Serie A: First Predictions for the New Season's Opening Matchday
Listen to the story
Italian football fans are getting ready for the new Serie A season, which will start in 2026/27. A sports website, Gazzetta dello Sport, has shared early predictions for the first matchday of the season.
A matchday is the day when all teams in the league play their games. The article, part of a section called 'Allora! Sport', focuses on the possible starting lineups for each team.
A lineup is the group of players a coach chooses to start a match. Before the season begins, journalists often try to guess which players will be picked first.
These early predictions are useful for fans who follow fantasy football, a popular game where people build their own teams using real players. Knowing the likely lineups helps fans choose their fantasy squads.
The article does not give final team news, since the season has not started yet. Instead, it offers general ideas based on how teams have been playing and training.
Serie A is one of the most important football leagues in Europe, and its opening matchday always attracts a lot of attention from fans and the media.
Gazzetta dello Sport is one of Italy's most famous sports newspapers. It regularly publishes news, analysis, and predictions about football and other sports.
Fans will need to wait for official team announcements before the games to know the confirmed lineups.
Vocabulary5 words
- predictions
- guesses about what might happen later
- matchday
- a day when league games are played
- lineups
- the players chosen to start a game
- fantasy football
- a game where fans pick real players to make their own team
- coach
- the person who chooses the team and plans the game
Quiz
Answer key
1. Early predictions for the first matchday lineups 2. They help fans choose fantasy football teams 3. False
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Italian football fans are getting ready for the new Serie A season, which will start in 2026/27. A sports website has shared early _____ for the first _____ of the season.
A matchday is the day when all teams in the league play their games. The article focuses on the possible starting _____ for each team.
A lineup is the group of players a _____ chooses to start a match.
These early predictions are useful for fans who follow _____, a popular game where people build their own teams using real players.
The article does not give final team news, since the season has not started yet.
Serie A is one of the most important football _____ in Europe.
Gazzetta dello Sport is one of Italy's most famous sports newspapers.
Fans will need to wait for official team announcements before the games to know the confirmed lineups.