Serie A: Five major title challengers

Juventus talisman Cristiano Ronaldo. File photo: AFP

The Serie A features top stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Romelu Lukaku, Ciro Immobile in action. Juventus have won the title in the last nine season.

Here is a glance at five major title contenders this time around.

Juventus

As the club looks forward to maintaining their dominance in Italy’s top division, Andrea Pirlo has joined the team with a fresh perspective. The five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo will look to add another trophy to his remarkable collection, as he bids on Serie A trophy for the third consecutive season. With Pirlo looking forward to create a history and the club looking for some improvements from Sarri’s squads, they will have to take the game to yet another level to defend their title. The club has already signed Arthur Melo, Dejan Kulusevski, Felix Correia and Weston McKennie and they are linked with a multitude of high-profile players over the course of the past few weeks.

AC Milan

AC Milan was among the surging teams after Serie A resumed, winning nine out of twelve matches and drawing the other three to move up to the sixth place. Lead by Alessio Romagnoli, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and team will look to better their league position compared to last season. Milan has strengthened their squad by signing Brahim Diaz, Sandro Tonali, Ciprian Tatarusanu and Ante Rebic. Will Milan return to its former glory and stop Juventus from creating history is a question that all real football fans will have to wait and watch. Milan are curretntly leading the table with 13 points from five games.

Inter Milan

Zlatan Ibrahimovic exults after converting a penalty against AS Roma on Monday. The match ended 3-3. Photo: AFP

Romelu Lukaku witnessed one of his best debut season scoring 33 goals for the team. The Nerazzurri finished second in Serie A and also reached the UEFA Europa League finals in Antonio Conte’s first season. While the club was unsuccessful to win silverware, last season the Nerazzurri signed some great talent like Nicolo Barella, Stefano Sensi and Alexis Sanchez on permanent deals. Inter have also added highly-rated right wing back, Achraf Hakimi, from Real Madrid who had an impressive loan season at Dortmund FC to their squad.

Lazio

With Simone Inzaghi at the helm, Lazio is a force to reckon with. Having some of the most exciting football talent and young players, Lazio have played an amazing game and are seen as tough opponents, not just a mid-table team. Serie A’s top goalscorer Ciro Immobile will look to repeat his performance and all eyes will be on the man who scored more goals in a season than Cristiano Ronaldo. With one of the best defence in the league and having the most prolific striker in the team, Lazio will look to challenge the big boys this season.

Atalanta FC

The darkhorses Atalanta had one of their best seasons in recent past. They managed to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League and secured thrid place in the league. Gian Gasperini’s men have given the big boys a run for their money. With one of the best tactical organisation, Atalanta proved again that football is a team game and with right tactics, everything is achievable.

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