Torino vs. Cagliari (Monday, 5.30pm)
© Reuters
Kicking off their return to the top flight after one year away, Cagliari visit Torino in their Serie A season opener on Monday.
After securing promotion through the playoffs, Claudio Ranieri's men begin their comeback against a Toro side that posted their second straight top-half finish last term.
We say: Torino 1-0 Cagliari
After two years at the helm in Turin, Ivan Juric has fully imprinted his methods on a well-drilled Torino team that remains mostly unchanged from last season. Such continuity should help them make a good start on home soil, consigning Cagliari to defeat on their latest Serie A comeback.
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Bologna vs. AC Milan (Monday, 7.45pm)
© Reuters
After putting up a weak defence of their title last term, AC Milan kick off the 2023-24 campaign on Monday, when their quest to regain the Scudetto starts at Bologna's Stadio Renato Dall'Ara.
A distant fourth-place finish saw the Rossoneri trail in 20 points behind champions Napoli in June, but they now start a new season against perhaps their favourite opponents.
We say: Bologna 1-1 AC Milan
Milan may take a while to gel following a summer of upheaval on and off the pitch, so a well-prepared Bologna side should restrict the Rossoneri to just one point. Though their past record in this fixture may not suggest so, the Emilians are generally tough to beat on home turf - however, they probably lack sufficient firepower to cause an opening-day upset.
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Ben Knapton
