While the domestic season essentially just finished, it’s already time to look ahead to the next. Over in Italy, Napoli are the current Scudetto title-holders after a breathtaking campaign in 2022-23 that saw them run away with their first title since 1989-90.
However, 2021 winners Inter Milan are the current favorite to win in the 2023-24 Serie A futures. Keep reading for the analysis of a few different clubs that are expected to be contenders once the campaign rolls around.
There are many ways to look at Inter’s 2022-23 season. They finished a whopping 17 points back of Napoli in Serie A but did end up in third. Not ideal for a side who just captured the Scudetto a year prior. However, Simone Inzaghi’s men made an improbable run to the Champions League final against Manchester City and could’ve even won the showpiece if it wasn’t for Romelu Lukaku missing several clear-cut opportunities.
Well, Lukaku is officially not coming back after the Nerazzurri pulled out of the race for the Chelsea outcast and they managed to strengthen their attack with the addition of Marcus Thuram. While Marcelo Brozovic departed for the Saudi Pro League, Inzaghi still has a strong squad. Winning another Serie A title is definitely possible, hence their +200 odds at Bodog sportsbook.
Luciano Spalletti guided Napoli to a mind-boggling campaign where they finished 16 points clear of Lazio at the top of the table with an impressive 28-6-4 record, conceding a mere 28 times in 38 games. Kim Min-jae stepped in and proved to be the perfect replacement for Kalidou Koulibaly, which resulted in Bayern Munich buying the Korean. That’s a big loss for the club. Plus, Spalletti stepped down and Rudi Garcia took over after spending time coaching Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi. Although the pairing of Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia remains in Naples, there’s been a lot of change. I don’t see them repeating.
Juve was stripped of points last term for their illegal transfer business which resulted in them finishing in seventh place, which means they will miss out on the European competitions that matter. There are set to be some changes as well, with Angel Di Maria leaving for Benfica, Juan Cuadrado joining rivals Inter, and Dejan Kulusevski staying at Tottenham on a permanent basis. There are rumors that the Old Lady could sell Dusan Vlahovic, but that would be rather foolish considering their lack of true goal-scorers. Oh, and they just signed American winger Timothy Weah.
You can’t ignore the other Milan. The Rossoneri were fourth last season and of course, won the Scudetto in 2022 under Stefano Pioli. They also made some intriguing moves this summer, bringing in a pair of Chelsea players in Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who should see ample minutes at the San Siro. Although Sandro Tonali left for Newcastle, this is still a very strong squad, especially when you consider who they have up top: Rafael Leao. The Portuguese set Italy on fire in 2022-23, scoring 15 goals and tallying eight assists. Don’t forget Olivier Giroud either, who proved he can still produce the goods, netting 13 times in Serie A action. Milan owns the fourth-best odds at most soccer betting sites, but they must be considered a contender.
