SaturdayH Verona vs Milan 6pmSampdoria vs Juventus 8:45pmSundayInter vs Genoa 6pmCagliari vs Atalanta 8:45pmNapoli vs BolognaParma vs ChievoLivorno vs AS RomaTorino vs SassuoloLazio vs UdineseMondayFiorentina vs Catania 8:45pmROME. Title holders Juventus look set for further dominance as Serie A kicks off at the weekend against an ugly backdrop of match-fixing suspensions and racism.Juve, champions for the last two seasons, have been further strengthened by Carlos Tevez’s arrival from Manchester City and sounded a warning last Sunday by thumping Lazio 4-0 in the season-opening Supercup.The match also illustrated Serie A’s deep-rooted problems as it was marred by racist abuse from the stands while Lazio were missing captain Stefano Mauri as he began a six-month suspension related to a match-fixing scandal.Also suffering from dilapidated stadiums, financial problems and hooliganism, Serie A has lost prestige over the years with top players preferring to head to Spain, England and, increasingly, Germany and France.Juventus coach Antonio Conte said last season that it would be years before an Italian team would win the Champions League again.However, there have been some mildly encouraging signs during the summer, particularly the signing of Tevez by Juventus, his fellow Argentine Gonzalo Higuain by Napoli and prolific German Mario Gomez by Fiorentina. Those follow AC Milan’s acquisition of Mario Balotelli in January.Italian teams also showed themselves to be remarkably restrained in the transfer market.Napoli, who also signed Dries Martins (PSV Eindhoven) and Raul Albiol (Real Madrid), were the biggest spenders but only after selling Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani to Paris St Germain for 64 million euros ($85.61 million).After qualifying twice for the Champions League in the last three seasons, Napoli, who host Bologna on Sunday, are clearly determined to make another challenge for what would be only their third title.However, with so many new players, and with Rafael Benitez having replaced Walter Mazzarri as coach, they remain an unknown quantity and may take time to find their feet.Juventus, on the other hand, have kept the core of the team which has dominated over the last two seasons and have the benefit of playing in a stadium which they own, and is always full and noisy.Juve, who finished nine points clear of Napoli last season, visit Sampdoria on Saturday for their opener.AC Milan, who are away to Hellas Verona on Saturday, did well to finish third in a transitional season and could well provide a stiffer challenge, especially with Balotelli clearly settling in well after his move from Manchester City.Neighbours Inter, who host Genoa, are a different kettle of fish and new coach Mazzarri will have a real task on his hands to lift them after last year’s dismal ninth-place finish.Fiorentina, with Gomez spearheading the attack, are also optimistic after finishing fourth last season, although they may struggle to overcome the departure of the gifted Stevan Jovetic in midfield.
