Gameweek three in the 2024/25 Serie A campaign is set to get underway, with title favourites Juventus and Inter leading the way at the top of the table.
These two sides are head and shoulders above the competition, notwithstanding the return of four-time Scudetto winner Antonio Conte at Napoli. When you check out the latest 20bet bonuses and offers, you’ll also find that Inter and Juve are being heavily tipped to win Serie A this season.
But who will be the most likely winners and losers this weekend? Here’s our analysis of the three biggest games.
Inter Milan v Atalanta
The weekend’s action starts with a heavyweight class at the San Siro, as defending champions Inter take on Atalanta.
The away side will be reeling from the loss of the influential Teun Koopmeiners, however, who scored 15 goals in 51 matches last season and has just completed a move to Juventus.
As for Inter, they may be without last season’s top scorer Lautaro Martinez, with the Argentine having missed the match against Lecce last weekend. Former Porto striker Mehdi Taremi will continue to deputise in his stead, with the experienced Iranian international offering more than enough nous and firepower in attack.
Ultimately, Atalanta struggled on the road last weekend during a 2-1 defeat to Torino, while the departure of Koopmeiners will affect the balance and mood of the team. So, Inter are the deserved favourites here, although this could well be a match in which both teams score.
Juventus v Roma
While Juventus have impressed when winning their first two Serie A matches of the new season 3-0 (they remain the only team with a 100% record in the competition), they’ll face their first real challenge against Roma in Turin.
Although Roma have yet to win this season (they followed up a goalless draw at Cagliari on opening day before slumping to a 2-1 home defeat against Empoli), manager Daniele De Rossi has largely impressed since replacing Jose Mourinho and will set his team up to be a counter attacking threat against the Old Lady.
However, Juventus are riding the crest of a wave under new manager Thiago Motta, while the addition of the attack-oriented Koopmeiners will augment a midfield that’s anchored by the excellent Douglas Luiz.
So, it’s hard to look past a home win here, while Juventus may even offer value with a nominal handicap of -1.5 goals.
Napoli v Parma
Newly promoted Parma are unbeaten on their return to the Italian top flight so far, drawing 1-1 with Fiorentina before stunning AC Milan 2-1 last weekend.
However, all eyes will be on Napoli this time around, in the wake of their 3-0 thumping of Bologna in gameweek two and the subsequent arrivals of Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay.
Both of these players are tailormade for Conte, who favours physicality and pace over technical proficiency. Lukaku also excelled under Conte during their time at Inter, with the Belgian hitman contributing 64 goals in just 95 games in all competitions.
Napoli will fancy their chances of winning here and climbing the table under their new coach, and we wouldn’t be surprised if they kept a clean sheet against Parma.