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Calcio FC Weekly
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Welcome to Calcio FC Weekly, Destination Calcio's brand new newsletter!
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Every Tuesday we’ll be delivering the best of Italian football and calcio culture straight to
your inbox. From the latest Serie A drama to obscure Serie B stories you didn't know you needed to read, this is your one-stop shop to get your calcio fix.
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Don't forget you can get in touch with us on our socials and at contact@destinationcalcio.com!
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And now, let’s get the ball rolling.
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Here's a taste of what's on the menu for today:
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- Nico Paz, Argentina's next big thing?
- Serie A's love affair with Scotsmen
- What next for Sampdoria?
- Long-range screamers
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Season 2 of Napoli vs Inter Milan Is Here
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Calcio made its long-awaited return at the weekend with defending Serie A champions Napoli running out comfortable winners against Sassuolo. Fittingly Scott McTominay, and Kevin De Bruyne, respectively last season's MVP and Napoli's new shiny addition, were both on the scoresheet in front of their away fans at the Mapei Stadium. Inter responded emphatically on Monday night, demolishing Torino 5-0 as Cristian Chivu made the ideal start to life as Nerazzurri manager. The same cannot be said of Max Allegri, who began his second spell in charge of AC Milan with a 2-1 defeat at home to Cremonese.
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Palermo and Venezia Hit The Ground Running
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Installed as the favourites for promotion before a ball was kicked in anger, Palermo and Venezia lived up to their reputation with 2-1 wins over Reggiana and Bari respectively. Elsewhere, there was a surprise defeat for last season's beaten finalists Spezia, who lost at home to Carrarese, while Virtus Entella were the only newly-promoted side to pick up points with a draw against Juve Stabia as Avellino, Padova and Pescara all lost.
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Is Nico Paz The Heir to Argentina's No10 shirt?
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Nico Paz has Serie A at his feet after kicking off the season with a sumptuous free-kick in Como's 2-0 win over Lazio and Argentina could be next. Emmet Gates believes the 20-year-old could be the next owner of the Albiceleste's famous No10 shirt.
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Serie A's Love Affair With Scotland Continues
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First it was Denis Law, then came Graeme Souness. Last season, Scott McTominay, Billy Gilmour and Lewis Ferguson have all lifted trophies in Italy. So where has calcio's new-found love for Scottish players come from? As a proud Scot residing in Rome and covering Serie A, few are more qualified than Alasdair Mackenzie to explain the phenomenon.
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After Avoiding Serie C Humiliation, What Next for Sampdoria?
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Sampdoria were relegated to Serie C for the first time in their 79-year history last season, before eventually surviving at the second time of asking after Brescia were handed a points deduction. What's next after a historically dismal season? Whatever lingering optimism left around Marassi was punctured by a 2-0 defeat against Modena in their season opener on Monday night.
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Don’t forget, Destination Calcio will be bringing you live Serie B action during every round of the 2025-26 on DCTV
- Click HERE to find out the matches we will be showing across the first few weeks of the season.
- Click HERE for the full 2025-26 calendar.
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Things you may have missed this week
- Cristian Chivu is Inter Milan's first foreign manager to win on his Serie A debut since Hector Cuper in 2001.
- Venezia kicked off their quest to return to Serie A at the first time of asking with a 2-1 win over Bari, courtesy of this absolute howitzer of a finish from Alfred Duncan. I mean, just look at that.
- Vincenzo Italiano fired a verbal volley in the general direction of the transfer window and of players who are angling for a move away from Bologna - chief among them Jhon Lucumi. “There are people on the phone to their agent the morning of the game, people who want out, who have no desire to play, and as such, it’s like they don’t exist," he told Sky Sports. “It is pure madness that the transfer window is open when the season starts. You spend months and months preparing the team and it’s pure madness."
- As pointed out by the excellent Adriano del Monte - a good friend of the Calcio FC pod - there were only 77 Italian starters across the 10 fixtures of the opening round of Serie A. Como had 11 foreigners in their starting XI, while Cremonese and Cagliari flew the tricolour by picking eight Italian starters each.
- Serie B's official X account shared a graphic to welcome the beginning of the season, in which each of the club was represented by a cartoon-like mascot. A lovely nod to the mid-1980s Panini stickers, which famously featured cartoon renditions of the animals found on club badges.
- Sebastiano Luperto's 94th minute header rescued a point for Cagliari against Fiorentina on Sunday. The manner of the goal was perfectly predictable as, according to figures from Opta, headers accounted for 28% of the Rossoblu's 40 Serie A goals last season, the most of any team in Europe's top five leagues.
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What we are reading this week
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We're not quite at Football Italia levels just yet, but interest in Serie A is rocketing in Britain. And that's largely because of one man: Scott McTominay. The Times' Mark Palmer travelled to Reggio Emilia for the opening Serie A fixture of the season and another chapter in the fairytale of The King of Naples. This piece is well worth your time.
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Watch the Calcio FC podcast on YouTube and listen on Spotify
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Kit of the week
Look, we may be slightly biased here at Destination Calcio but there is no denying Italian football has produced an array of stunning kits over the years. The trend is continuing this season with Roma's splendid third kit and Sassuolo's vibrant new home number below. But this section isn't just about the here and now, we're a broad a church and love vintage kits just as much as you do, so if you spot a classic shirt while you're at the game or and out and about get in touch on our socials or via email and let us know why we should feature it!
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Coffee corner
Whether you are a journalist or a fan, travelling through Italy to catch a game means you are never short of options when you need your caffeine hit. And, let's face it, if you have read this far you probably need a coffee by now too. And that is the perfect excuse to introduce coffee corner, a section where each week we'll share some of the best coffees we've had on our trips to Italy and we want you to contribute! Got a tip for the best espresso you've had in Florence? Had a memorable cappuccino in Parma? Let us know!
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We start things off with Caffe Terzi in Bologna. Located just a stone's throw away from the city's iconic Due Torri and in the old town, this place is an institution in Bologna and deservedly so.
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Random former Serie A/Serie B footballer of the week
This section is one for the real calcio anoraks. We're not necessarily talking about the best players here, nor the most successful or even the most prolific. This is one for the cult heroes and also for those who live long in the memory for no particular reason, for those who are long forgotten and for anyone else in between. It feels therefore fitting to kick this off with Anselmo Robbiati. You may remember him, 36 goals in 197 appearances in all competitions for Fiorentina, 24 goals in 177 games for Monza and fleeting spells at Napoli, Perugia, Ancona and Grosseto across a 20-year career. The man who donned a string of incredible Fiorentina kits, while wearing rolled down socks and wholly unnecessary yellow boots just because he could.
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Where to watch calcio this weekend
Serie A
- Cremonese vs Sassuolo, 17:30/12:30, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- AC Milan vs Lecce, 19:45/14:45 DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Parma vs Atalanta, 17:30/12:30, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Bologna vs Como, 17:30/12:30, DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Napoli vs Cagliari, 19:45/14:45 DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Pisa vs Roma DAZN (UK and US), TNT Sports 1 (UK), Paramount + (US)
- Genoa vs Juventus, 17:30/12:30 DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Torino vs Fiorentina, 17:30/12:30 DAZN (UK and US), Paramount + (US)
- Inter vs Udinese, 19:45/14:45 DAZN (UK and US), TNT Sports 1 (UK), Paramount + (US)
Serie B
- Reggiana vs Empoli, 19:30/14:30, Destination Calcio
- Spezia vs Catanzaro, 20:00/15:00, Destination Calcio
- Sudtirol vs Sampdoria, 18:00/13:00, Destination Calcio
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That is all for this week folks. We hope you enjoyed the first issue of the Calcio FC newsletter, make sure you hit the subscribe button to have it landing in your inbox every Tuesday and don't forget to get in touch at contact@destinationcalcio.com or on our socials!
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