Juventus return to Serie A on Saturday with a new coach and mighty ambitions after a year of penance in the second division for the Calciopoli referee-rigging scandal.
The byword is optimism and the Turin giants say they are poised to reclaim their rightful place among Serie A's top four teams.
Juve won promotion back to the top flight in May after being relegated last year and stripped of the 2005 and 2006 league titles because of the former management's involvement in the Calciopoli affair.
The Serie B champs are looking to give everyone a hard time, particularly long-standing rivals Inter Milan, Serie A title-holder, and European champions AC Milan
"We're cut to win, it's in our DNA," team managing director Frenchman Jean Claude Blanc told reporters during a traditional pre-championship visit to the team at its Villar Perosa training centre.
John Elkann, the Vice President of IFIL, the holding company through which the Agnelli family control Juventus and Fiat, praised managers for bolstering the side with an excellent job on the transfer market.
The club's new coach 55-year-old Claudio Ranieri, who was instrumental in saving Parma from the drop last season, has the challenge of forging a Juve side capable of competing for the scudetto as well as a Champions League qualification slot.
The team's transfer deals include Portugal midfielder Tiago from French champs Lyon and Argentine midfielder Sergio Almiron from Empoli.
Up front, Juve has drafted in Vincenzo Iaquinta, a member of Italy's World Cup-winning squad, from Udinese. He joins captain Alessandro Del Piero and France forward David Trezeguet, who signed a four-year extension.
The defence has been strengthened by the arrivals of Czech international Zdenek Grygera from Ajax, Portugal captain Jorge Andrade from Deportivo La Coruna and Italy Under-21 player Domenico Criscito from Genoa.
Pundits agree though that Juve's best deal was by far the extension of goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon's contract until 2012.
"The team is already competitive. All we need are time, patience and confidence. Milan and Inter aren't any stronger: they're attuned, we still aren't. Our biggest edge is motivation," Elkann said.
At home on Saturday evening, Juve are expected to have no problems against Livorno, without local idol striker Cristiano Lucarelli, lost to Shakhtar Donetsk in a transfer deal. The Tuscan side has brought in former Spain striker Diego Tristan to replace him.
FEAR OF VIOLENCE CLOUDS SEASON START.
The Serie A season's start has so far been clouded by fear of possible violence in Genoa, where AC Milan fans have been banned from attending the team's opener against the local side at the city's Ferraris stadium on Sunday.
City Prefect Giuseppe Romano and the committee for public order and security fear that hard-core Genoa fans are still seeking revenge for the killing of a supporter at a match between the two teams 12 years ago.
"This decision amounts to a defeat...but we were forced to choose between the lesser of two evils," said Romano.
Genoa, one of the Italy's best-supported teams, is back in the top flight after a 12-year absence.
Milan picked up midfielder Emerson from Real Madrid this week but he is unlikely to start in Genoa and is expected to keep fellow Brazilian Ronaldo company on the bench.
Inter Milan, playing its opener at home against Udinese, will be without Italy defender Marco Materazzi, who suffered a thigh injury in Wednesday's 3-1 friendly defeat in Hungary.
Materazzi is expected to be out of action for several weeks, doctors said.
AS Roma showed it was out to battle for the Scudetto, when it snatched the Super Cup from Inter in their clash last Sunday.
On Thursday the team bolstered its chances for the title, sealing an 11-million-euro transfer deal with Real Madrid for Brazilian defender Cicinho.
Roma travels south to meet Palermo on Sunday but coach Luciano Spalletti will probably be unable to field striker Francesco Totti.
Napoli returns to Serie A action after 2261 days. To celebrate the event and do his bit for the team, Naples Archbishop Crescenzio Pepe will be making his first appearance at the San Paolo stadium on Sunday.
Serie A kicks off on Saturday afternoon with Lazio-Empoli and later with Juventus-Livorno.
Serie A matches on Sunday afternoon: Fiorentina-Empoli, Genoa-Milan, Inter-Udinese, Napoli-Cagliari, Parma-Catania, Reggina-Atalanta, Siena-Sampdoria.
