Predicting the outcome of a Serie B season is a fool’s errand at the best of times and the current campaign has lived up to the division’s unpredictable nature.

Pisa are the early pace setters eight matches in, with just two points separating their three closest challengers – Spezia, Sassuolo and Juve Stabia – between them.

The picture is tighter still further down the table with only three points separating fifth-placed Brescia from Bari, who entered the international break down in 12th.

Serie B’s gruelling schedule means runaway leaders can swiftly be dragged back by the chasing pack, while all it takes is a couple of wins to turn early season strugglers into play-off contenders.

With that in mind, here Destination Calcio takes a look at teams that have surprised in Serie B so far this season.

Pisa

There can be no other place to start for this exercise. Less than six months after finishing last season in 13th place with a -3 goal difference, Pisa are top of the table and boast the best attack in Serie B with 17 goals in eight games and the third-best defence.

Sacked by Salernitana in February after just five months in charge, Filippo Inzaghi has made an immediate impact in Tuscany.

Pisa have hitherto tied their colours firmly to the mast of counter-attacking football and average almost two goals per game, despite losing last season’s top scorer Mattia Valoti, who returned to Monza after his loan spell ended.

Nicholas Bonfanti and Matteo Tramone have combined for nine goals so far this season, but there is a lot more to the Nerazzurri than their striking duo.

With Tramone out injured against Cesena in the last match before the international break, summer signing Alexander Lind found the net in his first start for the club.

After Pisa lost away to Juve Stabia at the end of September, Inzaghi shrugged off the defeat as nothing but a minor blip and stuck to his guns.

He was proved right and the depth the squad at his disposal could be a telling factor this season.

Pisa return to action with a trip to promotion-chasing Sudtirol this weekend, before matches against the struggling Frosinone and Catanzaro. Don’t expect the Nerazzurri to slow down anytime soon.

Spezia

It may not be particularly original to pick the top teams in the league as two of this season’s surprise packages, but Spezia cannot be overlooked.

Three points behind Pisa, the Ligurians are the only team still unbeaten in the division and have conceded just seven goals so far – the best defensive record alongside Palermo.

The fast start is all the more remarkable when one considers Spezia finished 15th last season, just three points above the relegation zone. To put the improvement into context, Luca D’Angelo’s team have racked up one fewer point after eight matches than they had in the first half of 2023-24.

Spezia’s defensive solidity has been one of the cornerstones of their success this season, along with remarkable accuracy from set pieces.

Of the 12 goals scored by the Aquilotti, 11 have come from dead ball situations, with the attacking duo of Francesco Esposito and Edoardo Soleri combining for seven of them.

After finding the net just three times in 38 matches last term, Esposito has already scored four in seven.

The challenge for D’Angelo’s men now is to keep their impressive run going.

Trips to Salerno and Brescia, with a home fixture against a resurgent Bari sandwiched in between, should test their mettle after the international break. 

Juve Stabia

Those who thought newly promoted Juve Stabia were a flash in the pan after racking up eight points in their first four games have had to eat their words.

The Stabians added six more in the next four fixtures and went into the second international break in fourth, two points behind second-placed Spezia.

Guido Pagliuca’s men built their promotion campaign last term on being hard to breach and that trend has continued, with the Wasps boasting the second-best defensive record in the division.

Of the eight goals Juve Stabia have conceded, six came in consecutive defeats against Palermo and Modena, which looked to have burst their balloon.

But the Serie B newcomers bounced back in spectacular fashion, becoming the first and hitherto only team to beat Pisa, then coming back from behind to win 2-1 at Marassi against Sampdoria courtesy of a brace from Andrea Adorante.

With three goals in six matches, the former Triestina striker remains the focal point of Juve Stabia’s attack in Pagliuca’s 3-4-2-1 formation and a devastating aerial threat. Five of the 12 goals he scored last season were headers as was his double against Sampdoria.

Sudtirol

After finishing last season in 12th place, expectations were at the lower end of the scale for Sudtirol this term.

That has played into the Biancorossi’s hands, allowing them to mount a surprising play-off bid so far.

Sudtirol have very much flown under the radar and went into the October international break in sixth, just four points behind second-placed Spezia.

But of the teams on this list, the Tyroleans’ form seems the least sustainable and not just because they are yet to draw a game this term.

With 12 goals conceded, Sudtirol have the second joint-worst defensive record in the league, behind only bottom-dwellers Cittadella and Frosinone, who have let in two more.

And yet, Federico Valente’s men have shown remarkable ability to adapt to the circumstances, winning away at Cosenza two weeks ago despite playing over 45 minutes with 10 men.

Valente has been similarly flexible from a tactical standpoint, switching from 3-5-2 to 3-4-2-1 and even 5-3-2 depending on the opponent.

With Pisa visiting Bolzano on Saturday, Sudtirol will be desperate to prove they can mix it up with the big teams.

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