The second half of the Serie A season is already underway. AC Milan and Inter Milan are battling in their own city for league dominance. Roma have busted out of the gates. Juventus are slacking compared to years prior but still built to win. Napoli, Lazio, and Atalanta are still very much in the hunt. This is making for an incredibly exciting finish.
Serie A: Second Half Predictions
AC Milan to Finish the Job and Claim First Serie A Title since 2011
Milan hold a two-point lead over Inter for first. That can easily change in one single matchday. With that being said, Milan have been the hottest team in Italy since the return after the COVID-19 break. It’s a real cinderella story, but they have the squad necessary to win.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is the leader and heart and soul of this team. He’s not just a ‘player-coach’ however, as he’s been one of the best players in the league. He has the leadership and grit necessary to guide this team to victory.
Milan’s defence is also very solid, led by probably the best goalkeeper in the league in Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The key to Milan’s play, however, is their midfield. The double-pivot of Ismael Bennacer and Franck Kessie has dominated the league. Bennacer has finally returned from injury, and Milan remained in first during that time. Expect the same to continue to happen.
Juventus Climb Back to Second
The Juventus run and dominance ends this season. That doesn’t mean they’ll have a horrible finish, as they should play better than they did to start the season. it won’t be enough, however, as they’ll fall short and finish second.
They’re currently fourth on the table, a point behind Roma. Juventus, however, have a game in hand against Napoli.
They’ve re-gained form in recent weeks, and this should continue. At the end of the day, they do have Cristiano Ronaldo. While still focusing on Champions League, in typical Ronaldo fashion, Juventus will have a couple of slip-ups down the road.
What’s clear this season is that this isn’t the Juventus of old. They rely heavily on Ronaldo, and their other position groups are nowhere near as strong as they were in the past. They’re still strong and talented, but it won’t be enough to continue their Serie A winning streak.
Romelu Lukaku Wins the Capocannoniere Award
Romelu Lukaku has been fantastic once again this season. At the moment, he has 14 league goals, one behind Ronaldo for first. This will change, as Ronaldo eventually sees limited time before Champions League knockout fixtures. Lukaku will use his minutes’ advantage to rack up the goals.
A fire was lit in his eyes in the Copa Italia match against Milan. He will likely catch fire in the next few games for Inter. Expect Lukaku to finish in the 26-28 goal range.
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