Alright folks, give yourself a big and nice pat on the back, your survived yet another international break! This weekend the “real” action resumes with a big Round three clash, as Napoli hosts Juventus at the Stadio Maradona. In order to get ourselves back in the Serie A mood, we decided to predict which player will end up the season as the top scorer at each of the big seven Italian clubs. So let’s get it rollin!
Inter
With Romelu Lukaku back to Chelsea, Inter were left with a gigantic whole in attack. Now surely Edin Dzeko will attempt to make up for the Belgian’s departure, but at the age of 35, he’s unlikely to score tons of goals.
Joaquin Correa’s Inter career went off to a brilliant start with two goals in his fist twenty minutes, but the former Lazio man remains a second striker. However, Lautaro Martinez is expected to take more responsibilities following the exit of his former teammate, and he could be deployed closer to goal this season.
Our Pick: Lautaro Martinez
Inter are working on contract extensions. Lautaro Martinez will soon sign his new deal until June 2026. Nicolò Barella is also in the list to discuss a new contract in the next weeks. ? #Inter
Inter will also open talks with Marcelo Brozovic. His current deal expires next June.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 7, 2021
Milan
Had Zlatan Ibrahimovic been fit and healthy, this one would have been a no-brainer. However, the Sweden international has been dealing with recurring injury problems for years now, which rendered him a part-timer at Milan.
Therefore, Olivier Giroud is expected to earn a good chunk a playing time this season, and has already bagged a brace in his side’s first home match of the season.
The likes of Brahim Diaz, Ante Rebic and Franck Kessié (who should be handed the spot kick duties once he returns) remain outside bets.
Our Pick: Olivier Giroud
Two goals on his home debut ✅
Excellent start to life at Milan ✅Really pleased with Olivier Giroud's influence so far. Exact profile of striker we needed to lead the line, hopefully a great season ahead for him/us.#ForzaMilan #ACMilan #MilanCagliari pic.twitter.com/WULa4Lvsfl
— Talk Milan (@talkmilan1) August 30, 2021
Atalanta
This one should be an all-Colombian affair. Last season, Luis Muriel ended up as the Top scorer at Atalanta, but his compatriot Duvan Zapata remains Gian Piero Gasperini’s most natural center forward.
Josip Ilicic is unlikely to threaten the aforementioned duo, as the Slovenian often struggles to display his brilliant form on a consistent basis. Ruslan Malinovskiy should provide numerous assists, but a little less in terms of finishing.
Our Pick: Duvan Zapata
⚽ Only Cristiano Ronaldo (97) and Ciro Immobile (92) have played a direct hand in more Serie A goals than Duvan Zapata (78) over the last three seasons
? Inter consider the Atalanta striker a potential replacement for Romelu Lukaku pic.twitter.com/TecKvxfwCN
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) August 4, 2021
Juventus
With Cristiano Ronaldo gone now, the competition has become wide open. With the number 9 on his back, Alvaro Morata should theoretically be the favorite, but the Spaniard is yet to prove that he can score goals day in day out.
Moise Kean can turn out to be a formidable competitor for a starting role, but he might not feature enough to cement himself as the Old Lady’s Top scorer. Federico Chiesa is tipped to enjoy another thrilling season in Turin, but scoring goals while playing on the wings isn’t an easy task.
With CR7 out of the way, Paulo Dybala should be the main man in attack once again, and he’s expected to be the team’s designated penalty and freekick taker which should surely boost his numbers – provided he remains healthy this time around.
Our Pick: Paulo Dybala
King Dybala. ?
Time to take his rightful place.#DybalaFanClub #ElPresidente #Juventinità #Juve #PD10 #Juventus #FinoAllaFine #NewEra #Dybala pic.twitter.com/vDzvSUVmgw
— Juventinità: Back To Black and White Podcast (@JuventinitaDAL) September 7, 2021
Napoli
At Napoli, everyone is still waiting for Victor Osimhen to finally explode. But between injuries, suspensions and inconsistent form, the Nigerian is yet to take the Stadio Maradona by storm.
Andrea Petagna and Dries Mertens can provide the goals, but they’re unlikely to play on regular basis. With Lorenzo Insigne being ever-present in the starting formation and taking over dead-ball duties, the captain can replicate his impressive goal-scoring stats from last season.
Our Pick: Lorenzo Insigne
Lorenzo Insigne and Elif Elmas Catapult Napoli to Hard-Earned Win Over Venezia https://t.co/aRSyW59eJ3 pic.twitter.com/UwuAz39Rvm
— The Cult of Calcio (@cultofcalcio) August 23, 2021
Lazio
Undoubtedly the easiest pick of the entire list – especially with Felipe Caicedo and Correa both leaving the Italian capital. Ciro Immobile might be struggling to score for the national team, but he seems to be enjoying life under Maurizio Sarri, and has already bagged four goals in his first two matches.
Our Pick: Ciro Immobile
Ciro Immobile, he will be Capocannoniere this season. ??
He’s off to a great start with Lazio.? https://t.co/yCZJgUSQFZ pic.twitter.com/TD704RomUP
— Jerry Mancini (@jmancini8) September 6, 2021
Roma
Although Jordan Veretout and Lorenzo Pellegrini are off to a quick start, none of the two midfielders is likely to finish the campaign as Roma’s Top scorer.
Eldor Shomurodov could be the surprise package of the season, and Borja Mayoral will try to regain his starting berth after an impressive second half last season. But at the moment, Tammy Abraham should be considered as the clear favorite, following the spectacular start of his Italian journey.
Our Pick: Tammy Abraham
? @DigitalBitsOrg ???? ??
A first goal in Italy, a big all-round performance – congratulations to Tammy Abraham on being voted the top performer against Salernitana!
#ASRoma #SalernitanaRoma pic.twitter.com/abU0oydoss— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) August 30, 2021