Juventus Debutant Cristiano Ronaldo Favourite To Be Top Scorer In Serie A This Season

Juventus Debutant Cristiano Ronaldo Favourite To Be Top Scorer In Serie A This Season
19:05, 17 Aug 2018

The 2017/18 Serie A campaign saw an exciting race to win the Capocannoniere (top scorer) award, Inter’s Mauro Icardi eventually catching up with Ciro Immobile of Lazio to finish joint top with 29 strikes apiece. Paulo Dybala, Fabio Quagliarella and Dries Mertens lagged behind with 22,19 and 18 respectively, however this year’s competition is set to be riveting with some new additions to Italian football’s top teams.

Cristiano Ronaldo the front-runner

He may have finished second to Lionel Messi in the La Liga top scorers list last season – firing in 26 times as opposed to 34 from his Argentinian rival – however a closer inspection reveals that the pair were exactly equal in terms of goals per minutes played (88).

There’s no escaping the fact that CR7 is the clear favourite to take this year’s crown, especially as he will be set up by Juve’s supporting cast of Douglas Costa, Paulo Dybala, Juan Cuadrado and Federico Bernardeschi. Yet Ronaldo will have competition as the many of his competitors have a point to prove.

Gonzalo Higuain has a point to prove

Having been made surplus to requirements at Juve for the sole reason that the Old Lady acquired Ronaldo this summer, Gonzalo Higuain is now ready to start a new challenge at AC Milan. Having broken the single season Serie A scoring record in 2015/16 – firing in 36 times for Napoli that year – the 30-year-old became more of an all-round team player for Max Allegri’s Juve, scoring 24 then 16 in the league during his two seasons in Turin.

However, the hitman will be back to being the main man for Milan, a side who were sorely lacking a proven goalscorer last term. “Pipita” opened his account for the Rossoneri after just four minutes last weekend in a friendly with Real Madrid and is likely to flourish in a side set up to create scoring chances just for him.

Mauro Icardi still a contender

Last season’s joint top scorer has proved that he can fire in with only limited chances as Inter created very little last season as Icardi finished as joint top scorer having fired in an incredible 44% of the Nerazzurri’s total of 66 goals in 2017/18. This season, boss Luciano Spalletti has seen his side strengthened in all areas, and the capture of Radja Nainggolan from rivals AS Roma will certainly increase the number of chances created for Icardi as the current campaign begins.

Best of the rest

Following the best part of the past two seasons out injured, Napoli’s Arkadiusz Milik ranks as a good outsider to take the award this term. Used in a bit-part role when fit under previous boss Maurizio Sarri, he is now set to become Carlo Ancelotti’s number nine, supported by Dries Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon in a 4-2-3-1.

Two-time Capocannoniere winning striker Ciro Immobile will once again be looking to finish top of the charts as part of Lazio’s all-attacking side, however it will be much more difficult for the former Sevilla man to demonstrate dominance in a league so blessed with attacking prowess.

Luca Toni Gives His Prediction

“Higuain will give Milan a leap in quality,” two-time Serie A top-scorer Luca Toni told Tuttosport this week. “Ronaldo, Higuain and Icardi could all get 30 goals in the league. It’ll be a beautiful fight, the former is a superstar and the two Argentines are animals in the penalty box. A prediction? Higuain for Capocannoniere.”

x
Suggested Searches:
The Sportsman
Manchester United
Liverpool
Manchester City
Premier League
Sportsman HQ
72-76 Cross St
Manchester M2 4JG
We will not ask you to provide any personal information when using The Sportsman website. You may see advertisement banners on the site, and if you choose to visit those websites, you will accept the terms and conditions and privacy policy applicable to those websites. The link below directs you to our Group Privacy Policy, and our Data Protection Officer can be contacted by email at: [email protected]

All original material is Copyright © 2019 by The Sportsman Communications Ltd.
Other material is copyright their respective owners.