Serie A Power Rankings: Roma nipping at Inter's heels after draw; AC Milan back in the top three

Inter's comeback against AS Roma showed why they should be considered in the lead in the Scudetto race

Sep 22, 2026 at 1:24 pm ET • 5 min read

The 2026-2027 Serie A season kicked off in Italy, with Inter, the 2025-2026 Scudetto winners, looking to defend the title in the new season. AC Milan, their cross-city rivals, made some key signings in the summer after replacing the coach and the whole club hierarchy after the disappointing end to the last campaign, and they appointed former Manchester United coach Ruben Amorim to lead the new cycle. Six teams replaced their coaches, including Napoli, which saw Antonio Conte leave the Azzurri after two seasons and appointed former AC Milan and Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri. But we also have our first two sackings of the Serie A season as Fiorentina replaced Fabio Grosso, who was hired in the summer, after three games in charge and called back Paolo Vanoli to lead the team and Bologna fired Domenico Tedesco after four matches and replaced him with Raffaele Palladino. 

Let's take a look at our power rankings after the fifth matchday of the season before the international break: 

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1. Inter (--)

The Nerazzurri were already considered the favorites to retain the Serie A title, and after another impressive comeback to draw 2–2 against AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, they have further strengthened their position as leading contenders for the championship.

2. AS Roma (--)

At the same time, Gian Piero Gasperini's AS Roma proved again to be a strong team, and they could really challenge the Serie A title holders by scoring two goals in the opening 45 minutes in Rome before conceding two to Inter's captain Lautaro Martinez. Clearly, the Giallorossi are heading in the right direction. 

3. AC Milan (+1)

AC Milan and Christian Pulisic are back. The Rossoneri won 3-0 against Lecce on Sunday and the American striker scored the opening goal of the match at San Siro. Pulisic started for the first time this season with AC Milan, showing he's finally coming back after missing out on the opening weeks of action due to a minor injury suffered at the 2026 World Cup. Ruben Amorim seems to be getting more confidence now. 

4. Como (-1)

The defeat against Frosinone showed how playing in the Champions League can affect their Serie A performances. Before the break, Cesc Fabregas lost his first match of the season after three wins and one draw in the opening four games of Serie A. It's not easy to perform at your best every single week, and this is something they should learn in the future. 

5. Lazio (+1)

By far the most surprising team of the season. Rino Gattuso's team head into the break as leader of the table alongside AS Roma and Inter. This impressive start comes despite a challenging summer transfer window and a difficult relationship with the club's supporters, who have been boycotting home games amid an ongoing dispute with owner Claudio Lotito.

6. Napoli (-1)

Manager Massimiliano Allegri should be kind of worried now after struggling in the opening part of the season. Napoli have only collected seven points in five matches and its been the worst start to the season in the last seven years. The Azzurri need results after the break, otherwise there will be more pressure on the coach. 

7. Juventus (+1)

Luciano Spalletti's Juventus needed the most recent wins against NEC in the UEFA Europa League opening game and Atalanta over the weekend, as there are already some rumours about a possible managerial change. Now, they have more time to reflect on what worked and what went wrong. For sure, injuries are not helping them. 

8. Atalanta (-1)

Maurizio Sarri needs more time to integrate his principles and ideas into this team because so far we haven't really seen an improvement since he became the new Atalanta coach. Will the club give him more time? They should. 

9. Cagliari (+1)

Another win, this time against Udinese away. Fabio Pisacane is doing an incredible job at Cagliari, in part thanks to players like Daniel Maldini and Alessandro Romano, who were called by Roberto Mancini into the Italian national team for the upcoming Nations League matches. 

10. Udinese (-1)

I had big expectations about Udinese this season, but once again they seem to lack consistency, but they are a team that can potentially race for the European spots. 

11. Fiorentina (+1)

Everything has changed since Paolo Vanoli took over Fiorentina. In one week, the Viola won against Venezia, knocked out Pisa from the Coppa Italia and drew 1-1 against Napoli at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in Florence. This is precisely why they should never have parted ways with Vanoli in the summer. In the end, they were forced to turn back to him and they did it on time. 

12. Bologna (-1)

Raffaele Palladino replaced Domenico Tedesco, who was sacked by the club earlier this week. The former Fiorentina and Atalanta coach will now have time to work on the tactics and learn more about his roster. 

13. Frosinone (+3)

What a season so far! I thought they didn't really have a chance to avoid relegation, and I was definitely wrong. The coach, Massimiliano Alvini, is doing a tremendous job and impressing week after week. Over the weekend, they secured a 2–0 victory over Como, with goalkeeper Lorenzo Palmisani emerging as one to watch.

14. Sassuolo (+1)

Two wins, one draw and two defeats is what we could expect from Alberto Aquilani's Sassuolo. There are some interesting players in the team, and the coach is considered one of the most talented in the league. 

15. Torino (+1)

There were probably too many summer changes to perform in the short term, and this is why the international break might be a crucial moment for both the team and the coach, Ignazio Abate. 

16. Genoa (-2)

Daniele De Rossi's position is not under immediate threat, but the team will need to produce better results after the break. One draw and four defeats from their opening five games is certainly not the start we expected from this side.

17. Parma (+1)

The first win of the season against Genoa is exactly what they needed before the break. Carlos Cuesta's future was in danger before the game, but he's now expected to stay in charge. 

18. Lecce (-1)

It's not going to be an easy season for Eusebio Di Francesco and Lecce, a team that will likely fight until the end of the season to avoid relegation. 

19. Monza (--)

Ivan Juric won his first game in charge of Monza over the weekend as Monza won 2-1 against Sassuolo in what might be considered a turning point of their season. 

20. Venezia (--)

Five games, five defeats. Four goals scored, and 13 conceded. These numbers are definitely not enough to survive.