It may be early days in the 2025-26 Serie A campaign but there is a sense of freshness about both AC Milan and star striker Rafael Leao that wasn’t present for the majority of last season.
In finishing 8th in the table in 2024/25, Milan were hugely underwhelming and a big part of that was their inability to get their forward line firing.
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The now departed Tijani Reijnders was Milan’s talisman, with the central midfielder returning 15 goals in all competitions but the void at the top end of the pitch was clear.
In contrast, at the start of the 2025/26 campaign, Milan have carried far more of a threat, bagging 13 goals from their opening 8 games played, and they look to be a much more potent attacking force.
Key to this is the return to form of Rafael Leao, who found himself on the periphery at the San Siro last term, but he feels essential to Massimiliano Allegri’s plans this time around.
As a result, there is growing momentum behind Milan’s title bid this season, with plenty of punters feeling they have what it takes to go all the way and lift their first Serie A title since 2022.
Many sportsbooks and best betting sites have been fully alerted to this improvement in both performances and results from Milan this season and they are firmly in the hunt for the Serie A crown this time around.
Here is a look at how Rafael Leao could inspire the Rossoneri to another Serie A title and some of the key contenders that could stop them:
Lethal Leao
By his own stratospheric standards, Rafael Leao’s form ever since Milan clinched the Serie A title back in 2022 has been hit and miss.
The Portuguese international bagged 15 goals in the 2022/23 campaign but only managed Serie A returns of nine and eight in the respective full seasons since.
Attributing all Milan’s problems to one player in Leao wouldn’t be fair but the managerial merry-go-round at the San Siro, coupled with some tricky injuries, has led to the former Lille man enduring one of the more frustrating periods of his career thus far.
However, in just four league appearances in the 2025/26 season, Leao has bagged three goals, plus another in the Coppa Italia and there is a feeling that he is back to his best.
Massimiliano Allegri’s style looks to be suiting him too and if Leao begins to get the bit between his teeth, he and Milan could be tough to stop this season.
Modric still has it
The aforementioned departure of Tijani Reijnders left AC Milan with a serious hole to fill in the middle of their midfield over the summer of 2025.
Not to mention losing the likes of Malick Thiaw, Theo Hernandez and Noah Okafor, giving Milan and Allegri somewhat of a blank canvas to work with this year.
Few managers in world football are as streetwise as the former Juventus manager and the acquisitions of the likes of Christopher Nkunku, Koni De Winter and Adrian Rabiot underlined how Allegri envisioned his Milan side taking shape.
For all the fanfare around the big money signings, it has been the recruitment of 40-year-old Luka Modric that looks to have been a key piece of the jigsaw for the red and black half of the San Siro.
The Croatian continues to influence games from the heart of the pitch and his quality in possession is enabling Milan to put teams under pressure for longer periods, presenting the likes of Rafael Leao with more goal scoring opportunities.
Napoli remain the side to beat
For all the early season positivity surrounding Milan, Antonio Conte’s Napoli side have started the campaign strongly, as have cross city rivals Inter Milan under their new coach Cristian Chivu.
Naples was awash with football fever again last season, as they romped to the title and the arrivals of Kevin de Bruyne and Rasmus Hojlund looks to have given them even more impetus at the start of the 2025/26 season.
For Inter, another season of promise fizzled out last time around but they remain one of the best resourced sides in European football and they will not be far away at the end of another enthralling Serie A campaign.
Juventus continue to toil, with Igor Tudor the latest manager to lose his job with the Old Lady, while both capital clubs in Roma and Lazio will be looking to close the gap on those above them, as will perennial entertainers Atalanta.
Following a season to forget last time around though, AC Milan look to be firmly in the mix again for Serie A glory in 2026 and if Rafael Leao continues to bang the goals in, who knows what they could achieve.
