Northern Italy seeks to keep the pressure on the south as Serie A returns

Expect northern Italian dominance to continue, as Serie A kicks off its 125th season on Saturday.

Inter, Juventus and Milan should be fighting it out for the scudetto – since 2001, the three teams have won all but two titles – with Napoli and Roma representing the south’s hopes.

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Inter captured last season’s championship in Cristian Chivu’s first season as manager, finishing 11 points ahead of Napoli.

Serie A, though, is not what it used to be. With 12 Champions League titles, Italy ranks third on the list, behind Spain and England. No Italian club, however, has captured the Champions League since Inter in 2010, the Nerazzurri falling short in the finals in 2023 and 2025.

Some blame the league’s decline on ageing stadiums, lack of player development, improved outside competition and diluted internal competition caused by too many teams at the top level.

Serie A expanded to 20 teams in 2004, and proposals to return to 18 have been rejected.

Al Jazeera Sport looks through the key talking points ahead of the new Serie A season.

What changes have been made to Serie A’s elite in the summer?

Inter have refreshed the defence with right-back Djed Spence and centre-back John Stones, from Tottenham and Manchester City respectively, while Aleksandar Stankovic has been brought back to the club from Club Brugge. The Serbian looks set to be joined in midfield by Curtis Jones from Liverpool.

Inter are, however, in jeopardy of losing Argentinian striker Lautaro Martinez, team captain and Serie A leading scorer last season with 17 goals, who may be a target for Barcelona.

Their rivals Milan, fifth last season, and Juventus, sixth place, have taken ambitious steps to chase down Inter.

Milan brought in Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim, who bombed out of Manchester United in January.

The Diavoli Rossi brought in Goncalo Ramos on a 74 million euro ($84.5m) transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, and brought in Diego Moreira from Strasbourg, likely to replace Rafael Leao.

Juventus, record Serie A winners with 36 championships, are hoping Luciano Spalletti can contend for the scudetto, last captured in 2019-20.

The Bianconeri gave up on Dusan Vlahovic after three years, acquiring French forward Randall Kolo Muani. Bolstering the defence will be Colombian centre-back Jhon Lucumi, plus goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario on loan from Tottenham.

Napoli’s fortunes will depend on Massimiliano Allegri’s ability to juggle domestic and Euro schedules. Kevin De Bruyne, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Scott McTominay drive the midfield, and Rasmus Hojlund does the scoring.

Roma, guided by Gian Piero Gasperini, have added Portuguese midfield prodigy Rodrigo Mora, along with Argentinian forward Santiago Castro.

Can Inter recapture past glory?

If Inter are to build another era of dominance, it could be up to the midfield in Chivu’s 3-5-2 formation. The plan is for Jones to support Nicolo Barella and Petar Susic in the middle, with Spence and Federico Dimarco covering the wings.

Competing for places on the back line will be Stones, along with former Manchester City teammate Manuel Akanji, plus Alessandro Bastoni, Yann Bisseck and Benjamin Pavard. In the preseason, Leonardo Bovio, 18, started at centre back.

Inter led Serie A with 89 goals last season, 24 ahead of Como. Should Martinez depart, it will leave the scoring to veteran Marcus Thuram, plus 22-year-old Ange-Yoan Bonny and 21-year-old Francesco Pio Esposito.

Luka Modric rejuvenated with Milan

After a 20-plus-year career that included six Champions League and four La Liga championships with Real Madrid, Luka Modric seemed ready to hang it up.

Then, Modric went to Milan, and quickly found his footing. Milan lost its Serie A opener last season, then went on a 24-game unbeaten streak, with Modric controlling the midfield.

Modric, who turns 41 on September 9, proved resilient, his anticipation and exquisite touches keeping defences off balance. He also provided a point of reference for Croatian-American winger Cristian Pulisic, before Pulisic was slowed by injuries.

Modric missed time late last season after sustaining a broken cheekbone in a clash with Juventus’s Manuel Locatelli, but returned to play in his fifth World Cup for Croatia.

Can Pio Esposito revive Italian calcio?

Along with carrying the hopes of the national team, which has failed to qualify for three successive World Cups, Inter’s Pio Esposito is expected to revive the reputation of Italian strikers.

Last season, Serie A scoring fell from 973 goals in 2024-25 to 922 (2.42 goals per game, lowest among the top eight European leagues). With 10 goals, Federico Bonazzoli, Riccardo Orsolini and Gianluca Scamacca were the only Italian players in double figures in Serie A.

Esposito, from a football-playing family in Castellammare di Stabia in Campania, moved north as a youngster, along with two brothers. He emerged during the 2025 Club World Cup, setting up a goal in his Inter debut and scoring against River Plate in his second game.

A powerful figure, standing 6-foot-3, Pio presents an aerial presence and is a threat with either foot. He totalled seven goals in 35 appearances (15 starts) for Inter last season.

Recent Italian national team Serie A Golden Boot winners have included Argentina-born Mateo Retegui in 2025; Ciro Immobile in 2018, 2020 and 2022; Fabio Quagliarella in 2019.

Can Como continue climbing the Serie A ladder?

It’s been a rapid rise for Cesc Fabregas and Como, one of Serie A’s smallest clubs. Fabregas joined Como as a minority investor and player in 2022-2023; advanced to Serie A as an assistant and head coach the next year; and, last season, guided Como to its first winning record in Serie A since 1952.

Como, which plays at 12,000-seat Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on the shores of Lake Como, on the Swiss border, set a club record with a fourth-place finish and qualified for the Champions League.

Fabregas has developed an effective attacking style in a 4-2-3-1 alignment, combining prospects such as 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 present a different challenge for the Biancoblu defence. Trevoh Chalobah and right-back Yan Couto are expected to reinforce the back line.

What’s next for Aurelio de Laurentiis and Napoli?

After rescuing Napoli from bankruptcy and relegation to Serie C in 2004, de Laurentiis promised to return the club to European competition and capture the scudetto. Said and done, Napoli won Serie A twice, equalling their total during Diego Maradona’s years. Remarkably, Napoli captured the 2025 title, despite selling Victor Osimhen on the eve of the season and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia midway through.

Standards proved difficult to maintain, and Napoli dropped to second place in the league and failed to advance in the Champions League last season. Defence proved a weakness, coinciding with injuries to Amir Rrahmani.

De Laurentiis has been resourceful, enticing Carlo Ancelotti, Antonio Conte and Luciano Spalletti to manage Napoli. His latest coup was bringing in Massimiliano Allegri, winner of six Serie A scudetti with Juventus and Milan.

Reporting originally appeared via Al Jazeera. Read the full source for additional context.