Serie A season preview: Can anyone stop Cristiano Ronaldo & Juventus?
Serie A will have more eyes on it than ever before this season after the sensational transfer of Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus – who are well fancied to make it an incredible eighth title in a row.
Juve have dominated the Italian league in recent times having won seven consecutive titles, and throwing in the icon that is Ronaldo into that mix means they're unsurprisingly 4/9 favourites to land an eighth Scudetto on the spin.
Napoli ran them pretty close last year though under Maurizio Sarri – who’s been replaced by Carlo Ancelotti, while Inter have been busy in the transfer market to try and challenge the champions.
Roma enjoyed a fine Champions League run while Milan finally seem to be on a sound financial footing meaning that Juve, on paper, could face another big challenge to their title - although the betting odds suggest otherwise.
Title contenders (with Sky Bet odds)
Juventus (4/9)
The biggest name in Italian football became one of the biggest names in world football after signing a one-man brand in Ronaldo for £99m. Juve have gone all in this season to try and win the Champions League and they see Ronaldo as the man able to finally get them over the line.
The pace of Serie A should enable Ronaldo to stay fresh and even though he’s 33 he looks fit enough to play for a good few years yet. The only doubt here is if the club take their eye of domestic matters while chasing Europe’s greatest prize.
They’ve sacrificed Gonzalo Higuain to get Ronaldo but have brought back experienced defender Leonardo Bonucci in return. There’s quality wherever you look with that solid defence behind a talented midfield containing Miralem Pjanic, Sami Khedira, Blaise Matuidi, Douglas Costa and new addition Emre Can.
Ronaldo joins Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala up front in what looks a devastating attack. The others may have improved but there’s no suggestion Juve have stood still – they’re still the team to beat.
Cristiano Ronaldo Serie A specials (Sky Bet Odds)
Losing Sarri and Jorginho is a huge blow to Napoli who looked like they’d pinched the league when they beat Juve late on last season only to cave down the stretch and lose by four points – it felt like their chance may have gone as they lost their manager and star midfielder in the summer.
Carlo Ancelotti, though, is a fine manager and there’s still talent there in Mertens, Insigne and Hamsik and, although it may be a tough ask to replicate last season’s title push, another decent season is expected on both fronts as they go on another Champions League adventure.
Ancelotti has divided opinion among Napoli followers, some worry he'll step away from their all-action approach that won so many plaudits last season into a more defensive shape, but others point to his vast experience and winning record and say he could well lead them to some silverware this season.
Roma (7/1)
Roma cashed in on Alisson and Nainggolan and have used the money to bolster their squad as a whole – with intriguing signings like Javier Pastore and Justin Kluivert certainly ones to watch this season as the season goes on.
Eusebio Di Francesco probably over achieved with a third-placed Serie A finish and Champions League semi-final so, while they have great memories and high hopes for the season, they still look some way off challenging Juve for the title.
Inter (8/1)
Luciano Spalletti’s side sneaked into the Champions League last season with a final game win over rivals Lazio, having started the season with an unbeaten run until November.
The club have added Belgian midfielder Radja Nainggolan from Roma as their marquee signing of the summer while also signing some real quality in the shape of Sime Vrsaljko, Stefan de Vrij and Keita Balde.
Joint top-scorer Mauro Icardi offers that cutting edge up front after his 29 goals last season, so Inter are primed for a challenge, but they may be stretched with top level European football returning.
Milan (16/1)
If any team could do with a settled period it’s Milan who are under new ownership again and look to have done some decent business ahead of the new season – namely in bagging Gonzalo Higuain from Juve.
Centre half Mattia Caldara has also arrived from Turin along with Croatian trio Nikol Kalinic, Ivan Strinic and Alen Halilovic meaning they’re pretty well stocked for a solid season. They’ll always have a chance if they can get Higuain firing.
They could surprise a few others and pinch a top four finish at evens, while 20/1 on them winning the Europa League seems a decent price given the additions they've made this summer.
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