Serie A’s 2026-27 season kicks off on August 22, so here’s a quick roundup of where the key clubs stand after their preseason business.
Inter Milan: reinforced to defend the title, but three fronts is the real test
As always, let’s start with last season’s champions. With Dumfries poached by Real Madrid and veterans Francesco Acerbi and Stefan de Vrij both hanging up their Inter shirts, the club brought in Spence and Stones to fill the gaps centrally and on the right, while also chasing the versatile Curtis Jones — a player with excellent passing who can play midfield or right-back — to shore up squad depth. Add in Akanji and Stankovic, and if it all gels, that’s a real boost to the depth of Inter’s signature 3-5-2.
In preseason, Inter have gone unbeaten in five straight. But this season they’re competing on three fronts — Serie A, Coppa Italia, and the Champions League — and that physical toll is the real factor that’ll decide whether they can actually defend the title.
AC Milan: attacking firepower is back, but the defense is still a question mark
Across town, city rivals AC Milan brought in Portuguese forward Ramos and centre-back Gila — a Real Madrid academy product with solid passing who fits modern football well. With legendary playmaker Modrić still in the squad to supply the frontline, and reports they’re still chasing Belgian international winger Diego Moreira, there’s still room for this squad to get stronger.
Preseason form hasn’t been great though — just 2 draws, 1 loss, and 1 win. The loss was a brutal 0-3 to Chelsea that exposed real issues with defensive cohesion; the win was a 4-2 that showed off attacking firepower but still conceded twice, so the defensive concerns are real. How quickly Milan can get their back line sorted will be the club’s biggest question this season.
Juventus: a big attacking upgrade, but unlikely to unseat Inter anytime soon
Juventus didn’t make any single blockbuster signing, but they spent over €40 million each on Loïs Openda and Randal Kolo Muani, and paid €32 million for 18-year-old Bosnian wonderkid winger Kerim Alajbegovic — a serious upgrade to the attack. At the back, they signed Colombian centre-back Jhon Lucumí, who had a solid World Cup, and loaned in goalkeeper Vicario from Tottenham.
In preseason, Juve lost 1-2 to their main Serie A rival Inter, then beat a youth side 2-0 — which doesn’t tell you much given the mismatch. This season, I don’t think they’re likely to unseat Inter’s position.
Napoli and Atalanta: one held back by aging legs, one a dark horse for the top four
At Napoli, De Bruyne is staying and Lukaku is leaving; the club brought in Rasmus Højlund and winger Alisson Santos from Manchester United as new answers up front, and preseason form has been red-hot — including a 6-2 win. But with De Bruyne continuing to age, I don’t see them breaking into the top three.
Atalanta, meanwhile, brought in versatile wide player Nicola Zalewski and have converted him into a midfielder, with strong preseason results — I’d call them a genuine dark-horse candidate for a top-four finish this season.
My take: Inter’s squad is the most complete, but fatigue is the real variable
Overall, Inter have the most complete squad depth in the league and are the clear favorites to defend the title — but the physical grind of three competitions is the real variable that’ll decide it. Both Milan and Juventus still have room to improve, but neither looks likely to unseat Inter anytime soon.