It's the last of the five major European domestic soccer leagues to get started – and it might also be the one with the most drama as Italy's premier football schedule kicks off Aug. 24.
Juventus are the defending champions following an 11-point finish over runner-up Napoli – but will the arrival of Maurizio Sarri as manager disrupt one of the most dominant domestic streaks in all of professional soccer? And does AC Milan's focus on domestic play give them terrific value as a live long shot?
We rundown the odds around the upcoming Serie A campaign, giving our best and worst bets, need-to-know soccer tips, and predictions.
TOP SOCCER TIPS
• Roma are looking to put the turmoil of last season's sixth-place result behind them – and while there are still holes on the roster, they appear to have upgraded in goal with the addition of Pau Lopez from Real Betis of La Liga. Lopez was a league-average 'keeper during his time in Spain, but is expected to fare better than previous starter Robin Olsen, who struggled as Roma allowed the ninth-most goals in the league. Roma are an intriguing play at +220 to move into a top-4 spot this season.
• It's a new era in Inter Milan with the arrival of manager Antonio Conte, widely considered one of the top bench bosses in all of Italy. But will Conte struggle to find a rotation that is both effective and inclusive, given that Inter have more than two dozen players capable of playing starter minutes? Inter certainly have the talent to compete with the top teams in Serie A, but with Juventus and Napoli both looking formidable, cashing in on their +500 odds to win the championship could prove difficult.
• A busier schedule isn't the only thing Atalanta will need to deal with following a surprise third-place result in last year's Serie A table. One of the team's weak spots in 2018-19 was found at the center-back position – and with no one having stepped up as a viable slam-dunk option, Atalanta could be in danger of running into a similar fate as last year, when they allowed the second-most goals of any team to finish in the top 8. Atalanta are +300 underdogs to return to the top 4 this season.
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TEAMS TO FAVOR
• The deepest and most talented team in the league is looking for a ninth consecutive championship – and there's little reason to believe Juventus won't be atop the standings at the end of the season. While Sarri's players will need to get accustomed to his style of play, there's more than enough skill here to make the transition a breeze. While Juventus have their sights set on other events – The UEFA champions League, for example – there's little standing between them and a successful cash on their -225 title odds.
* Napoli might not have the talent to close the gap between themselves and Juventus, but if you're looking for a slam-dunk play despite the meager payout, you can't go wrong with locking in last year's runners-up to repeat as a top-4 unit. Not only have Napoli produced a top-3 result in six of the previous seven seasons, they have redemption on their mind following mediocre showings at the Coppa Italia, Champions League and Europa League. At -350 to finish top-4, you can secure a modest return.
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TEAMS TO FADE
• Lazio are flying high after securing the Coppa Italia championship last season – but it's possible that their focus on the national cup title put a dent in their hopes of finishing inside the top-4 in league play. Lazio won just two of their final nine games in Serie A and looked mostly dreadful down the stretch, while also dropping out of the UEFA Europa League in the Round of 32. They caught fire in the Coppa Italia, but it's hard to peg them as a top-4 play this season, making them a strong fade option at +300.
• It's unclear how Sassuolo ended up with such reasonable odds to be relegated at season's end, but bettors should stay far, far away from them when it comes to this prop. Not only did Sassuolo finish a respectable 11th in last season's table, they also posted a decent minus-7 goal differential while earning points against league powers Napoli, Inter Milan, Roma and Torino. There are several teams in worse shape – so don't give the Sassuolo relegation play a second look at +400.
TOP 4 VALUE BET
• Torino were once the class of Italian football – and thanks to the commitment of team owner Urban Cairo, they might find themselves on the rise in 2019-20. Cairo has told reporters he has rejected overtures from other teams for several of his star players, including the talented attacking trio of Simone Zaza, Andrea Belotti and Alex Berenguer. Another year of cohesion for last year's seventh-place finisher could be just what they need to rise into the top-4 and cash in their +900 odds of doing so.
RELEGATION VALUE BET
• Three promoted teams – Verona, Lecce and Brescia – will join the 17 clubs fortunate enough to avoid being relegated last season. But if there's one non-promoted side that could be in danger of heading to the second division in 2020, it's Parma. Not only did they finish just three points out of the relegation zone last year, their minus-20 goal differential was the worst of any team not relegated – and lower than one of the teams that was. We like Parma at +200 to be out of Serie A next season.
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TOP GOAL SCORER BET
• This award is Cristiano Ronaldo's to lose – and while he very well could if he should suffer an injury or suspension, it's highly unlikely that a full season of Ronaldo – or something close – will produce a different result. He had 21 goals in 31 games with Juventus last season, and will be looking to put to rest any doubt that his best days are in the rearview. Bank on Ronaldo to finish comfortably atop the goal-scoring ledger in 2019-20, a result that pays out at +162.
OUTRIGHT WINNER VALUE BET
• Financial issues will prevent AC Milan from participating in the upcoming UEFA Europa League competition despite finishing fifth in the Serie A table in 2019-20 – but that might actually work to their advantage. Not being encumbered with extra tournament games will allow the sensations of San Siro to focus primarily on moving up the standings – and with the core of last year's team largely intact, you could do worse than laying a few bucks on AC Milan to shock the world and win the title at +2500.
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