The Serie A title race is among the most open in European soccer, with a number of teams typically considered capable of winning the biggest prize in Italian soccer.

Inter Milan claimed the title last year with three games to spare to win their 21st in the club’s history. That was the club’s first under Christian Chivu in his debut campaign as manager (having also claimed a domestic double). But will he be able to lead the Nerazzurri to success once again?

Quick Picks

Our pick: Inter to win

Value bet: Juventus to win

Long shot: Napoli to win

Betting Preview

The betting odds believe that Inter Milan will be able to retain their title . They’ve been made rather strong favourites to do so. Indeed, they’re arguably among the most stable and secure clubs in Italian soccer at the moment, with many others having undergone several changes.

Inter have managed to add England defenders Djed Spence and John Stones to their back line, while defensive midfielder Aleksandar Stanković has also arrived. They have lost Denzel Dumfries, while other experienced departures include Stefan de Vrij, Yann Sommer, Francesco Acerbi and Matteo Darmian.

But Inter may not have it all their own way. Juventus and Napoli are considered to have an equal chance of challenging for the title this season.

Luciano Spalletti has added attackers Loïs Openda, Randal Kolo Muani, and Kerim Alajbegovic to the Juve side, with defensive and goalkeeper reinforcements also arriving. Serbian striker Dušan Vlahović is one of a few who have left.

Napoli will start the season under Massimiliano Allegri, who has won the Serie A title six times (5x Juventus, 1x AC Milan).

Loans from last season have been made permanent, which could help them close the 11-point gap with Inter. But departures have also occurred, with Miguel Gutiérrez and Romelu Lukaku among them.

Betting Markets to Watch

While the three teams mentioned above are believed to be among the most likely to compete for the title, AC Milan are just on the outside in terms of odds being offered.

Led by former Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim this season, the Rossoneri will be aiming to improve on last season’s efforts after finishing outside of the top four by one point.

They’ve bolstered their attack with another Portuguese, with Goncalo Ramos arriving from PSG. He is likely to lead the line and could add the firepower that they lacked last season, scoring just 53 goals. 

While that wasn’t awful in the grand scheme of things, Inter netted 89, while Como found the back of the net 65 times.

Some players have returned from loan spells and may feel they have a second chance, although you’d feel AC Milan are going to need to improve significantly if they are to challenge for the title.

Our Prediction

Inter Milan are the likely Serie A winners.

Our value pick is Juventus, as they’ve added significantly to their attacking ranks, which could help Spalletti to improve on their 6th-placed finish last season and add more goals to their tally of 61 last season.

A long shot is Napoli. They’ve not had the best transfer window in terms of recruitment, but they have managed to keep their core of stars. They also have a manager with a winning pedigree, so cannot be ruled out.