New manager Cristian Chivu faces an uphill task in filling Inzaghi's shoes and proving he can succeed at the highest level in his first high-profile role in senior management.
Like Napoli, the San Siro giants have significantly bolstered their squad with the additions of Petar Sucic, Luis Henrique and Ange-Yoan Bonny.
More importantly, they've fended off foreign interest in Marcus Thuram, Denzel Dumfries and Hakan Calhanoglu, maintaining the skeleton of Inzaghi's title-winning side.
After five unenviable seasons, Juventus could return to being the protagonists despite their summer dealings being far less eye-catching than those of their direct rivals.
With Jonathan David set to replace Dusan Vlahovic in attack, manager Igor Tudor hopes the former Lille striker's mobility and pace can inject fresh impetus into the Bianconeri's frontline.
Top-Four Race
It would be surprising to see any of the three aforementioned teams dropping out of the top four in 2025/26.
Based on other sides' transfer business and last season's performances, they appear guaranteed to secure three of the top four places.
However, watch out for Roma. It will be exciting to see how Gasperini will fare at the Stadio Olimpico after achieving remarkable success in Bergamo.
Much will likely depend on Paulo Dybala's ability to stay fit, considering he remains the heart and soul of this Giallorossi squad.
Atalanta will stake their claim for a Champions League finish, but after undergoing profound changes during the summer, that looks unlikely.
In addition to parting ways with Gasperini, they have named Ivan Juric as his successor. His footballing style sharply contrasts with his predecessor's.
La Dea have sold last season's Serie A top scorer, Mateo Retegui, to Al-Qadsiah, with Ademola Lookman is pressuring the club to let him join Inter.
AC Milan could overtake the Bergamo club in the pecking order after reappointing Massimiliano Allegri.
However, after severing ties with Tijjani Reijnders and Theo Hernandez, their chances of climbing the table look slim.
Relegation Battle
Cremonese have made their return to the top flight after a two-year absence, but they look destined for immediate relegation.
Forced to operate on a tight budget, they have struggled to attract quality players during the summer.
Davide Nicola's appointment alone speaks volumes, given the former Cagliari boss typically manages teams fighting for survival.
Pisa also seem set to drop back to Serie B in their first season back to the elite division since the early 1990s.
Lecce have been flirting with the danger zone for years, but after avoiding the drop by the smallest of margins in recent seasons, they may succumb this time.
Golden Boot
Serie A will crown a new Capocannoniere winner this season now that Retegui has swapped Atalanta for Saudi Arabia.
Last year's runner-up, Moise Kean, will look to go one step further in 2025/26, as Fiorentina begin the new campaign with renewed optimism following Stefano Pioli's return to the club.
However, Lautaro Martinez is the leading candidate to win the Serie A top scorer award.
Despite an unimpressive last season, El Toro is arguably the most complete centre-forward in Italy's top flight, with the entire Inter squad focused on supplying him with opportunities.
Lukaku could challenge his former partner in crime now that he has De Bruyne behind him.
The 32-year-old striker was central to Napoli's title win last season, though he managed just 14 goals.
With Conte building the team around his favourite goal-scorer, an improvement on last year's tally looks like a virtual certainty for the Belgian star.
Roma's Artem Dovbyk is a potential dark horse, while no one would dare to rule David out of the race after everything he did in Ligue 1 over the past five years.
How to watch Serie A live this season
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Serie A Season Previews
AC Milan 2025/26 Season Preview
Inter Milan 2025/26 Season Preview
Juventus 2025/26 Season Preview
Napoli 2025/26 Season Preview