With the start of the Serie A season rapidly approaching, bettors may look to the outright market to find value. Juventus’ stranglehold on Italian football was thwarted by Inter Milan last season, but who will win the Scudetto this time round? Read on to gain insight into the Serie A 2021/22 season.
Serie A 2021/22: Who are the favourites?
|
Team |
Odds |
2020/21 position |
|
Juventus |
4th |
|
|
Inter Milan |
1st |
|
|
Atalanta |
3rd |
|
|
AC Milan |
2nd |
|
|
Napoli |
5th |
|
|
Roma |
7th |
|
|
Lazio |
6th |
Juventus' fourth-place finish was the club's worst season since coming seventh in the 2010-11 campaign. It also put end to Juventus’ league title-winning streak (they’d won nine in a row) and saw manager Andrea Pirlo replaced by their former coach Massimiliano Allegri.
The energetic midfield player Weston McKennie has joined the club on a permanent deal from Schalke 04, but the club will have to continue to recruit if they’re to remain favourites for the Scudetto. They are currently priced at 2.000* to regain the Serie A trophy.
Inter Milan secured their first Serie A title since 2009/10 last season, as Antonio Conte’s blend of experience and youth outplayed the other contenders to top the division. Conte has since departed, with former Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi now in charge of the team.
Inzaghi can still call upon the majority of Inter's title-winning squad from last season, including the formidable attack of Romelu Lukaku, Lautaro Martinez, and Alexis Sanchez. Inter are priced as the 3.200* second-favourites to retain their title, which could prove great value if they pick up where they left off.
Gian Piero Gasperini has taken Atalanta (9.000*) to the heady heights of the Champions League quarter-finals and his team enter this season following three successive third-placed finishes, largely courtesy of his tactical nous.
Atalanta have a strong core of players including Rafael Toloi, Marten de Roon, and Mario Pasalic, while the likes of Robin Gosens, Matteo Pessina, and Ruslan Malinovskyi have flourished under Gasperini's management. If the club can retain its tight-knit culture, a title challenge might become a reality.
Serie A 2021/22: Notable outsiders
For much of last season, it appeared AC Milan (12.000*) could win the Scudetto. Zlatan Ibrahimovic looked imperious and the midfield of Franck Kessie, Ismael Bennacer, and Hakan Calhanoglu was imposing before the team were surpassed by arch-rivals Inter.
Jose Mourinho and Maurizio Sarri have returned to Serie A with Roma and Lazio respectively.
Unlike many other title contenders, Milan have enjoyed a summer of managerial stability which they hope will benefit them. Stefano Pioli has added to his squad by making Fikayo Tomori’s loan move from Chelsea permanent, while the arrival of Lille goalkeeper Mike Maignan should make the transition from the outgoing Gianluigi Donnarumma less tumultuous.
Milan may have the youngest average age in the league at 25.4 years old, but if they have have another strong start, they could gather enough momentum for a title charge.
Roma (17.000*) have perhaps made the biggest signing of all this summer, appointing Jose Mourinho as their new manager. He’s back in Serie A, a league where he won back-to-back titles with Inter in 2009 and 2010, although guiding Roma to a Scudetto title would arguably be his biggest achievement yet.
Mourinho has had plenty of time to review the squad and form a plan with general manager Tiago Pinto. If they can agree a deal with Arsenal for Granit Xhaka and add more quality while getting some high earners off the wage bill, then a top-four finish is by no means out of the question.
Maurizio Sarri has also returned to the league in which he made his name at Lazio (31.000*), who will be hoping that he can instil the robust yet free-flowing game that his former side Napoli deployed between 2015 and 2018. However, the new manager’s first mission will be to regain the harmony in the squad after clashes with the fan base and with owner Claudio Lotito’s involvement with newly-promoted Salernitana under scrutiny.
Felipe Anderson has returned to the club from West Ham United and the Brazilian will hoping to emulate the heights of his Serie A form. Sarri is renowned for his relentless tactical model and if the squad can pick up both that and a presumed return to a four-man defence quickly, they too could be challenging for a top four spot.
Serie A 2021/22: Relegation canditates
Following their Serie B play-off victory, Venezia have returned to the top flight for the first time since 2001. They’ve looked to the MLS market to land the promising Tanner Tessmann and are reportedly also hoping to tie up a deal for Sporting KC midfielder Gianluca Busio.
Manager Paolo Zanetti shouldn’t have an issue motivating his players this season, but they may have to learn quickly how to respond to defeat if they are to avoid relegation.
The club’s leadership at Salernitana will face some tough decisions as their ownership of fellow Serie A club Lazio means they must sell their assets. As a consequence, manager Fabrizio Castori will need to rely upon a raft of free transfers and loan signings, although he has completed a move for Dutch attacking midfielder Reda Boultam.
Much will depend on how prudent they can be in the market, as avoiding relegation would be seen as a remarkable achievement for the side from the ancient city of Salerna.
After gaining promotion to Serie A for the first time ever in 2019/20, Spezia raided the loan market and retained their status in Italy’s top league. This was largely courtesy of their clutch of forward players, including M’Bala Nzola’s 11 goals and Daniel Verde's eight in all competitions.
If both players can replicate such form, then they could avoid relegation once again. However, with most of their loanees now back at their parent clubs, Spezia will have to move swiftly between now and the end of the transfer window to bolster their squad.