Between 2012 and 2020 Juventus had a stranglehold on the Serie A title, winning nine on the bounce… and then the unthinkable happened.
Inter Milan won the 2021 Scudetto and then, in a mighty battle with their city rivals, I Nerazzurri succumbed to 2022 champions AC Milan while the Old Lady looked on. The Serie A 2022 betting odds say we are set for another battle between this big three and I’d say Max Allegri’s Juventus is the team to beat.
Going into the season the odds have I Bianconeri neck and neck with Inter and, following a strong showing in the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, Allegri’s men have a steely confidence. The signing of Serbian scoring sensation Dusan Vlahovic, in the January transfer window, transformed the team. Following his switch from Fiorentina the 6ft 3in 22 year old gave Juventus a menace in attack they had been sadly missing, and he finished with 24 goals, second only to Lazio’s Ciro Immobile in the race for the Capocanonniere.
Vlahovic bagged seven in 15 appearances for Juve and when he has a full season under his belt we’ll see whether he is to become a scoring legend in Turin. The Serb is sure to make some spectacular Serie A 2022 highlights, that’s for sure.
In defence, the future of Matthijs de Ligt is still to be confirmed and Allegri will be keen to tie the Dutch defender into a longer contract.
Up in Milan the Red half of the city is still celebrating after I Rossoneri won a first title in over a decade as Olivier Giroud scored twice against Sassuolo in a 3-0 final day win. The takeover of the club by Redbird Capital Partners has prompted a new wave of optimism among fans who believe they can win back-to-back Scudettos. The US based investment firm, which also has a stake in Liverpool, acquired a majority shareholding of Milan in June and head coach Stefani Pioli has since been setting about putting his squad together for the new season.
Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech has been strongly linked with a move to the San Siro and I Rossoneri have just tabled a 25m Euro bid for Real Madrid forward Marco Asensio. But as well as getting new bodies in for the upcoming campaign, Pioli’s priority is to keep hold of attacking midfielder Rafael Leao who had an outstanding campaign last term.
Inter Milan are the marginal SBOTOP favourites to win the 2022/23 Scudetto and head coach Simone Inzaghi has moved to bring Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku back to the club, after he suffered a disappointing 12 months at Chelsea. The Premier League club has loaned the striker back to the team he helped fire to the 2021 Scudetto, thanks to a prolific partnership he struck up with Argentine hitman Lautaro Martinez. And rumours are circulating that Paulo Dybala could be on his way from Juventus to add more depth to the attacking group.
Elsewhere in the team, I Nerazzurri have Italy midfield ace Nicola Barella who can play wide on the right or through the middle, in a more advanced position than Marcelo Brozovic. And these two make one of the most formidable midfield partnerships in the league.
Dark Horses
It looks like a three horse race for the title and a shootout which will involve Juventus, but there are three more teams who will fight for a Champions League spot, and have one eye on the Scudetto.
Napoli
I Partenopei finished third last season and were in the title hunt for much of the campaign, having matched Milan stride for stride in the first three months before having a mid season blip. Napoli begin life without Lorenzo Insigne and head coach Luciano Spalletti is looking to strengthen, and he too is in the race to sign Dybala; but Napoli’s attacking hopes rest on the shoulders of the powerful Victor Osimhen who is a Capocannoniere candidate.
Roma
Jose Mourinho led Roma to a sixth placed finish last season and he will be looking for a big improvement this time around. He’s a born winner and a master tactician, and Mourinho will hope his players, led by the excellent Lorenzo Pellegrini, can match his ruthless streak and rough up the favourites. Mourinho has brought in former Manchester United defensive midfielder Nemanja Matic and that could turn out to be a shrewd signing.
Atalanta
La Dea have been the most attacking side in European football for a number of seasons and experienced strikers Luis Muriel and Duvan Zapata will be on the prowl for goals again in this campaign. An eighth placed finish means a season without European football for Gian Piero Gasperini’s side and that could work in their favour.
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