Sampdoria coach Claudio Ranieri sees Juventus as ‘the team to beat, even if the gap is slowly getting whittled down’ with Andrea Pirlo in charge.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“It’ll be like a debut for me, seeing as I only came in when the season had already started last term,” said the coach in his press conference.
Sampdoria coach Claudio Ranieri sees Juventus as ‘the team to beat, even if the gap is slowly getting whittled down’ with Andrea Pirlo in charge.
It kicks off on Sunday at 19.45 UK time (18.45 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“It’ll be like a debut for me, seeing as I only came in when the season had already started last term,” said the coach in his press conference.
“It always makes me proud to begin a season from the start. Obviously, it’ll never be the same without the fans there, but we have to make do. We are ready to fight it out with Juventus and I wish Andrea Pirlo success in his career going forward.
“Juve remain the team to beat, as they’ve won the Scudetto for nine years running and are seeking the 10th, but have this unknown quantity of Pirlo as the new coach.
“There are several different clubs challenging to win the title and I am convinced the gap between Juve and the rest is slowly getting whittled down.”
Pirlo hasn’t had much time to prepare either, as due to the lockdown and delayed end to the 2019-20 campaign, it has been a very short pre-season.
“It was anomalous and the last term ended in stressful circumstances, but the positive thing is that we are not starting from scratch, as we’ve changed very little,” added Ranieri.
“We lost Nicola Murru and Karol Linetty, so I expect new arrivals to replace them and the President is working hard, but the core remains the same.”
It’s reported Monaco striker Keita Balde Diao will arrive for his medical on Monday.