Inter begin Serie A title defence at Genoa, new boys Como at Juventus

ROME: Inter Milan will begin the defence of their Serie A title at Genoa while ambitious Como take on Juventus in their first top flight fixture in over two decades, after the 2024/25 season fixture list was announced on Thursday.

Simone Inzaghi´s Inter strolled to last season´s Scudetto and will try to retain their crown under new ownership after US investment fund Oaktree acquired the club in May. Oaktree assumed ownership of Inter days after they were officially crowned Italian champions, as previous owners Suning missed a deadline to repay a three-year loan which matured at 395 million euros ($428 million).

Sporting CEO Giuseppe Marotta, who had been hired by Chinese conglomerate Suning in 2018 and is considered the architect of Inter´s recent successes, was appointed president last month.

After their opening fixture at Genoa, which is scheduled for August 18, Inter face Lecce and Europa League holders Atalanta at home before travelling to Monza and then facing local rivals AC Milan in the fifth round of matches in September.

Como have a blockbuster beginning to their first Serie A season in 21 years at Juve, who hired Thiago Motta as their new coach last month after sacking Massimiliano Allegri. Bankrolled by Indonesian tobacco giants Djarum, Como have stormed through the divisions since being acquired in 2019 following multiple bankruptcies.

From the world-famous lakeside city in northern Italy, Como have former Arsenal teammates Cesc Fabregas and Thierry Henry as minority shareholders. Fabregas is also assistant to first team coach Osian Roberts.

Como will play their first three fixtures -- against Juve, Cagliari and Udinese -- away from home to help the club complete works on its Giuseppe Sinigaglia stadium which currently does not meet Serie A´s requirements.

Their first home match is against Bologna, who will be one of Italy´s five clubs in the revamped Champions League, in mid-September. Atalanta will also play their first three matches away from the Gewiss Stadium whose redevelopment is nearing completion.

Fellow promoted teams Parma and Venezia will face Fiorentina and Lazio respectively on the opening day of the campaign. Matches in the coming season, which finishes on May 25, will generally be spread across each weekend, with one match on Friday night, three on Saturday, five on Sunday and the final fixture on Monday night.

Only two matches will be played at the traditional time of 3pm on a Sunday afternoon. The first three rounds of matches, in August and early September, will all be played in the evening to avoid the worst of the summer heat.