Juventus 2025/26 Season Preview: Key Fixtures, Transfers, Starting XI & Prediction | OneFootball

After a season of broken dreams, Juventus gear up for the new campaign with renewed optimism. The Bianconeri secured Champions League football last year by the skin of their teeth, avoiding the ignominy of their worst Serie A finish since 2022/23 on the final weekend.

Expectations were sky-high heading into the 2024/25 season as Juventus signed numerous top players last summer. However, Thiago Motta buckled under the pressure of leading an elite side, which led to his dismissal in late March.

Brought in to pick up the slack, Igor Tudor navigated Juventus’ way to Europe’s premier club competition. In doing so, he earned the club’s trust and, more importantly, a new deal at the end of last season. Therefore, he will be in the dugout at the start of 2025/26.

It’s been five years since Juventus won their last Scudetto. Their best finish since was third in 2023/24, so Tudor’s top assignment is to restore the Bianconeri to the Serie A title race and bring them back to the summit of Italian football.

However, it could prove easier said than done. With Napoli firing on all cylinders under Antonio Conte and Inter eager to reclaim the crown after a heartbreaking season, Juventus face fierce competition on all fronts, making their path back to the top as challenging as ever.

Without further ado, let’s look at our Juventus season preview for 2025/26.

Juventus Fixtures

Juventus kick off the season at the Allianz Stadium against Parma before traveling to Stadio Luigi Ferraris to face Genoa in their first away match of 2025/26. Tudor’s men face their first major challenge right after September’s international break when bitter rivals Inter visit Turin for the opening Derby d’Italia of the campaign.

This encounter marks the beginning of a tough stretch for Tudor’s side, with upcoming fixtures against Hellas Verona (A), Atalanta (H), AC Milan (H), Como (A), and Lazio (A). Juventus then play two less high-profile games against Udinese (H) and Cremonese (A) in late October and early November before meeting Torino in the Derby della Mole on November 9, with the return fixture set for May 25.

December brings two exciting clashes as they travel to face Napoli and host Roma, and they wrap up the year with a trip to newly-promoted Pisa. Juventus host Lecce at the start of 2026, but their first real test in the new year comes in late January when defending champions Napoli touch down in Turin.

Back-to-back matches against Lazio (H) and Inter (A) in early February could shape the rest of their campaign. After that, Juventus enjoy a relatively smoother schedule until late April when they travel to San Siro to face AC Milan.

Transfers

Juve’s ambitious summer signings last year failed to deliver the expected results in 2024/25, prompting the club to rethink its transfer strategy this year. This summer, they have exercised far more caution, using most of their budget to convert several loan deals into permanent transfers.

Francisco Conceicao, Michele Di Gregorio, Pierre Kalulu, Lloyd Kelly, and Nico Gonzalez all signed permanent contracts in Turin, with the Bianconeri spending over €100 million on their arrivals.

Marquee addition Jonathan David has joined on a free transfer after letting his Lille contract expire. Juventus also signed Portuguese full-back Joao Mario from Porto for a reported €12 million.

They have been equally active in the transfer market on the outgoing front. Nicolo Rovella completed a permanent move to Lazio, while Luca Pellegrini followed suit. Nicolo Fagioli headed to Fiorentina, and Alberto Costa moved to Porto, freeing up space for Mario.

In a surprising move, Juventus offloaded teenage talent Samuel Mbangula to Werder Bremen for €10 million. Meanwhile, Tim Weah returned to Ligue 1 on a season-long loan with Marseille despite a solid performance last season.

Starting XI

Based on Juventus’ pre-season friendlies and the closing stages of last season, Tudor seems determined to stick with his signature 3-4-2-1 formation.

Di Gregorio has secured the starting goalkeeper role, leaving Mattia Perin behind in the pecking order.

Gleison Bremer returns to the heart of the defense after missing nearly the entire 2024/25 season due to a knee injury. Kalulu and Kelly are likely to partner up with the Brazilian at the back.

Andrea Cambiaso and Joao Mario should occupy the full-back positions, while Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram are the leading candidates to anchor the midfield double pivot.

Conceicao and Kenan Yildiz appear set to take the two attacking roles behind David, who steps in for the exit-bound Dusan Vlahovic.

Prediction

It’s been a while since Juventus last mounted a serious title challenge. However, it takes a brave man to rule the record-time Italian champions out of the Scudetto race before the beginning of the season.

We wouldn’t write them off before the kick-off, but there’s a feeling that the Bianconeri will face an uphill battle to keep pace with Inter and Napoli. Therefore, another top-four finish seems like a more realistic target.

With Atalanta likely to underperform in their first season without Gian Piero Gasperini, Juventus look well-positioned to go one better than last year.