Capello on Serie A fixture release: ‘Juventus must start strong, Roma face tricky start’ | OneFootball

Fabio Capello has weighed in on the 2026/27 Serie A fixture list, urging Juventus to approach the season with title-winning ambitions and warning Roma that their opening run of fixtures leaves little room for error.

Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, via TuttoMercatoWeb, Capello singled out the Week 36 clash between Juventus and Inter, scheduled just three games from the end of the season, as a potential title decider.

“It is nice to think about it, especially because Juventus have been absent from the title race for some time,” he said.

“I say it and I repeat it, Juventus must start with the intention of winning. I do not want to hear the fairytale of big clubs whose only objective is to qualify for the Champions League.”

Fabio Capello (Photo by Jurij Kodrun/Getty Images)

Capello warns Milan and Juventus over Europa League fatigue as Roma face tough opener

The former Italy coach also raised concerns about the impact of Europa League football on Thursday evenings for both Milan and Juventus, a scheduling reality that Champions League clubs do not face to the same degree.

“If you play away in Azerbaijan on Thursday evening, return to Italy only at night and then play on Sunday afternoon in Serie A, you have only Saturday to seriously prepare the match,” Capello said.

“The problem arises above all when you play in the Europa League against a team that has gone out one or two days earlier in the Champions League.”

On Roma, Capello acknowledged Gasperini’s side will carry strong momentum into the new season but flagged the difficulty of their early schedule.

“Knowing Gasperini, I expect a Roma that in August restarts with the certainty and brilliance with which they closed this season,” he said.

“But the fixture list is not simple, in the first ten games they will not face any newly-promoted side, but they will face Inter, Napoli, Como, Atalanta and Fiorentina, plus difficult away trips to Torino and Udinese.”