Massimiliano Allegri Prepares for Intense Serie A Season

Massimiliano Allegri is bracing for a Serie A season that, in his eyes, could turn into a street fight.

The Napoli head coach believes the 2026-27 campaign will be one of the most crowded title races in years, with a pack of eight clubs capable of going the distance. Inter, he insists, remain the standard. But this is no duel.

“Inter are the favourites because they hold the trophy, but there will be at least eight teams to keep an eye on,” Allegri told Sportmediaset, laying out the landscape with typical clarity. “As well as the Nerazzurri and ourselves, also Milan, Juventus, Roma, Fiorentina, Como and Atalanta.”

Eight names. One Scudetto. And for Napoli, a centenary on the line.

Centenary pressure and a heavier calendar

The weight of the club’s 100th year hangs over everything Napoli do. Allegri knows it. The city certainly does. This is not a season for quiet consolidation.

Napoli are chasing domestic supremacy while juggling a demanding European programme, with the Champions League shifting to a single league-style phase before the knockouts. Allegri made no attempt to play down what lies ahead.

“It’ll be a beautiful and demanding year, we’ll have to be good at staying in it in Serie A, the Champions League and the Coppa Italia,” he said. “In the Champions League, however, we need to get through the single group stage and then reach the playoffs or the round of 16 as best we can.”

No talk of easing into things. The expectation is to survive the grind, then strike.

Buongiorno blow tests Napoli’s depth

The optimism is real, but so is the first major problem. Alessandro Buongiorno’s long-term injury has ripped a hole in the heart of Napoli’s defence just as the season’s intensity looms into view.

The Italy international will be out until January, a setback Allegri did not disguise.

“It’s a shame about Buongiorno, who will be out until January,” he admitted. The response, though, was immediate: turn inward, trust the squad, and lean on those already in the dressing room.

“In any case I have Marin and Rrahmani, Beukema is behind but he’ll recover his best form, and if needed I also have Olivera. I’m confident.”

No plea for sympathy. Just a clear message to the defenders now under the spotlight: the margin for error has shrunk, but the expectations have not.

Hojlund at the sharp end

At the other end of the pitch, the conversation inevitably circles back to Rasmus Hojlund. The Dane has been handed the responsibility of leading the line for a team aiming to outlast Inter and the seven other contenders Allegri name-checked.

The coach has previously compared the striker’s profile to that of Harry Kane, but this time his words cut closer to the core of what Napoli need from him.

“He's a very physical striker, he puts in the effort and is eager, but he needs to improve his goal-scoring record this season. He can do so given that he has all the potential,” Allegri said.

Encouragement, yes. But also a challenge. Potential is no longer the story; production is.

For Napoli, entering a centenary year in a league Allegri expects to be more open, more ruthless and more chaotic than it has been for some time, Hojlund’s finishing, Buongiorno’s absence and Inter’s status as the team to beat all feed into the same question: who will still be standing when this eight-team race finally thins out?