Milan start Serie A title defence with Udinese go to in mid-August

Stefano Pioli’s facet then face Atalanta, Bologna and Sassuolo earlier than internet hosting the primary Milan derby of the season in early September.

Milan took the Scudetto from Inter on the ultimate day of final season’s enthralling title race and can possible be doing battle with their native rivals — who’re set to carry again Romelu Lukaku — for the title in a marketing campaign which begins sooner than typical.

The opening spherical of fixtures are on August 13, as a result of World Cup which kicks off in Qatar in November, and finishes on June 4 subsequent yr.

The primary week of the season can be held round when Italian households historically set off to the seaside, lakes or mountains on vacation to flee the extraordinary summer season warmth.

The league will break from November 13 to create space for the World Cup however in contrast to the Premier League won’t return in December, with the motion beginning up once more on January 4.

Inter begin with a visit to Serie B champions Lecce, certainly one of solely three groups from Italy’s southern areas, earlier than dealing with Spezia, Lazio and promoted Cremonese earlier than their first native derby of the season.

Ought to the season go all the way down to the wire because it did in Might, there are some huge matches within the closing few weeks which might have an effect on the vacation spot of the title.

– Berlusconi again –

Juventus, hotly-tipped to signal free agent Paul Pogba, host Milan within the penultimate spherical of fixtures, when Inter await rivals Atalanta on the San Siro.

The week earlier than Inter journey south to Napoli, who have been nicely within the title race final season till they fell away within the closing weeks of the marketing campaign.

Milan followers will welcome again former proprietor Silvio Berlusconi in late October when promoted Monza go to the San Siro in the course of the eleventh spherical of fixtures.

Alongside right-hand man Adriano Galliani, former Italian prime minister and media mogul Berlusconi took Monza into the Italian prime flight for the primary time of their historical past by way of the Serie B play-offs, 4 years after shopping for the membership.

Monza will host Torino and Udinese and journey to Napoli in an intriguing begin for the formidable membership, who signed former Italy defender Andrea Ranocchia this month and are near taking highly-rated goalkeeper Alessio Cragno from relegated Cagliari.

Berlusconi and Galliani gained 29 trophies with Milan between 1986 and 2016 — together with 5 of seven European Cups — when the membership was offered to Chinese language buyers led by Li Yonghong.

Li was then compelled at hand Milan over to American funding fund Elliott two years later after failing to repay money owed taken out to accumulate the membership.

Milan introduced earlier this month that they’d be offered to a different US fund RedBird over the summer season.