Serie A season predictions: Inter to dominate as Empoli struggle

- Inter Milan finished 19 points clear as champions last season
- No more than one promoted side relegated in last three seasons
- Recommended bet: Empoli to be relegated

Napoli put up one of the weakest title defences in Europe last term as they dropped to 10th and allowed Inter Milan to comfortably land Lo Scudetto for the first time since 2021.

There have been plenty of managerial changes amongst the changing pack as Italy’s big clubs look to close the gap on the Nerazzurri, suggesting the upcoming Serie A season may be one for the ages.

Immense Inter hard to knock

Inter were undoubtedly the best side in Italy last term. They lost only two league matches, scored 89 goals and conceded just 22.

Inzaghi is a top manager and having signed experienced and classy midfielder Piotr Zielinski and talented striker Mehdi Taremi, while suffering no major outgoings, they are worthy favourites to retain their crown.

Changes to chasing pack may bring mixed results

Atalanta, who finished fourth last season, and Roma, who ended up sixth, are the only sides from last term’s top 10 other than Inter who will be heading into the new season with the manager they ended the last campaign with.

Last season’s runners-up AC Milan have opted for Paulo Fonseca to help them close the gap on their rivals, while Napoli have gone for a more well-known face to Italian fans in Antonio Conte.

The biggest coup, however, came from Juventus, who have appointed Thiago Motta, the mastermind behind Bologna’s sensational fifth-place finish of last term. His style is far more attacking than his predecessor Max Allegri, though, so Juve may not improve immediately.

Napoli, like Juve, could take some time to acclimatise to their new manager as Conte’s defensive style may limit the likes of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, so backing Milan to be the best of the rest again could prove profitable.

Fonseca’s attacking style, which helped bring out major improvement in the likes of Jonathan David at Lille could suit Milan, whose forward line of Alvaro Morata, Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic could thrive under the Portuguese.

Como to cause some shocks

At the other end of the table, last season’s Serie B play-off winners Venezia look set for a difficult campaign. Their manager Paolo Vanoli has departed for Torino and they are yet to make any signings to suggest they can survive.

That is good news for fellow new boys Como and Parma as in the past three Serie A seasons no more than one newly promoted side has gone back down.

The former are managed by Cesc Fabregas and have captured headlines with their signings of Pepe Reina, Raphael Varane, Andrea Belotti and Alberto Dossena, suggesting that a mid-table finish may not be beyond I Lariani.

Serie B champions Parma have kept hold of manager Fabio Pecchia and their signing of highly rated goalkeeper Zion Suzuki is an eye-catching one. They are another side heading in the right direction and should be fine.

That will have the alarm bells ringing for the likes of Cagliari, Hellas Verona and Empoli, all of whom narrowly avoided the drop last term, with the former perhaps in the most danger of relegation.

Prediction

It is hard to envisage anybody other than Inter winning the title, but 3/5 with LiveScore Bet is short, so taking the slightly better price of about Empoli being relegated – an outcome which seems equally likely – could be a smarter play. 

A last-minute winner from M’Baye Niang on last season’s final day kept them in the league, but they may not be so lucky this time around.

The Senegalese forward netted six of their measly 29 league goals last term and has since departed, leaving them short in an area they already had issues in. 

Only basement boys Salernitana (31.45) managed less expected goals than Empoli’s 38.06 in Serie A last term, so with Niang gone and young forward Sebastiano Esposito not guaranteed to replace his output, it is hard to see where the goals will come from for Gli Azzurri. 

Sebastiano Luperto has departed for relegation rivals Cagliari and his ball-playing ability and defensive presence at the back will be sorely missed, while new manager Roberto D’Aversa won just six of his 30 matches in his last job with Lecce. 

With a poor manager, lack of attacking threat and notable departures throughout their squad, Empoli look set for a difficult season. 

Back Empoli to be relegated at 4/5 with Livescore Bet