Mehdi Benatia (right) will add more steel to Juve’s defence after his move from Bayern Munich.

The 2016/17 Serie A starts this week with champions Juventus again tipped to scoop the major honours the Italian game could offer for yet another year.

Roma, who staged a strong comeback in the second part of last season to finish third, will be involved in the curtain-raiser as they host Udinese at the Olympic Stadium on Saturday.

Later in the evening, Juventus start their title defence with a tricky home fixture against Fiorentina.

Napoli, the 2015-16 league runners-up, have an easier opening match as they travel to newcomers Pescara on Sunday.

Napoli and Roma are again expected to be Juve’s main challengers for the scudetto, albeit many reckon that the title is there for the Bianconeri’s taking.

The early indications are that Juventus are still streets ahead of the rest of the teams in Serie A despite losing strong midfielder Paul Pogba in this transfer window after the Frenchman re-joined Manchester United for a record transfer fee of €105 million.

This summer, Juventus spent big to lure Gonzalo Higuain and Miralem Pjanic to their fold and away from direct rivals Napoli and Roma, respectively.

The ‘Old Lady’ was further bolstered by the quality signings of defenders Dani Alves (free agent) and Mehdi Benatia (Bayern Munich) and midfielder Marko Pjaca (Dynamo Zagreb).

One other signing of note is expected to be unveiled by the Turin giants before the August 31 transfer deadline, with the upcoming Amadou Diawara (Bologna), Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) and Axel Witsel (Zenit SP) reportedly being on coach Massimiliano Allegri’s radar.

Juventus set bigger targets this season as they have set their sights on lifting the Champions League, their first since 1996.

The Bianconeri started on a bad footing last year in the domestic scene but they still succeeded in winning a second consecutive league and cup double.

However, with the vast quality and experience they have within their ranks, it would almost be a failure for Juve if they were to confirm their total dominance at home but fail to make inroads on the continent.

Ironically, the fact that Juventus do not have any stern opposition in Serie A is making it all the more difficult for them to establish themselves as a true force to be reckoned with in the Champions League.

Roma will surely feel the absence of Pjanic. However, Luciano Spalletti now has Dutchman Kevin Strootman available after a lengthy lay-off.

The Giallorossi were particularly busy in the transfer market so far, signing defenders Mario Rui (Empoli), Juan Jesus (Inter), Federico Fazio (Tottenham Hotspur), Thomas Vermaelen (Barcelona) and Bruno Peres (Torino).

Roma may still land a central midfielder with Bologna’s Diawara touted to be ideal for Spalletti’s playing system.

The 2016/17 season will be the last for Roma captain Francesco Totti who has already made it public that he will be hanging up his boots next June.

Roma will have to negotiate their way into the group stages of the Champions League this month. Today, they travel to Portugal to play two-times European champions Porto in the play-off round.

Napoli heartbreak

This summer the Napoli fans were stunned with the news that Higuain had left for rivals Juventus.

Last season, he scored 36 goals in 35 Serie A matches, bettering the previous record held by Milan’s Gunnar Nordahl – 35 goals in 1949/50.

So far, the southerners have completed the transfers of versatile midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini (Sunderland), Empoli duo Lorenzo Tonelli and Piotr Zielinski, Croatia international midfielder Marko Rog (Dynamo Zagreb) and Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik (Ajax).

Serbia defender Nikola Maksimovic, of Torino, is also expected to be unveiled as a new Napoli signing in the coming days.

However, the future of defenders Kalidou Koulibaly, for whom Chelsea were reported to have offered €40 million, and Valencia-bound Raul Albiol are still uncertain.

Mauro Icardi was identified as the ideal replacement for Higuain.

However, Inter are resisting the temptation to part with their captain despite the fact that Napoli were reported to have offered a staggering €60 million to get the Argentina hitman’s signature.