Serie A Schedule 2015-16: Official List of Fixtures for New Season
Juventus’ defence of their Serie A title will begin with a clash against Udinese at Juventus Stadium on the weekend of August 23, as the fixtures were announced in full for the Italian top-flight season on Monday.
The Bianconeri are chasing a fifth Scudetto in succession, and all eyes will be on Massimiliano Allegri’s new-look side following a summer of notable transfer activity. Looking to capitalise on these changes will be last season’s runners-up Roma, who begin their season with a trip to Verona.
Here’s a rundown of the opening round of fixtures and a couple of matches that immediately catch the eye.
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| Empoli | vs. | Chievo |
| Fiorentina | vs. | Milan |
| Frosinone | vs. | Torino |
| Verona | vs. | Roma |
| Internazionale | vs. | Atalanta |
| Juventus | vs. | Udinese |
| Lazio | vs. | Bologna |
| Palermo | vs. | Genoa |
| Sampdoria | vs. | Carpi |
| Sassuolo | vs. | Napoli |
For the full list of fixtures, check out Football-Italia.net.
Must-See Matchups this Season
Juventus vs. Internazionale
The Derby d’Italia is one of the most ferociously contested fixtures in Italian football, and after active summers for both Juventus and Internazionale, this fixture will command added intrigue. The matches will take place on Gameweek 8 (October 18) at the San Siro and Gameweek 27 (February 28) at Juventus Stadium.
Juventus, in particular, are a team plenty are excited to see. Last season Allegri inspired the Bianconeri to within one win of an illustrious treble, with this revered group of players finally delivering their very best in various competitions. But the core of that side has been ripped out, with Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez all off to explore pastures new.
Bleacher Report’s Adam Digby thinks the departure of important players will allow others to step into the limelight, though:
Paul Pogba is certainly one of them, but new signings such as Sami Khedira, Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza provide plenty of reasons to be excited if you’re a Bianconeri supporter. But they could be vulnerable early on in the campaign, and teams like Internazionale will look to capitalise on any potential frailties.
As noted by David Amoyal of Gianluca Di Marzio's website, the Nerazzurri have conducted some exceptional transfer business of their own this summer:
Inter finished in a disappointing eighth position last season, but there will be a major expectation on manager Roberto Mancini to deliver given the money spent on new acquisitions. For a club that commands a gravitas quite like the Milan giants, you suspect only a spot in the Champions League places will be sufficient.
This match is always an absorbing watch, and the high-pressure environment will be an ideal opportunity to run the rule over the fresh faces in the group—keeping a keen eye on how they cope in one of European football’s biggest derby matches.
Roma vs. Lazio
Another match between two eternal enemies is the Rome derby, which sees Roma take on Lazio. And after these sides finished second and third in the table last season, respectively, the games between the two will have much more on them than local bragging rights. The clashes will take place during Gameweek 12 (November 8) and Gameweek 31 (April 3) at the Stadio Olimpico, where both teams share a ground.
The supporters of these two teams possess a longstanding animosity toward each other, and as we can see here courtesy of Italian freelance journalist Dylan Fahy, the players are often unashamed in their opinions of their opponents too:
That shouldn’t take away from the fact that each side possesses real quality. Roma have a deep squad that is capable of pushing Juventus close, but Rudi Garcia’s side seemed to lack the requisite mental conviction to mount a serious title tilt last season. More wins over a side as talented as Lazio will surely help enrich this facet of the team.
Stefano Pioli’s Biancocelesti are a squad on the up, though. They jelled magnificently during the run-in of the 2014-15 season and came very close to sewing up second spot. Eventually, Lazio booked their place in the Champions League with a dramatic 4-2 win over Napoli.
In Felipe Anderson, Pioli is also in possession of one of the game’s most promising young talents. As noted by WhoScored.com, the Lazio man is brilliant to watch:
At this juncture, Roma still look to have the edge over their city rivals and will be hopeful of challenging for the Scudetto after some significant changes in Turin. But after making major progress last season, Lazio will fancy themselves as dark horses for glory and can lay down a marker with some strong displays against their longstanding rivals.
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