“It will be an exciting season” – Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo predicts intense battle for Serie A title

Juventus manager Andrea Pirlo believes that this season’s Serie A title race will go to the wire. The Italian thinks the Bianconeri are battling with four other teams for the league.

Pirlo took charge of the Juventus reserves side in July last year but was promoted to the first team role just nine days later after the Bianconeri sacked Maurizio Sarri.

One of the greatest midfielders of his generation, the Italian’s appointment at Turin was expected to usher in a new era for the club. While his season has not gone entirely according to plans, Pirlo has already won the Supercoppa Italiana last week. It was the first trophy of his managerial career and the Italian will certainly be hoping to add the league to his name by the end of the season.

Juventus’ league form might be a cause of concern for the Italian, as they trail leaders AC Milan by seven points at the moment, albeit with a game in hand. Speaking after his team’s 2-0 win over Bologna in midweek, Pirlo claimed that his team would have to compete with Inter Milan, AC Milan, AS Roma, and Napoli for the league title this season.

“Inter and Milan are two strong teams and share the goal of winning the Scudetto, just like us. Roma and Napoli are also in this race too. It will be an exciting season and we will have to fight to the end with these four teams” said Pirlo

Arthur Melo gets his first goal for Juventus ⚪️⚫️#JuveBologna pic.twitter.com/kOMr86DgfM

— Goal (@goal) January 24, 2021

Juventus welcomed Bologna to the Allianz Stadium on Sunday, well aware that they needed a win to keep up the pressure on the Rossoneri. Pirlo’s wards took the lead through Arthur in the 15th minute, before Weston McKennie sealed the game in the 71st minute.

Juventus continue to be favorites to retain the Serie A title

Juventus have won ten and drawn six of their 18 games in the league this season but continue to be favorites to retain the league. The Serie A title race has been closer than usual with just nine points separating AC Milan at the top and Lazio in seventh.

Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 41% of Juventus total goals in Serie A this season!Quite Remarkable 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/1ONIYIlUwP

— Everything Cristiano (@EverythingCR7_) January 25, 2021

However, it would be wrong to write off Juventus at the moment, especially with Cristiano Ronaldo in their squad. The Portuguese superstar has already scored 15 goals from 15 games in the league this season and has shown no signs of slowing down so far. The former Real Madrid player could well be the difference in a closely contested title race by the end of the season.