2026/27 Serie A predictions: The champion, the teams relegated & the best goalscorer

By Klimentijs Konevs | Published: 19 August, 2026, 10:30

The 2026/27 Serie A season begins on 22 August, with another exciting year of Italian football. Inter Milan are the defending champions after lifting their 21st Scudetto last season. They finished the domestic campaign with a comfortable 11-point gap over Napoli in Cristian Chivu's first year as head coach.

Now, the Nerazzurri will be aiming to win back-to-back league titles, although Napoli, Juventus, AC Milan and Roma will all be hoping to knock Inter off the top. Venezia, Frosinone and Monza return to the Serie A after earning promotion. In this preview, we take a look at this season's title race, relegation favourites, biggest summer transfers, and our predictions for the 2026/27 season.

Inter Milan

Inter took a gamble by appointing the relatively inexperienced Cristian Chivu as their new manager last summer, but it turned out just fine. After scoring an impressive 89 league goals, there is every reason to believe the Nerazzurri can repeat that success.

The club have strengthened the squad with the arrivals of John Stones and Manuel Akanji from Manchester City, adding even more quality to an already strong defence. Inter have also acquired Aleksandar Stankovic from Club Brugge, while keeping the core of last season's title-winning team together. They've also got their hands on Djed Spence from Tottenham and, once again, look like the side everyone will be chasing.

Napoli

Antonio Conte led Napoli to their fourth Serie A title in the 2024/25 season. In his second year in charge, the club added the Supercoppa Italiana to the trophy cabinet and finished as Serie A runners-up behind Inter. However, Conte left the club at the end of the campaign by mutual agreement.

Napoli have now turned to Massimiliano Allegri, who failed to secure Champions League qualification with AC Milan last season. Because of that, it is unclear what to expect from Napoli this season.

The club have strengthened the squad with the signings of Rasmus Hojlund from Manchester United for €44 million, Alisson Santos from Sporting, and Vanja Milinkovic-Savic from Torino, but it remains to be seen how quickly Allegri can put his own stamp on the team.

Juventus

Juventus finished sixth in Serie A last season, which was a respectable result considering Luciano Spalletti only took over as head coach in late October 2025. Despite that, he managed to improve the team’s performances and gave supporters plenty of reasons to be optimistic heading into the new season.

The squad also looks stronger after a productive summer in the transfer market. Juventus signed Randal Kolo Muani from Paris Saint-Germain and highly-rated youngster Kerim Alajbegovic from Bayer Leverkusen. With a full pre-season behind and an entire campaign to work with the team, Spalletti looks well-equipped to guide Juventus back into the Serie A title race.

AC Milan

AC Milan finished fifth in Serie A last season, securing a place in the Europa League. Now, all eyes are on new head coach Ruben Amorim following his unsuccessful spell at Manchester United. Milan's pre-season results have not been particularly encouraging, with some fans already fearing a repeat of the struggles Amorim experienced in England.

One of the biggest concerns is whether Amorim will once again use players out of their natural positions, something that was widely criticised during his time at Manchester United.

Milan have backed their new manager in the transfer market, signing Goncalo Ramos from Paris Saint-Germain for €74 million and Mario Gila from Lazio for €30 million. However, there is still a question whether Amorim will find the best way to use his new signings.

Roma

Roma enjoyed a very strong campaign last season, finishing third in Serie A to secure their first Champions League qualification since 2018. However, returning to Europe's biggest competition also means a much heavier workload, so the club have focused on strengthening the squad during the summer.

The Giallorossi have brought in Nahuel Molina from Atletico Madrid, Donyell Malen from Aston Villa, Santiago Castro from Bologna and Konstantinos Koulierakis from Wolfsburg. It is clear Roma are preparing for the demands of competing on multiple fronts, and these additions should give them the depth needed to challenge both in Serie A and the Champions League.

Frosinone, Monza, Lecce and Venezia appear to be the clubs under the most pressure heading into the new season, although a poor run of form could easily drag teams like Cagliari or Parma into the fight. Newly promoted sides often struggle to adapt to the quality of Serie A, and this season looks no different.

Frosinone are once again expected to have the toughest task. They have been promoted to Serie A several times in recent years but have never managed to stay in the division for more than one season. Their squad has changed very little and it is difficult to see them breaking that pattern this time around.

Monza have also returned to the top flight after just one year in Serie B, but the squad still lacks the experience and depth. Most of their summer arrivals are young players who may need time before making a real impact.

Lecce narrowly avoided relegation last season and did not make many significant improvements during the transfer window. Their main signing, Willem Geubbels from Paris FC, looks promising, but expecting one player to transform the team’s fortunes would be unrealistic.

Venezia should also expect a difficult campaign after promotion, especially with one of the smallest budgets in the league.

Inter captain Lautaro Martinez is once again the favourite after finishing as the league’s top scorer last season. The Argentinian produced 17 goals in 30 games and continues to lead one of the most attacking teams in Italy.

His main rivals could be Milan’s new striker Goncalo Ramos and Napoli’s Rasmus Hojlund. Ramos joins from PSG and is expected to become Milan’s first-choice striker straight away. 

Hojlund scored 12 league goals last season and now has a great chance to beat that tally as Napoli’s first-choice striker.

Roma forward Donyell Malen also deserves a mention after scoring 14 Serie A goals despite only joining the club midway through last season. 

Who’ll be the Italian champions?

Our prediction for the 2026/27 Serie A title is Inter Milan. The team is in a great place right now. They haven’t lost any key players, and Cristian Chivu has quickly built strong chemistry with the squad after his first season in charge. That stability could be the biggest reason why Inter are favourites to retain the Scudetto.

Lautaro Martinez and Marcus Thuram should once again be one of the most dangerous attacking partnerships in Serie A. Both played a huge role in last season’s title-winning campaign, and there is no reason to think they won’t continue to shine.

Who’ll be relegated from Serie A?

There is always a chance that one of the newly promoted teams manages to stay in Serie A, but we don’t think that will be the case for Frosinone or Monza. Frosinone have already shown several times that their squad is simply not ready for the top flight. Every time they earn promotion, they go straight back down.

Monza also face a difficult campaign after doing very little to strengthen the squad over the summer. Lecce have a similar problem. Last season, they were focused on surviving rather than competing, and very little has changed since then. Without major improvements, it is hard to see them avoiding the drop.

Who’ll be the best Serie A goalscorer in 2026/27?

Our pick for the 2026/27 Capocannoniere is Martinez. Inter have the best attack in Serie A at the moment, and as long as Martinez remains their main striker, he should continue scoring goals. Of course, injuries can always change things, but if he stays fit, he is the safest choice in this market.

It is still too risky to back new arrivals like Malen or Hojlund. They may need time to adapt to their new clubs and systems. Martinez, on the other hand, already knows his role perfectly and has Thuram alongside him.

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