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Serie A returns: Inter and Milan open the championship. Italian champions favorite but 4 other teams can overturn the predictions

Today the championship starts again with four advances. Inter start as the underdogs but the transfer market is not over yet and Milan, Juve, Napoli and Atalanta will try to undermine Inzaghi's Nerazzurri

Serie A returns: Inter and Milan open the championship. Italian champions favorite but 4 other teams can overturn the predictions

The wait is over. The 2024/25 Serie A begins today with four advances all to experience (Genoa-Inter and Parma-Fiorentina at 18.30pm, Milan-Turin and Empoli-Monza at 20.45pm), with a particular eye on the Milanese, who will immediately be involved in the first back and forth of the season. Tomorrow it will be the turn of Conte's Napoli (in Verona) and the Romans (Cagliari-Rome and Lazio-Venice), while to see Atalanta (in Lecce) and Juventus (at home with Como) we will have to wait until Monday. Inzaghi's Italian champions start as favourites, even if the market can still change the balance: in fact, there are many deals still in progress, some of the highest level both incoming and outgoing, which is why a complete grid is he will only be able to have it in a couple of weeks.

Genoa – Inter (18pm, Dazn)

Regardless of what the others do, however, it is clear that Inter starts ahead of everyone. The Nerazzurri, in addition to being among the few who have not changed coach (and therefore not needing time to assimilate new methods) they strengthened themselves with Zielinski and Taremi and did not sell any top players. Many think that the scudetto will still be their business, but the latest precedents lead us not to exaggerate with optimism: Milan and Napoli, in fact, struggled enormously in the season following the tricolour, as Simone Inzaghi often reminds us. The path starts from Genoa and Gilardino's team, an indecipherable opponent in light of the latest transfer events. The sales of Retegui and Gudmundsson (who arrived yesterday in Florence) have significantly weakened the squad and the arrival of Pinamonti is not enough to rebalance things: Inzaghi has the chance to leave behind a difficult field without major problems, provided however face the challenge with maximum concentration. In this sense there should be no surprises, given that the club has already drawn up its objectives (the championship and moving forward in the Champions League) with great clarity, starting with the renewal of the coach full of bonuses linked to results. Expectations are high and Inter don't want to disappoint them, which is why they will go to Genoa with only one result available.

Inzaghi: “We want to defend the scudetto! The market? We're fine in attack."

“A new season begins again, we have a difficult debut on a difficult pitch against a healthy team and with an excellent coach – underlined Inzaghi -. Now last season must be left behind. I've seen the boys well in recent weeks, they're excited, we want to start again as we finished. We have always been considered among the favourites, but I don't like the grids, even if we have the responsibility of defending the title. Many teams are investing, we were good at maintaining the structure of last year with some additions. The market? We are missing a defender and we talked about it with the club, I have capable managers who know that we need an important player. Up front, however, we decided to stay like this, we have five attackers and we feel well covered."

Genoa – Inter, the probable lineups

Genoa (3-5-2): Loyal; DeWinter, Bani, Vasquez; Zanoli, Frendrup, Badelj, Malinovskyi, Martin; Messias, Vitinha
On the bench: Gollini, Sommariva, Vogliacco, Bohinen, Thorsby, Sabelli, Ekhator, Calvani, Fini, Papadopoulos
Trainer: Gilardino
Unavailable: Ekuban, Ankeye, Matturro, Marcandalli, Norton-Cuffy
Disqualified: no

Inter Milan (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Lautaro
On the bench: Martinez, Di Gennaro, Carlos Augusto, Fontanarosa, Pavard, Dumfries, Asllani, Frattesi, Taremi, Correa, Arnautovic
Trainer: Inzaghi
Unavailable: De Vrij, Zielinski, Buchanan
Disqualified: no

Milan – Turin (20pm, Dazn and Sky)

There is also great anticipation for the debut of Milan by Fonseca, playing at San Siro against Vanoli's Torino. The sold out stadium despite the holiday period demonstrates all the curiosity of the Rossoneri people for the new Portuguese creature, also because the transfer market is bearing fruit. It arrived last night Fofana and today, after having undergone the medical examinations and signed the contract, he will meet the new fans before the match. The enthusiasm, after a subdued start to the summer, is certainly growing, but now we need confirmation from the pitch and the match against Torino, far from a given, will certainly be a good test. Fonseca, waiting to be able to field the long-awaited French midfielder (probably in Parma next Saturday), is called upon to show a more balanced Milan than Pioli's last one, without however losing offensive effectiveness. The friendlies against Manchester City, Real Madrid and Barcelona gave responses that exceeded expectations, as did the "match" against Monza last Tuesday, but now things get serious, moreover against an uncomfortable opponent like Toro. The Granatas also arouse curiosity, not so much for the summer signings (at the moment, in fact, only two potential starters have arrived such as the defender Coco and the attacker Adams), but for the coach Vanoli, decidedly more "playful" than his predecessor Juric .

Fonseca: “We have changed a lot, but we will fight for the scudetto”

“We are ready to start with total confidence, we have great ambition – confirmed Fonseca -. We want to show the fans our identity, it wasn't easy to arrive so ready after five weeks of work. I'm satisfied, there has been a big change, I'm not saying that we start from first place but almost. There is confidence, at the moment it is too early to say, but I certainly coach a very strong group with ambitions. I don't back down and confirm that we are here to win, we want to fight for the championship. Inter have been very strong in the last two years, there are also others who can fight like Napoli, Juventus and Atalanta. Inter have the same players as in recent years, they are very strong, but we believe we can fight. The market? The entrance is closed, now we have to make some transfers".

Milan – Turin, the probable lineups

Milan (4-2-3-1): Maignan; Calabria, Tomori, Gabbia, Hernandez; Loftus-Cheek, Bennacer; Chukwueze, Pulisic, Leao; Morata
On the bench: Torriani, Raveyre, Terracciano, Pavlovic, Thiaw, Adli, Reijnders, Zeroli, Musah, Pobega, Saelemaekers, Okafor, Liberali, Jovic
Trainer: Fonseca
Unavailable: Jimenez, Florenzi, Sportiello
Disqualified: no

Turin (3-5-2): Milinkovic-Savic; Vojvoda, Coco, Masina; Bellanova, Ricci, Linetty, Ilic, Lazaro; Adams, Zapata
On the bench: Paleari, Popa, Bayeye, Karamoh, Ilkhan, Sazonov, Sanabria, Dembele, Dellavalle, Gineitis, Horvath, Tameze, Balcot
Trainer: vanilla
Unavailable: Schuurs, Vlasic, Pellegri
Disqualified: no

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