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At last the Italian football season has kicked off after delays caused by court litigation over corruption charges and financial collapse.
The out of season period is certainly not a boring time in Italy. Kept busy by off the field drama, it’s just like watching a soap opera.
Back to the game, this year the front runners are the same three teams which battled it out last year: Inter, Juventus and Milan.
According to major English betting and newspaper sites, this year, Inter are being tipped as favourites for the title, already showing a good run with Mancini by winning the Coppa Italia and the Super Cup. They also added more strength to an already strong squad with players like Solari, Figo and Samuel. Inter look to be in fine form.
Juventus and Inter should be fighting it out till the end. The zebras are not likely to let the championship title slip easily from their hands even if their quest is initially hampered by injuries.
Milan are surely not the same team of the past two years. The ageing team is in need of more young stars on the field if it wants to keep up the pace. The derby between Milan and Inter will probably be a different story this year. Milan will most probably have another year without silverware.
The rest of the pack includes Roma, eternally hopeful but always disappointing. This year they hope for a better run than last season, having been very close to the drop zone on a number of occasions. Roma were also shackled by the different coaches that were changed, which did not help. The team now looks as if it has settled and should make it among the top four.
As for the other teams, Udinese, Sampdoria and Palermo should also leave their mark and may entertain us in their fight for a Champions league spot.
With some major signings this season should offer us some good football and hopefully fans will stay put and not cause trouble. Those who witnessed the Champions League match between Inter and Shakhtar, played in an empty Stadium, realise how barren a game can be without the crowds egging on their favourites.
sports@newsworksltd.com
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