Can Anyone Dethrone Juventus at the Top of Italy’s Serie A?
Juventus FC – Players celebrate their seventh straight Serie A title
The Highlights
- Juventus have won seven straight Serie A titles and are the odds-on favorites (-163) to repeat as league champions in 2018-19
- Napoli have the next-best odds after finishing second last season
- Roma (6-1), Inter Milan (12-1) and AC Milan (16-1) are the only other clubs with odds better than 50-1
Juventus have won seven consecutive Serie A titles and opened as the clear favorites to lift the trophy again in 2018-19. Here's a look at each club's chances to dethrone 'The Old Lady' in Italy (via Bet365):
Favorites
Juventus
Juve will aim for their eighth straight title next season but will have to do so without legendary goalie Gianluigi Buffon. Despite the loss, they're still odds-on favorites at -137 to win Serie A, although that early price may be a little inflated due to past success.
A key development to watch for over the coming weeks is the status of manager Massimiliano Allegri. He's been rumored to move on from the club, but it would be a positive if he winds up staying.
Napoli
Napoli nearly broke Juventus' title streak last season but came up short by four points. They were clearly the second-best club in Serie A last year and also pose the biggest threat next season at 7-2 odds. If I'm betting on anyone to overtake Juventus, it's definitely Napoli, although I'd prefer the price to be a bit higher.
Roma
The Romans finished third in Serie A last season and also made a run into the Champions League semifinal, both massive achievements for a club that sold Mo Salah to Liverpool. They'll need to make some moves this summer in order to challenge the top teams, but they're obviously trending in the right direction.
Inter Milan
Inter Milan head into 2018-19 with confidence after stealing a Champions League spot from Lazio on the final day of 2017-18. They're still a long way from Juventus' level though and are listed at 12-1 to win the title next season. As a football fan, it does feel right that Inter Milan are good again and it's exciting to see them in the mix for trophies.
AC Milan
AC Milan finished in a distant sixth place in Serie A last season, but they've got the fifth-best odds (+1600) to win the title next year. More than half the club is Italian and won't be playing in the World Cup this summer, so they may be more rested at the beginning of the season.
Longshots
Besides Lazio at 50-1, every other club in Serie A is listed at 200-1 or higher to win the title. This is fairly common in the major European leagues as only a handful of teams have a legitimate shot at the trophy. However, fans and bettors can always fall back on Leicester City's miracle 5000-1 run to the Premier League title in 2015-16 to inspire confidence on the long shots.
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