We’re 12 games into the 2025/26 Serie A campaign, and the Scudetto race is already starting to take shape, with the two Milan teams and reigning champions Napoli in the top four, led by AS Roma under the guidance of Gian Piero Gasperini.
Juventus and Lazio have made a sluggish start to the season and are currently outside the European places, while Gasperini’s old club, Atalanta, are down in 13th place and are without a win in six. The teams which are doing well are determined to stay in the race, and the managers will make the most of their squad resources.
But there are some stars who have featured heavily in the early season Serie A 2025 highlights, and will be one of the first names on the team sheet of the winning clubs. So let’s take a look at the SBOTOP pick of five names the fans look out for week after week.
Christian Pulisic, AC Milan
One way to become immortalised at the San Siro Stadium is to score the winner for AC Milan in the Derby della Madonnina, and that is exactly what Christian Pulisic did last week. It was his first goal since coming back from injury, but Pulisic has been welcomed back with open arms as his winner against Inter was his seventh goal of the season in all competitions to add to his two assists in 10 matches played.
He has been out, on and off, for over a month, and the USA star last scored a goal when Milan beat Napoli at the end of September. If Pulisic stays fit, then I Rossoneri will stay in the title race. They currently sit two points behind the leaders and are ready to pounce after a potentially season-defining derby win.
Mile Svilar, Roma
The latest Serie A 2025 betting odds have pulled AS Roma into the title race as clear fourth favourites, and Gasperini is doing a great job. Roma are top of the league and two points clear, and they are there on merit.
At Atalanta Gasperini had a reputation for putting out flamboyant, attacking sides, but he is no one-trick pony. Roma have the best defensive record in the Italian top-flight, conceding just six goals, seven fewer than title favourites Inter Milan, and they owe much of that success to keeper Mile Svilar.
The 26-year-old Serb has the highest save percentage in the league at 85, and he has kept six clean sheets. And Svilar is no one-season wonder, having kept 16 clean sheets last term as well as having the highest save percentage.
Roma’s city rivals Lazio have an in-form stopper too in Ivan Provedel, who has kept seven clean sheets and has a 84-per cent save ratio. But it is Svilar who is helping his team lead the Scudetto race.
Juan Jesus, Napoli
Napoli’s marquee summer signing Kevin De Bruyne has made plenty of headlines with his creative flair and ability to win games with a clinical strike or a pinpoint assist. But the man who has been in Napoli’s engine room is the unsung hero Juan Jesus.
The Brazilian defender can play at centre-back or left-back, and since his arrival from Roma in 2021, he has been a key part of Napoli’s double-Scudetto-winning team. He has praised manager Antonio Conte’s tight organisational skills, and as the most accurate passer in the league, Jesus is a player who will guard the ball with his life.
Nico Paz, Como
With four assists and five goals, 21-year-old Argentine star Nico Paz has become the darling of Como, as Cesc Fabregas’ side find themselves in sixth place in the current league table after a 10th-placed finish last term.
Paz started life as a centre- forward and clearly knows where the net is, but he has evolved under Fabregas as an attacking midfielder who can play through the middle or out on the wing.
The big concern for Como fans is that La Liga giants Real Madrid are planning to activate a buy-back clause, having sold the player to I Lariani back in 2024.
Domenico Berardi, Sassuolo
With four goals and three assists this season, Sassuolo talisman Berardi is just doing what his fans expect, having stayed loyal to the club since his arrival in 2013. With eight goals in 23 appearances for the Azzurri, Berardi has a high profile in Italy, but he is a legend at Sassuolo. He could have gone elsewhere at times during his career, but the 31-year-old has shown loyalty to the fans, which is returned in spades.
He has racked up 400 appearances for the club, scoring 148 goals, and Berardi’s performances this season have helped lift his club up to ninth place.
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