Serie A season kicks off with Kevin de Bruyne leading Napoli; Christian Pulisic set for big Milan season

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Happy Friday! Serie A and the Bundesliga, last two of Europe's big five leagues, return to action this weekend, with Paramount+ once again serving as a hub for all the action out of Italy. I'm Pardeep Cattry with a primer on what to expect from Serie A this season ahead of the opening matches.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, Aug. 22
🇩🇪 Bundesliga: Bayern Munich vs. RB Leipzig, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ ESPN2
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: West Ham vs. Liverpool, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇺🇸 NWSL: Chicago Stars vs. North Carolina Courage, 8 p.m. ➡️ Prime Video

Saturday, Aug. 23
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Manchester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur, 7:30 a.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇮🇹 Serie A: AC Milan vs. Cremonese, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇪🇸 LaLiga: Levante vs. Barcelona, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇺🇸 NWSL: Bay FC vs. Washington Spirit, 4 p.m. ➡️ CBS, Paramount+
🇺🇸 MLS: FC Dallas vs. LAFC, 8:30 p.m. ➡️ MLS Season Pass

Sunday, Aug. 24
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Fulham vs. Manchester United, 11:30 a.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇮🇹 Serie A: Juventus vs. Parma, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Network
🇪🇸 LaLiga: Real Oviedo vs. Real Madrid, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+
🇺🇸 NWSL: San Diego Wave vs. Racing Louisville, 8 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🇺🇸 MLS: Seattle Sounders vs. Sporting Kansas City, 9:15 p.m. ➡️ FS1

⚽ The Forward Line

🆕 New faces in new places, Serie A edition

Premier League clubs may have made some of the splashiest signings of the summer, but their Serie A counterparts lined up their own exciting batch of players in time for the new season, including two legendary attacking midfielders who hopefully have some gas left in the tank.

After his 10 year stint with Manchester City came to an end, Kevin de Bruyne quickly made his way to Napoli in an ambitious move for the reigning Serie A champions. The 34-year-old answers a critical need for Antonio Conte's side, who did not win the title because their attack was better than the rest -- Conte's Napoli scored just 59 goals from 53.82 expected goals last season, sixth-best in the league in both categories. Romelu Lukaku and Scott McTominay's 26 combined goals made up 44% of the team's total tally in the league, identifying the need for some attacking spark, but simply inserting De Bruyne into the team is unlikely to be a magic fix at the start of the campaign. Lukaku picked up an injury in a preseason friendly against Olympiacos and could spend as much as three months on the sidelines, throwing a damper in their title defense before it even begins.

AC Milan, meanwhile, signed Luka Modric at the start of preseason after his 13-year stay with Real Madrid came to an end, and may have a fascinating new look this season. New manager Massimiliano Allegri still has most of Milan's attacking talent from the previous campaign at his disposal, but Modric is just one piece of the puzzle for the team, who hope to chart an upward trajectory after a disappointing eighth place finish. Christian Pulisic and Rafael Leao, two of the team's more consistent performers, could still play a sizable role this season but Allegri's side will reportedly add Bayer Leverkusen's Victor Boniface before the transfer window closes. As Francesco Porzio writes, he fills a need for Milan, who will pay a loan fee of around $6 million and have a purchase option at $27.85 million.

Porzio: "The Rossoneri needed a striker after both Tammy Abraham and Luka Jovic left this summer. Allegri played with a 3-5-2 in the opening matches of the pre-season and also in the first match of the Coppa Italia season against Bari, won 2-0 at San Siro. With both Rafael Leao and Christian Pulisic playing as strikers in this new tactical system, Mexican striker Santiago Gimenez was the only option available as central striker before they signed Boniface. The Italian side tried to sign both Dusan Vlahovic and Rasmus Hojlund but talks stalled and this is why they decided to push on the signing of the now former Bayer Leverkusen striker, who can bring his experience and attacking qualities, as he scored 32 goals in the 61 matches played in all competitions with the German team in two years at the club. AC Milan needed a striker, but more than anything needed a striker like Boniface. Grade: B+"

Live Tomorrow

🔗 Midfield Link Play

🇺🇸🇲🇽🇨🇦 World Cup hosts keep an eye on Italy

Anywhere you look, players will have one eye on a World Cup that is now less than a year away and nowhere is that more true than Italy. Important attacking players from the host nations -- the U.S., Mexico and Canada -- now play their club ball in Serie A, each with plenty of pressure on their shoulders to succeed this season and use that as the foundation for an impactful World Cup performance.

AC Milan's Christian Pulisic leads the pack, both as the face of the U.S. men's national team, but also as one of Serie A's top performers since moving to Italy ahead of the 2023-24 season. The winger now has 23 goals in 70 league games and was perhaps the only bright spot during last season's slide to eighth place, though where he fits into Massimilano Allegri's plans is up in the air right now. He has played in a front two as Milan searched for a striker, which they have reportedly found in Victor Boniface, and whether that is merely a stopgap measure, or a chance for Pulisic to demonstrate his attacking range is worth following this season.

Pulisic is not the only person of interest for the World Cup host nations at Milan, though. Mexico's Santiago Gimenez is about to start his first full season in Italy and while the wait for the Boniface deal to go through continues, is Milan's only natural striker who could be in contention to start. Pulisic's club and country teammate Yunus Musah, meanwhile, is still with Milan after being linked to Napoli over the summer with an important season ahead of him. Musah has yet to become a mainstay in the USMNT's lineup and head coach Mauricio Pochettino could rework the team's midfield after this summer's Concacaf Gold Cup run turned Malik Tillman and Diego Luna into potential starters.

The same will be true for Juventus' Weston McKennie, who may be a regular for Igor Tudor's side this season, but may have to prove himself after some unimpressive performances in a USMNT jersey in recent years. Pochettino's Canadian counterpart Jesse Marsch will also be keeping an eye on the Turin-based club after Jonathan David made the move over the summer, ending his five year spell with Lille. Juventus were one of the more underwhelming attacking teams in Serie A last season with 58 goals from 51.48 expected goals, seventh in both categories. David has long been an up-and-coming talent in Europe and a move to Juventus will allow him the chance to prove his worth, and the same will be true during the team's upcoming UEFA Champions League campaign.

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💰 The Back Line

💵 Best bets

English Premier League: West Ham United vs. Chelsea: Friday, 3 p.m. ET
💰The Pick: Marc Cucurella to have 2+ shots (+370) - It may not result in goals, but under Enzo Maresca, Cucurella has had plenty of opportunities to get forward and hasn't been afraid to shoot when he has them. Facing a West Ham United side that could be in the mix for relegation this coming season, away from home is a great time for Chelsea to score early and impose their will for the remainder of the match, allowing Cucurella chances to let the ball fly. -- Chuck Booth
Serie A: Scudetto winner
💰The Pick: Napoli to win the league (+162) - Even with Romelu Lukaku missing time, Scott McTominay and Kevin De Bruyne uniting Manchester abroad will make Antonio Conte's men hard to beat. There hasn't been a repeat Scudetto winner since Juventus won nine consecutive titles between 2011 and 2020, but this is a strong team from top to bottom. Inter have work to do, and other teams don't seem strong enough to catch Napoli as they'll capture the title for the third time in the last four seasons. -- Chuck Booth

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.

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