Who Will Win Serie A, Finish as Top Scorer and Be the Biggest Disappointment?

Defending champion Inter begins as our favorite for another Scudetto, Lautaro Martínez is the leading candidate for the scoring title, while Juventus enters 2026/27 carrying significant expectations.

The 2026/27 Serie A season begins with Inter defending the Scudetto, several traditional contenders trying to close the gap and another potentially tight race at the top. Predicting Italian soccer is rarely straightforward, but the evidence from last season and the current squads offers three interesting choices for champion, top scorer and biggest disappointment.

Inter to defend the Scudetto

Our title pick is Inter.

The Nerazzurri won the 2025/26 Serie A championship, reaching their 21st Scudetto and finishing a highly productive campaign with 89 league goals. That combination of results and attacking output gives the defending champion the strongest starting point entering the new season.

Inter also retains a core filled with experience at the highest level. Lautaro Martínez remains the reference in attack, while the squad has enough quality across midfield and defense to sustain another 38-game title challenge.

The biggest threat should again come from Napoli, which finished second last season. Milan, Juventus, Roma and Atalanta all have the potential to enter the conversation, but Inter’s combination of continuity and proven production makes it the safest prediction before kickoff.

Lautaro to finish as top scorer

Our pick for the Capocannoniere is Lautaro Martínez.

The Argentine finished the 2025/26 Serie A campaign as the league’s top scorer with 17 goals. While that total was lower than some previous Golden Boot-winning numbers, it demonstrated his consistency and importance within the most productive attack in the competition.

His role should remain central. Inter creates a high volume of chances and Lautaro continues to occupy the areas where those opportunities become goals.

There will be significant competition. Napoli, Juventus, Milan and other contenders possess forwards capable of producing strong scoring seasons. But until another striker demonstrates greater consistency, the defending top scorer remains the logical choice.

Could Juventus be the disappointment?

The riskiest prediction is Juventus as the potential disappointment.

That does not mean expecting a disastrous campaign. The issue is the standard attached to the club. Juventus enters every Serie A season with expectations of competing for the Scudetto, and anything substantially below that level creates immediate pressure.

The Turin club has enough individual quality to qualify for the Champions League, but closing the gap to Inter and Napoli requires consistency over an entire campaign. If Juventus spends another season outside the real championship fight, the result could feel disappointing regardless of its final European position.

The final predictions

The picks are Inter to win Serie A, Lautaro Martínez to finish as top scorer and Juventus as the potential disappointment.

Inter has the strongest recent evidence, Lautaro enters as the defending scoring champion and Juventus carries one of the heaviest expectation-to-performance burdens in Italy.

Serie A has produced unpredictable title races before, but those three choices provide the clearest starting point for 2026/27.