Although Juventus have lost the most expensive player of all time this summer in Paul Pogba, on the cusp of a brand new Serie A season it’s almost impossible to the see the Italian champions for the last five terms in a row letting their crown slip.

Under the guidance of manager Massimiliano Allegri, the Bianconeri have been so dominant over the last two campaigns, continuing the trend set by Antonio Conte in the three previous years. Having landed Dani Alves on a free transfer, Miralem Pjanic from Roma and last season’s top-scorer Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli, Juve will be a force on the domestic and European front.

With UEFA Champions League success set to be their priority this term, there will be teams hoping to capitalize on a potential shift in focus, not to mention the absence of Pogba. But Roma and Napoli both face substantial challenges of their own.

After all, not only have Juve strengthened their own XI this summer, they’ve taken the most talented player both their rivals have to offer.

Roma can at least be positive about life under Luciano Spalletti, who triggered the team into gear late last season. Following Pjanic’s sale, the Giallorossi will be looking to the likes of Stephan El Shaarawy and Alessandro Florenzi to add an attacking spark. They’ve strengthened their backline with the captures of Thomas Vermaelen and Juan Jesus too.

As for Napoli, Higuain’s stunning sharpshooting will be impossible to replace, although they have landed Arkadiusz Milik as part of the rethink. He, Marek Hamsik and Piotr Zielinski have enough to pose major problems for any Serie A defense. Manager Maurizio Sarri will be desperate to keep hold of center-back Kalidou Koulibaly too.

There’ll be a lot of expectations on the Milan clubs as usual, especially given Inter have appointed Frank de Boer as their new boss. The Nerazzurri have added some flair to complement the attritional way they played last term too, with Ever Banega and Antonio Candreva set to bring plenty of inventiveness to the XI.

AC Milan start the season with Vincenzo Montella in the dugout, as he becomes the latest candidate seeking to restore the Rossoneri to their glory days. The “Aeroplanino” favors an expansive style of possession soccer, meaning AC should be exciting to watch at least this season, if not much else.

Fiorentina began the previous campaign in outstanding form, although were eventually unable to secure a UEFA Champions League spot, finishing in fifth. Given the changes that have gone on at Inter, Roma and Napoli this summer, Paulo Sousa’s settled squad definitely have a chance of forcing their way into the top three.

Having lost Candreva and had their summer blighted by protests from supporters, Lazio’s preparations for the new campaign certainly could have been smoother. Simeone Inzaghi is in charge after Marcelo Bielsa came and went in the blink of an eye; he’ll be hoping the likes of Felipe Anderson, Keita Balde Diao and Ciro Immobile can click going forward.

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Given they’ll have to cope with European soccer this term, it’ll be fascinating to see if Sassuolo can continue their staggering progress in Serie A. Neroverdi boss Eusebio Di Francesco steered his team to a remarkable sixth place finish last term and can be excited once again with Domencio Berardi primed for a breakout campaign.

Genoa and Sampdoria will be keen to push on towards the European spots this season. The former have Ivan Juric in charge for the new campaign, a coach who preaches a frantic and forceful style of soccer that could trouble plenty. Sampdoria meanwhile, will be forced into another rebuild after losing Montella; in Emiliano Viviano, they at least have one of the division’s best goalkeepers.

Torino are another team that’ll be looking upwards following a 12th place finish in 2015-16. Former Milan boss Sinisa Mihajlovic will have a point to prove having been annexed at the San Siro and has solid foundations to work with following the departure of new Italy boss Giampiero Ventura. Keeping hold of marauding full-back Bruno Peres will be vital for the Granata.

It’ll be the first time in 12 years that Udinese will not be able to call upon Antonio di Natale following his retirement from the game. Finding a player to replicate his massive influence at the Dacia Arena will be a massive challenge for coach Giuseppe Iachini.

Other sides that’ll be looking tentatively over their shoulder are Atalanta and Bologna. The former have a crop of exciting young players, although meshing them into the attack-minded philosophy of new boss Gian Piero Gasperini will be a challenge. Bologna, meanwhile, improved significantly once Roberto Donadoni took over last term; speculation over the future of young midfielder Amadou Diawara disrupted their preparations for the new campaign, though.

After top half finishes last season, the challenge for Chievo and Empoli will be to maintain those standards. Chievo were extremely impressive on their way to ninth in 2015-16 and the Veronese outfit will be delighted coach Rolando Maran is still at the club to continue overseeing their development. They’ve been strongly linked with a move for enfant terrible Mario Balotelli.

Empoli play fluid attacking football and while that’s enough to make them a favorite among neutrals, it may not be conducive to them steering clear of the drop zone. They’ve made steady steps in recent seasons, but have gaps to fill having lost Leandro Paredes, Lorenzo Tonelli, Mario Rui and Piotr Zielinski.

Palermo’s aim this term will be to avoid the drop and have a more stable season than the last one; the Rosanero went through eight managers last year, with current boss Davide Ballardini appointed, sacked, reappointed and then doing just enough to preserve their top flight status on the final day.

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The goal will be the same for the three promoted sides, of which Serie B champions Cagliari look the best placed to survive. Crotone, meanwhile, will play in the top flight for the first time in their history after a sensational rise to prominence. Playoff winners Pescara will also be battling to keep their top flight status intact under animated head coach Massimo Oddo.

Predictions

Champions – Juventus: Not only do the Bianconeri have the best XI, they’ve got depth in all facets of their squad. Provided they don’t take their eye off the ball in pursuit of continental glory, Juve should coast to their sixth Scudetto in a row.

Champions League – Inter Milan, Fiorentina: Roma and Napoli both relied heavily on Pjanic and Higuain respectively last term, meaning it’d be no surprise to see both struggle initially. Inter, who have strengthened smartly and recruited a fine manager, and Fiorentina, who are settled under Sousa, will capitalize.

Relegation – Crotone, Palermo, Pescara: As wonderful as it would be to see Crotone take the top flight by storm, the Calabrian club won’t have enough going forward to trouble the robust defences in Serie A. Palermo will also find it tough to survive if president Maurizio Zamparini continues to be trigger happy with managers, while Pescara will also find the going tough in the top flight.