AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli has suggested that Juventus are the favourites to win the Serie A title this season because they do not have any European football to contend with.
Speaking to Il Nuovo Calcio (via Milan News), the coach was asked about who is most likely to win the Serie A title this season with it looking like there will be a fight between Milan, Inter, Juventus and Napoli.
Three of those teams are currently in the Champions League, whilst Juventus have no European football to deal with due to their capital gains breaches.
That means that they have at least six fewer games to deal with in this early stage of the season and Pioli highlighted the thought and preparation that goes into having a Serie A fixture either side of a match against the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle United or Paris Saint-Germain.
“The tournament will be very competitive, the teams that can compete for the top positions are those there now. And not playing during the week helps. A lot,” Pioli said.
“Taking the field every three days wears you down mentally at the beginning, then during the season also on the physical level. After the break for the national teams, there was the derby, then the preparation for the match against Newcastle, then Verona… there’s a considerable expenditure of energy. In some ways, therefore, the Bianconeri are the real favourites.”
