Soccer-Inter's bid to maintain Serie A status quo starts at Genoa
Inter Milan begin their Serie A title defence this weekend with a trip to Genoa, looking to get off to another bright start as they bid to become the first team to retain the Scudetto since Juventus in 2020.
That was Juve's ninth consecutive league title but since then the Italian top flight has become a lot less predictable with Inter (twice), AC Milan and Napoli all tasting success. Now, Inter hope to carve out their own period of domination.
In order to do that, Inter will want to make a similar start to last season, where they began with five consecutive wins to hit the top of the table early on, and they have the advantage of continuity on their side.
Simone Inzaghi is still at the helm, whereas their likely rivals all have a new man on the bench. AC Milan brought in Paulo Fonseca and Juventus have Thiago Motta in charge, while Antonio Conte is the man looking to take Napoli back to the top.
Inter have been relatively quiet so far in the transfer market and their main business has been bringing in Polish midfielder Piotr Zielinski and Iranian forward Mehdi Taremi on free transfers.
Zielinski will not be available for Inter's opening games because of injury but Taremi should be on the bench for the trip to Genoa on Saturday and ready to give Lautaro Martinez a chance to rest after his Copa America exploits with winners Argentina last month.
Last season, Inter were held to a 1-1 draw at Genoa at the end of December and Alberto Gilardino is another manager hoping for a repeat of his side's previous campaign.
Genoa were a newly promoted side last time out and more than held their own as they finished the season in a respectable 11th place, but they are expected to find it tougher going this season and avoiding relegation will be the target.
Against Inter, Genoa could struggle for goals with many of their forwards unavailable, and they have also lost striker Mateo Retegui to Atalanta.
Vitinha will likely start, as Gilardino will be without Caleb Ekuban and David Ankeye, and their top scorer from last season, Albert Gudmundsson, could also be an absentee. He is heavily linked with a move away before the transfer window closes.
Milan begin life under Fonseca with a home game against Torino on Saturday and new signing Alvaro Morata, fresh from captaining Spain to Euro 2024 success, will lead the attack.
Motta impressed at Bologna last season, leading them to a top-five finish and Champions League football, but the pressure will be much greater at Juventus.
It should be an interesting start for the new man as his side host newly promoted Como on Monday, a team managed by Cesc Fabregas.
Como have been busy in the transfer market bringing in Spanish keeper Pepe Reina and his compatriot, defender Alberto Moreno, along with striker Andrea Belotti.
Napoli will look to bounce back from their dismal attempt to defend their title last season, when they finished 10th, and life under Conte begins at Hellas Verona on Sunday.
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