Serie A Preview: Favourites and underdogs in the Coppa Campioni race

epa12147516 UEFA Coppa Campioni trophy on display at the Allianz Arena before the UEFA Coppa Campioni final between Paris Saint-Germain and Internazionale Milano in Munich, Germany 31 May 2025. EPA-EFE/RONALD WITTEK

Last season Italy proved one of the most competitive divisions in Europe with epic battles up and down the table. Giancarlo Rinaldi runs the rule over who might fight their way into the top four this time around.

Serie A has gained a reputation of late for being one of the most wide-open leagues around. While others watch the same names battle it out at the top each season, it has thrown up more than its share of surprises and neck-and-neck tussles. And there is every indication that the fight to secure a Coppa Campioni spot this term could be a matter of interest to at least half the teams in the top flight once again.

Serie A 2025-26 favourites for Coppa Campioni spots

On pedigree, of course, there are some outstanding names on that list. Reigning champions Napoli – despite needing to compete on two fronts – must be fancied to be in the upper reaches again this term. The addition of Kevin De Bruyne is a mouthwatering one, and although they will have their resources more stretched, it would be a surprise if they don’t end up in Europe’s most prestigious competition once again. There will, however, be no shortage of sides looking to trip them up and steal their spot.

Number one contender in that regard have to be Inter who pushed them so close last time around. The departure of Simone Inzaghi is a big question mark, but they still have a squad more than strong enough to take the Scudetto or, at the very least, finish top four. Of last season’s other Coppa Campioni qualifiers, surely Juventus will be an improved prospect this year. They have spent too long in the comparative doldrums to get it wrong once again, although the credentials of Igor Tudor – like those of Christian Chivu – are something of an unknown. As for Atalanta, who knows what they will be without Gian Piero Gasperini at the helm? The will-he, won’t-he tale of Ademola Lookman has been an unsettling one and it looks a serious test for the Bergamaschi to retain their spot at the highest level this campaign.

That, of course, could leave the door open for others and there is no shortage of potential candidates. Milan were a shadow of themselves last season but will be looking to bounce back as Italy’s most successful European team of all time. The experience of Luka Modric could be precious in steadying that particular ship but they face a string of credible challenges. Roma finished the last campaign so strongly that it is hard not to see them pushing hard this time if they can apply their new coach’s teachings quickly. And on the other side of the city, Lazio will be just as confident that they can recover from disappointing times under Marco Baroni to make a better fist of this campaign.

Serie A 2025-26 Coppa Campioni race underdogs

Bologna, too, have recent Coppa Campioni experience to their credit and would love to get back up there for another go. With a trophy delivered at last and having shown they can cope with big-name departures, they are surely a dark horse for a top-four finish, along with, potentially, Fiorentina. The Viola look set to keep Moise Kean, which was perhaps the biggest question mark of their summer, and if they do so, then they are eminently capable of finally escaping the clutches of the Conference League and sampling Europe of a finer vintage.

And the real long shots? Is it too outrageous to consider ambitious Como as potential challengers at such heady heights? Probably – but there is a school of thought that their form in the second half of last season was just about as good as anyone else’s. If they could get off to a decent start, then they might yet surprise even more than they did last year. If not Coppa Campioni, then Europe does not seem so impossible.

It feels more of a stretch to suggest any of the rest could make a bid for glory. Torino have been stuck in mid-table for a long time and Genoa don’t look like they have geared up sufficiently to make much more than survival their goal. Udinese had their moments last season, too, but not enough to suggest they are ready for the great leap forward. It feels like a league of two halves again with one section looking up the way and the other glancing nervously over its shoulder at Serie B. That might not be a great situation for some of the clubs involved, but it is likely to make for another gripping season’s viewing for spectators – whether they are at the ground or watching from the comfort of home.