Serie A: The battle for this season’s Scudetto

12 weeks into the Serie A campaign, we see defending champions Juventus on top of the League table. We can also see that this season there will be 5 teams in for the fight – Juventus, Inter, Napoli, Lazio and Fiorentina.

Let’s start off with Juventus, the defending champions look like the team to beat so far this year, or are they? Juventus had their 49 undefeated game streak snapped when Inter went into Torino and took all 3 points in a 3-1 win. So are they really the team everyone thinks they are? No, Juventus are 10-1-1, but having only played 2 strong teams, Napoli where they managed to take all 3 points, and Inter – you can’t really say they are the strongest side.

With only 6 points in Champions League, Juventus can see themselves knocked out of the competition if they don’t pull up their socks. On to Inter, for me the strongest side in Serie A so far, I say this because yes they are 9-0-3, but Inter are now a better side from the beginning of the season. With all the injuries and “bad calls”, you can’t really say Inter deserved to lose any game. Inter clinched a spot in the Europa League with 2 games left, and are now tied for first in Group H with 10 points. If Inter stay healthy and motivated, then I believe they have the strongest side and a good chance to win their 19th Scudetto.

On the other hand, I feel Napoli isn’t a contender for the Scudetto, because they always seem to start off well, and then choke in the end. With a lot of talk in this upcoming transfer window, some star players could be departing the club; Cavani and Hamsik seem to be the most talked about when it comes to leaving in January. If true, Napoli will surely go down in the standings.

Also, Lazio may not be a Scudetto contender yet, but in the near future, they will be on top of Serie A. Lazio are starting to build a very strong side, with Klose and Hernanes in the squad, and they need a couple more players to become a real power house in Serie A.

Lastly there’s Fiorentina, a real underdog for the Scudetto. With young talent on this Fiorentina side, it’s no surprise they are up in the standings. Stefan Jovetic is the future of this team, along with other young players. I wouldn’t be surprised if Fiorentina do win something this year, I believe this team could potentially win Coppa Italia and even finish with a Champions League spot.

I believe this is how the top 6 will finish come the end of the season.

1. Inter Milan (19th Scudetto)
2. Fiorentina (Champions League)
3. Juventus (Champions League)
4. Lazio (Europa League)
5. Napoli (Europa League)
6. Roma (Europa League)