Now that the Serie A transfer window is over, the team at Destination Calcio are stepping up to make predictions for the 2024-25 campaign, from potential title winners to the sides that will finish in the top four to relegation candidates and a surprise package.
We will revisit this piece at the end of May to see who fared the best, but for now, here are our predictions:
Title winners
Emmet Gates: It’s hard to look past Inter, even before their 4-0 demolition of Atalanta before the international break. They’ll benefit from the consistency of having Simone Inzaghi on the bench, as Juventus, Napoli and Milan all have swapped coaches in the summer. Inter have also made some shrewd signings in Piotr Zielinski and Mehdi Taremi, who will further strengthen the squad.
Juve might run them close, but the abundance of new signings means Thiago Motta will need time to find the right balance, which will play into Inter’s hands.
David Ferrini: I’d like to imagine another situation like 2023 where a small club can drink from Serie A silverware. Therefore, I hope Atalanta and Gian Piero Gasperini can do it. But Inter are firm favourites based on Simone Inzaghi’s structure and astute transfer strategy. However, winning back-to-back Scudetti is easier said than done.
Dan Cancian: Inter are the team to beat without a shadow of a doubt. Simone Inzaghi has kept the Scudetto-winning team intact and the Nerazzurri will benefit from such consistency, while the arrivals of Piotr Zielinski and Mehdi Taremi are smart additions to an already brilliant squad. Inter’s main rivals may well be themselves, particularly if they take their eye off the ball to focus on going deep in the Champions League.
Top four
Emmet Gates: Last season, we saw Bologna usurp the usual order and bag themselves a top-five (thanks to Serie A’s efforts in Europe) spot and Champions League football. I don’t think we will see an outsider crash the party this time around. The top four for me will be Inter, Juve, Napoli and one of Milan, Roma or Atalanta. Juve will secure a spot due to the amount of talent in the squad, and Antonio Conte will cherish playing only once a week at Napoli and surely deliver a top-four finish. Meanwhile, Roma, Milan and Atalanta are all showing signs of inconsistency at this early stage, and it’s difficult to say who will land the final spot, but I’ll take a leap of faith and say Roma. Therefore, Inter, Juventus, Napoli, Roma to play Champions League football.
David Ferrini: Inter, Atalanta, Roma, Milan, in no specific order. Again, Gasperini can work wonders despite losing some of his best players, like the injured Gianluca Scamacca and the departed Teun Koopmeiners. Milan can still push, even if Paolo Fonseca struggled early in the campionato.
Dan Cancian: Inter, Juventus and Napoli should claim three of the top four spots, particularly if Antonio Conte can get a tune out of what remains a very talented squad. The battle for fourth spot, meanwhile, should be electrifying with AC Milan, Atalanta and Roma all viable candidates for a Champions League berth. None of them have started the season well but, as the cliche goes, this is a marathon not a sprint. If you ask me to pick one team, I’d say Atalanta. Gianpiero Gasperini has worked his magic before and he can do it again.
Relegation candidates
Emmet Gates: Last season, we saw one of the newly-promoted sides, Frosinone, go straight back down to Serie B. This is likely to be the case this season with Venezia almost assured of heading back to the second tier. The Venetian side only spent around €12m on a handful of signings in the summer, and they only sneaked into Serie A via winning the playoffs.
Looking at the other side who could potentially go down, Cagliari and Monza could be in trouble after losing important players during the summer, while Empoli’s good start to the campaign won’t last. Venezia, Cagliari and Monza to get relegated.
David Ferrini: Being a tad better than the three worst sides is all that matters. Venezia, Empoli and Cagliari have displayed more weakness than the other 17 sides. The big question is whether Como can earn points at home in the six-pointers with those mentioned above, plus against Verona and Udinese. Parma appear to be a mid-table side under Fabio Pecchia.
Dan Cancian: Even in Serie A, where lavish spending is a thing of the past, investing just €12m on five players is a risible figure and Venezia may well pay the price for operating on a budget. Cagliari, who lost Alberto Dossena and have failed to replace him, and Monza have not exactly impressed in the first three weeks of the season and may find themselves falling through the trap door into Serie B.
Surprise package
Emmet Gates: I think Parma will surprise a lot of people this season. They won Serie B quite comfortably last season, and Fabio Pecchia is building something at the Tardini, trusting youth and in many of the players that took the club back to the top flight. Destination Calcio went to see Parma on the opening weekend of the Serie A, against Fiorentina, and they were quite impressive, and really should’ve won the game.
Beating Milan a week later wasn’t really a surprise. Pecchia has some quality players: Yoan Bonny, Dennis Man and Alessandro Circati, while new signing Zion Suzuki has demonstrated he’s worth the money paid out for him in the summer. Parma have enough about them to finish in the top half of the table come May.
David Ferrini: Napoli is the surprise package. Antonio Conte has a dynamic squad at his disposal but not even he knows what to expect from it. Signings like Scott McTominay and Romelu Lukaku could launch a title push or may trigger disharmony in Naples – who knows? Either way, I’m ready to be surprised, prontissimo. Of the teams tipped to hover in the lower half, Como has brought in plenty of new blood. It’s about whether Fabregas can harness their true potential. Genoa and Verona are capable of causing some upsets too.
Dan Cancian: Fabio Pecchia told Destination Calcio at the beginning of the season that Parma would remain committed to the brand of football that saw them win Serie B last term. So far, he’s stuck to his word and the Ducali have already beaten AC Milan and came within two injury-time goals of winning in Naples, so expect them to spring a few surprises along the way this season.
Verona’s knack for unearthing gems in the transfer window shows no sign of diminishing. Paolo Zanetti’s men have already ambushed Napoli and Genoa. The big question is, can their style of football work against teams who are happy to sit back and defend? Despite a difficult summer, Torino have made a strong start under Paolo Vanoli and it’s about time they made a push for European football.
Capocannoniere
Emmet Gates: The smart money would be on Lautaro Martinez to scoop another Capocannoniere crown after his 24 goals last season. Can Thiago Motta finally turn Dusan Vlahovic into the scoring machine many predicted when he joined Juventus from Fiorentina back in 2022? If Juve clicks early under Motta and provide him the service, Vlahovic could be a real contender. Romelu Lukaku could also be worth a shout, having already scored on his Napoli debut against Parma. Lukaku will be the focal point of the attack for Antonio Conte, and for this reason is my pick to win the prize.
David Ferrini: Marcus Thuram is in pole position. The Figlio d’Arte appears ready to assume Inter’s main goalscoring responsibilities. Considering Inter will battle on multiple fronts – the Champions League being the priority – Simone Inzaghi must lean on Thuram as Lautaro Martinez fatigues. However, with Hakan Calhanoglu taking the spot kicks, Dusan Vlahović is a dark horse if Juve is awarded bags of penalties, as Motta’s system doesn’t seem tailor-made for a striker scoring more than 20 goals.
Dan Cancian: Romelu Lukaku. Yes, he’s no longer the player he was at Inter Milan and yes, Napoli have hardly pulled up trees over the first three games. But the Belgian scored shortly after coming on for his debut and he’ll be the focal point of Conte’s team. And for all the criticism of Lukaku, it’s worth noting he scored 21 goals in all competitions for an inconsistent Roma team last term. His quest could also be helped by the fact Inter and Juventus’ Champions League schedule means Lautaro Martinez, Thuram and Vlahovic may be rested occasionally in Serie A.
Watch our Juve pod, recorded at Allianz Stadium:
