European Football Pre-Season Friendlies - Series A

Serie A returns on August 22 for the 2026-2027 campaign. Before the tactical chess matches begin in earnest, the pre-season friendlies offer a critical window into the summer rebuilds happening across the peninsula. At 1XBET, we are closely tracking how Italy's heavyweights—Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, and Napoli—are shaping up as they test their new formations in high-profile exhibitions across the globe.

The defending champions, Inter Milan, have been exceptionally busy restructuring their squad. Following the departures of defensive stalwarts like Francesco Acerbi and Stefan de Vrij, alongside Dumfries heading to Real Madrid, they moved swiftly to reinforce the flanks and central defense with Spence and Stones. Their active pursuit of Curtis Jones highlights a clear intent to add ball-playing versatility to the midfield, ensuring vital depth for Simone Inzaghi's demanding 3-5-2 system alongside new additions like Akanji and Stankovic. Their global tour reflects this ambition, headlining against Manchester City at the new Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong on August 1, before flying out to Perth, Australia, for a fascinating Derby d'Italia friendly against Juventus on August 8.

Across the city, AC Milan is answering back with significant investments. They bolstered their attack with Ramos and solidified the backline with Gila, a center-back whose Real Madrid academy pedigree perfectly suits a modern possession game. Adding a veteran distributor like Luka Modric provides their forwards with elite service, and ongoing contact with Belgian winger Diego Moreira points to further tactical flexibility. The schedule testing this newly assembled unit is punishing: they face Inter in Perth on August 5, Chelsea at Jakarta's Gelora Bung Karno Stadium on August 8, and finally Manchester United at the Tarczyński Arena in Poland on August 15. The recent defensive lapses exposing gaps in their cohesion shows that integrating these new pieces quickly is their immediate priority before the league opener.

Juventus focused heavily on a surgical offensive overhaul rather than a single blockbuster name. Committing over €40 million each for Loïs Openda and Randal Kolo Muani, plus €32 million for 18-year-old Bosnian talent Kerim Alajbegovic, completely reshaped their final third. Defensively, Colombian international Jhon Lucumí and on-loan goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario bring necessary stability. Their Australian trip, featuring the Inter match and an August 11 clash with Serie B side Palermo, serves as a crucial testing ground to see if these investments can close the gap on their rivals.

Other clubs are quietly making significant tactical shifts as they finalize their rosters. Napoli, retaining Kevin De Bruyne but moving on from Lukaku, look to Rasmus Højlund and Alisson Santos for goals, warming up against Celta Vigo on August 8 at the Stadio Teofilo Patini. Atalanta's clever repositioning of Nicola Zalewski into midfield marks them as a serious top-four threat based on early exhibition form. Meanwhile, AS Roma concludes their preparations against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Park on August 15, Lazio keeps their focus domestic by hosting Frosinone on August 9, and Fiorentina challenges Real Madrid in a marquee matchup on August 1.