Club Profiles

Manager: Carlo Ancelotti

Star player: Kaka

Stadium: San Siro (85,700)

Local airports: Milan Malpensa, Orio al Serio (Bergamo), Milan Linate

Title odds: 2,80

Transfers in: Abbiati (Atletico Madrid), Borriello (Genoa), Flamini (Arsenal), Zambrotta (Barcelona), Storari (Cagliari), Ronaldinho (Barcelona)

Transfers out: Gilardino (Fiorentina), Gourcuff (Bordeaux), Cafu (Expired contract), Serginho (Expired contract), Storari (Fiorentina), Grimi (Sporting Lisbon)

With no points deductions this year Milan could have started off full of confidence, especially being holders of the Champions League. They have top players, including Andrea Pirlo, Allessandro Nesta, Gennaro Gattuso and Kaka. However, some stars are becoming quite aged, notably Inzaghi and Maldini- do they one more successful year left in them? At the Christmas stage it was very dissappointing season in the league, but winning the Club World Cup will be some consolation. Much has been made of young Brazilian Pato's big money move from Internacional, but will he be able to add the goals that Inzaghi and Gilardino have so far failed to supply? So far he has done well but pressure is being heaped upon his young shoulders. Along with the return to the team, and to form maybe, of Ronaldo, and the impressive youngster Paloschi coming through, it could be a much more positive second half of the season, but a top 2 or 3 finish may not be possible. One thing that Milan do have though, is strength in depth with many squad players like Ambrosini and Brocchi, who are able to rotate and keep the stars fresh.

Manager: Luigi Del Neri

Star player: Cristiano Doni

Stadium: Stadio Atleti Azzuri d'Italia (24,642)

Local airports: Ario al Serio (Bergamo)

Transfers in: Valdes (Lecce), Defendi (Chievo), Rinaldi (Udinese), Vieri (Free agent), Garics (Napoli), Cigarini (Parma), Tiboni (Sassuolo), Consigli (Rimini)

Transfers out: Langella (Udinese), Belleri (Lazio), Carrozzieri (Palermo), Tissone (Udinese), Paolucci (Catania), Lazzari (Cagliari), Fissore (Vicenza), Campisi (Verona), S Inzaghi (Lazio)

With the hard-working and skilled midfield play of Doni, there are plenty of opportunities for attacking players, best of whom are Riccardo Zampagna, with 17 in 44 games last year. Also, another Serie A stars brother, Simeone Inzaghi, has made a loan move to Atalanta after losing form with Lazio.

Manager: Massimo Allegri

Star player: Pasquale Foggia

Stadium: Stadio Sant'Elia (23,486)

Local airports: Cagliari Elmas airport

Title odds: 300-1

Transfers in: Astori (Cremonese), Marchetti (Albinoleffe), Bizera (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Marruocco (Ravenna), Lazzari (Atalanta)

Transfers out: Storari (Milan), Capecchi (Ravenna), Marchini (Triestina), Mancosu (Rimini), Shala (Released)

Star man Foggia is only at loan to Cagliari from Lazio at the moment, but he has injected some necessary speed and skill into this team. Other notable players are long-standing defender Diego Lopez, and young, half-Polish striker Robert Acquafresca. He will need to perform well this year and effectively replace the goals that David Suazo, now of Inter, provided before him.

Manager: Silvio Baldini

Star player: Gionatha Spinesi

Stadium: Stadio Angelo Massimino (20,800)

Local airports: Catania Fontanarossa Airport

Title odds: 500-1

Transfers in: Di Cosmo (Igea Virtus), Kosicki (Inter Bratislava), Carboni (Red Bull), D'Elia (Francavilla), Babu (Triestina), Paolucci (Atalanta), Catellani (Reggiana), Dica (Steaua Bucharest), Ledesma (Boca Juniors)

Transfers out: Rossi (Triestina), Pia (Napoli), Vargas (Fiorentina), Mezavilla (Perugia)

Avoiding relegation will certainly be the main objective for "gli elefanti" this year, something they only did on the final day last year. If the Catania Ultras can avoid getting the club into trouble, then surviving will rely on good seasons from forward players Spinesi, Mascara and Martinez. Stopping them going in at the other end will be a different story though.

Manager: Cesari Prandelli

Star player: Martin Jorgensen

Stadium: Artemio Franchi (47,282)

Local airports: Galileo Galilei Pisa airport

Title odds: 25,00

Transfers in: Comotto (Torino), Jovetic (Partizan), Melo (Almeria), Gilardino (Milan), Vargas (Catania), Jefferson (Parana Clube), Storari (Milan), Zauri (Lazio)

Transfers out: Ujfalusi (Atletico Madrid), Liverani (Palermo), Potenza (Genoa), Cacia (Piacenza), Vieri (Expired contract), Di Carmine (Queens Park Rangers), Do Prado (Released), Lupoli (Norwich City)

I Viola (The Purple Ones) have made a remarkable return to the top flight since their financial troubles, subsequent double promotion, and Serie B play-off victory. Last season they finished 6th, with inspirational players like Tomáš Ujfaluši in defence, and Adrian Mutu up front, aided by more physical strikers like Pazzini or Vieri. In goal is one the in-form goalies in the world at the moment, highly rated Frenchman Sebastien Frey, who is a very influential player for the Viola. If your looking for the future of Fiorentina, then look no further than Riccardo Montolivo in attacking midfield, and former Italy under-21 captain Marco Donadel a bit deeper.

Manager: Unknown

Star player: Unknown

Stadium: Stadio Luigi Ferraris (36,536)

Local airports: Unknown airport

Title odds: 200,00

Transfers in: Polenta (Danubio), Modesto (Reggina), Di Gennaro (Bologna), Gasbarroni (Parma), Potenza (Fiorentina), Biava (Palermo), Mesto (Udinese), Palladino (Juventus), Pinau (Monaco)

Transfers out: Borriello (Milan), Bovo (Palermo), Konko (Siviglia), Fabiano (Reggina), Santos (Reggina), Ledesma (QPR), Leon (Parma)

Unknown

Manager: Roberto Mancini

Star player: Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Stadium: San Siro (85,700)

Local airports: Milan Malpensa, Orio al Serio, Milan Linate

Title odds: 2,40 (Favourites)

Transfers in: Adriano (Sao Paulo), Recoba (Torino), Giacomelli (Foligno), Mancini (Roma), Jimenez (Ternana)

Transfers out: Maniche (Atletico Madrid), Ribas (Dijon)

Last year Inter were helped in their quest for the Scudetto by points penalties imposed on Milan AC, and the relgation of Juventus due to corruption charges. But this year it will be harder for the Nerazzuri as competition will be tougher. Players of the quality of Zanetti, Figo and Vieira mean that they will surely be favourites with most people. This season ItalyCalcio's star man Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been in fantastic form up to the winter break, helping his team to establish a healthy lead at the top of Serie A. They will still be everyone's favourites, especially with the poor season Milan are having, and Roma's inability to kill games off. In terms of youngsters, look out for Inter's new striking sensation, 17 year old Mario Balotelli who has been linked with all the big teams, but is still waiting for a run in the team.

Manager: Claudio Ranieri

Star player: Gianluigi Buffon

Stadium: Stadio Olimpico di Torino (25,370) - Temporary

Local airports: Sandro Pertini International airport

Title odds: 5,50

Transfers in: Mellberg (Aston Villa), Giovinco (Empoli), Marchisio (Empoli), Amauri (Palermo), Ekdal (Brommapojkarna), De Ceglie (Siena), Knezevic (Livorno), Poulsen (Sevilla), Chimenti (Udinese)

Transfers out: Nocerino (Palermo), Stendardo (Lazio), Volpato (Bari), Palladino (Genoa), Cuneaz (Mantova), Essabr (Vicenza), Del Prete (Siena)

After a comfortable promotion i Bianconeri will again challenge the title after keeping most of their star players. With forward players of the calibre of Del Piero, Camoronesi, Trezeguet and Iaquinta, they have goals in them. But since their last Serie A season they've lost defensive players Zambrotta, Cannavaro and Vieira, so can they keep them out? We've seen impressive defensive performances from Legrottaglie and Chiellini, but their place in the team was down to Jorge Andrade being injured, and they still have former Newcastle man Boumsong, so whether they can remain strong to the end of the season remains to be seen. Their midfield is also strengthened by the signing of Maniche, which could see Tiago leave, possibly back to the Premiership.

Manager: Delio Rossi

Star player: Goran Pandev

Stadium: Stadio Olimpico di Roma (82,922)

Local airports: Rome Ciampino

Title odds: 66-1

Transfers in: Carrizo (River Plate), Stendardo (Juventus), Foggia (Cagliari), Zarate (Lazio), Matuzalem (Real Zaragoza), Lichtsteiner (Lille)

Transfers out: Bianchi (Manchester City), Mudingayi (Bologna), Zauri (Fiorentina)

Lazio finished in 3rd place last year, with an excellent run of 8 wins in a row. However, summer strengthening brought in mainly squad players, with former West Ham player Lionel Scaloni one of the bigger names. The title this year would seem too far off for them this year. Goals come in the form of Goran Pandev, or Tommasso Rocchi. Further back in the field its Lorenzo De Silvestri in defence and Stefano Mauri in midfield. Its also worth mentioning that first choice goalkeeper MArco Ballotta, at 43 years old is the oldest ever to play in Serie A or the Champions League. The January transfer window has also seen the expected return of Rolando Bianchi to Italy on loan from Manchester City. He'll be hoping to have the form that saw him score 19 in his last season in Serie A.

Manager: Edoardo Reja

Star player: Marcelo Zalayeta

Stadium: Stadio San Paulo (78,210)

Local airports: Capodichino Airport (Naples)

Title odds: 80,00

Transfers in: Rinaudo (Palermo), Maggio (Sampdoria), Denis (Independiente)

Transfers out: Sosa (Gimnasia La Plata), Rullo (Triestina), Calaio' (Siena), Garics (Atalanta), Bucchi (Ascoli)

Despite their long odds for the title, Napoli look good this year, with some fire-power up front that many other clubs will be envious off, notably Zalayeta, Sosa, Hamsyk, Lavezzi and Calaiò. The defence is strengthened by the influence of Paulo Cannavaro, brother of the Italy legend.

Manager: Maurizio Zamparini

Star player: Andrea Barzagli

Stadium: Stadio Renzo Barbera (37,619)

Local airports: Falcone Borsellino (Palermo International)

Title odds: 150,00

Transfers in: De Melo (Le Mans), Liverani (Fiorentina), Raggi (Empoli), Lanzafame (Bari), Nocerino (Juventus), Budan (Parma), Amelia (Livorno), Carrozzieri (Atalanta), Bovo (Genoa), Kjaer (Midtjylland)

Transfers out: Barzagli (Wolfsburg), Zaccardo (Wolfsburg), Amauri (Juventus), Rinaudo (Napoli), Biava (Genoa)

The biggest club in Sicily, Palermo are seventh favourites for the title and have some players capable of challenging top defences, like Australian Mark Bresciano and Fabrizio Miccoli, formerly of Juventus. The defence can be solid too, with Star Man Barzagli, who often features for the national side, and Cristian Zaccardo. Up front, it is Miccoli and Amauri who have impressed the most this year so far.

Manager: Unknown

Star player: Unknown

Stadium: Stadio Oreste Granillo

Local airports: Unknown airport

Title odds: Unknown

Transfers in: Rizzo (Perugia), Fabiano (Genoa), Santos (Genoa), Pudil (Slovan Liberec)

Transfers out: Modesto (Genoa), Amoruso (Torino)

Unknown

Manager: Luciano Spalletti

Star player: Francesco Totti

Stadium: Stadio Olimpico di Roma (82,922)

Local airports: Rome Ciampino

Title odds: 7,00

Transfers in: Riise (Liverpool), Loria (Siena), Rosi (Chievo)

Transfers out: Barusso (Siena), Curci (Siena), Mancini (Inter), Giuly (PSG), Antunes (Lecce)

Roma have a top quality midfield, with English-born Simeone Perrotta, and Italy player Daniel De Rossi, aided by attacking minded players like Giuly, Taddei, Mancini and Totti. Its a solid team that were runners-up last year, and have strengthened in defence with the pacey wing-back Cicinho signing from Real Madrid, adding to other attacking full-backs Cassetti and Tonetto. They play superb football, and although Totti is not a typical striker, he often plays as a lone striker, which creates great attacking play, and results in him scoring more often than not.

Manager: Walter Mazzarri

Star player: Antonio Cassano

Stadium: Stadio Luigi Ferraris (36,536)

Local airports: Genoa airport

Title odds: 80,00

Transfers in:

Transfers in: Stankevicius (Brescia), Padalino (Piacenza), Dessena (Parma), Fornaroli (National Montevideo)

Transfers out: Volpi (Bologna), Maggio (Napoli), C Zenoni (Bologna)

Many eyes are on two loan signings for the Genoa outfit, those of Antonio Cassano from Real Madrid, and Vicenzo Montella from Roma, both of whom could change games and change an average season into a successful one. Other solid players include captain Volpi, striker Quagliarella and long-serving midfield man Angelo Palombo.

Manager: Andrea Mandorlini

Star player: Massimo Maccarone

Stadium: Stadio Artemio Franchi (47,282)

Local airports: Galileo Galilei Pisa

Title odds: 1500-1

Transfers in:

Transfers in: Barusso (Roma), Belmonte (Bari), Brandao (Belenenses), Curci (Roma), Calaio' (Napoli), Del Prete (Juventus), Kharja (Piacenza), Zuniga (Atletico Nacional)

Transfers out: Loria (Roma), De Ceglie (Juventus), Forestieri (Genoa), Chiesa (Figline), Veron (PAOK), Locatelli (Mantova)

The favourites for relegation have a big squad, and one or two big players, like ex-Premiership striker Massimmo Maccarone and up-and-coming midfielder De Ceglie. They have had the chances to beat some of the big teams this year, but too often they don't take their chances, and are punished later on in the game. Therefore, they are unlikely to get enough results given the standard they are up against, and few will put money on Siena staying up.

Manager: Walter Novellino

Star player: Nicola Ventola

Stadium: Stadio Olimpico di Torino (25,370) - Temporary

Local airports: Sandro Pertini International airport

Title odds: 500-1

Transfers in:

Transfers in: Abbruscato (Lecce), Moro (Messina), Amoruso (Reggina), Valtulina (Pro Sesto), Calderoni (Treviso), Colombo (Udinese), Säumel (Sturm Graz)

Transfers out: Recoba (Inter), Motta (Udinese), Comotto (Fiorentina)

The Turin outfit have much better attacking options than a 500-1 odd would suggest, with Di Michele, Ventola, Stellone and Recoba all competing for places. New defensive midfielders Barone and Corini will toughen the team up, but again the problems seem to be in conceding goals.

Manager: Pasquale Marino

Star player: Antonio Di Natale

Stadium: Stadio Friuli (41,652)

Local airports: Trieste Ronchi Airport

Title odds: 100,00

Transfers in:

Transfers in: Langella (Atalanta), Pasquale (Livorno), Tissone (Atalanta), Motta (Torino), Sanchez (River Plate), Nef (Piacenza)

Transfers out: Sivok (Besiktas), Mesto (Genoa), Zapotocny (Besiktas), Dossena (Liverpool), Asamoah (Rennes), Colombo (Torino), Chimenti (Juventus)

We have already seen this year that Udinese are capable of beating the big boys on their day. These kind of results depend on the likes of Di Natale to perform, as this is a team with few stars, but who play as a team. They will however be weaker than last year, when they finished 10th, as they have lost Vincenzo Iaquinta.