Inter Milan begins its Serie A title defence this weekend with a trip to Genoa, looking to get off to another bright start as it bids to become the first team to retain the Scudetto since Juventus in 2020.
That was Juve’s ninth consecutive league title but since then the Italian top flight has become a lot less predictable with Inter (twice), AC Milan and Napoli all tasting success. Now, Inter hopes to carve out its own period of domination.
In order to do that, Inter will want to make a similar start to last season, where it began with five consecutive wins to hit the top of the table early on, and it has the advantage of continuity on its side.
Simone Inzaghi is still at the helm, whereas their likely rivals all have a new man on the bench. AC Milan brought in Paulo Fonseca and Juventus have Thiago Motta in charge, while Antonio Conte is the man looking to take Napoli back to the top.
Inter has been relatively quiet so far in the transfer market and its main business has been bringing in Polish midfielder Piotr Zielinski and Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi on free transfers.
Zielinski will not be available for Inter’s opening games because of injury but Taremi should be on the bench for the trip to Genoa on Saturday and ready to give Lautaro Martinez a chance to rest after his Copa America exploits with winner Argentina last month.
Last season, Inter was held to a 1-1 draw at Genoa at the end of December and Alberto Gilardino is another manager hoping for a repeat of his side’s previous campaign.
Genoa was a newly promoted side last time out and more than held its own as it finished the season in a respectable 11th place, but it is expected to find it tougher going this season and avoiding relegation will be the target.
Against Inter, Genoa could struggle for goals with many of its forwards unavailable, and it has also lost striker Mateo Retegui to Atalanta.
Vitinha will likely start, as Gilardino will be without Caleb Ekuban and David Ankeye, and its top scorer from last season, Albert Gudmundsson, could also be an absentee. He is heavily linked with a move away before the transfer window closes.
Milan begins life under Fonseca with a home game against Torino on Saturday and new signing Alvaro Morata, fresh from captaining Spain to Euro 2024 success, will lead the attack.
Motta impressed at Bologna last season, leading it to a top-five finish and Champions League football, but the pressure will be much greater at Juventus.
It should be an interesting start for the new man as his side host newly promoted Como on Monday, a team managed by Cesc Fabregas.
Como has been busy in the transfer market bringing in Spanish keeper Pepe Reina and his compatriot, defender Alberto Moreno, along with striker Andrea Belotti.
Napoli will look to bounce back from its dismal attempt to defend its title last season, when it finished 10th, and life under Conte begins at Hellas Verona on Sunday.
