Can Scott McTominay and Kevin de Bruyne play together? Napoli start title defense Saturday against Sassuolo

The 2025-26 Serie A season will kick off this weekend in Italy as Napoli will start the campaign to defend the 2024-25 title, after winning their fourth Scudetto ever on the last matchday of the season. Inter, Juventus and AC Milan will compete with the team coached by Antonio Conte to win the Serie A title, while other teams such as AS Roma, Atalanta, Lazio, Fiorentina, Bologna and Como are all in contention for a spot in the next European tournament. It was a busy summer for most of the Italian clubs, as 12 Serie A teams have a new manager.

Serie A kicks off this weekend as some of the world's biggest cups battle for the Scudetto, and you can catch the action all season long on Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network and CBS Sports Network.

That number includes some big clubs like Inter and AC Milan, with Cristian Chivu appointed by the Nerazzurri to replace Simone Inzaghi ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup and Massimiliano Allegri who makes his return to Milan after replacing Sergio Conceicao at the end of a disappointing season. AS Roma started a new promising chapter with former Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini, who was himself replaced by former Giallorossi coach Ivan Juric. Igor Tudor was confirmed at Juventus after taking charge at the club in March after the sacking of Thiago Motta, while both Antonio Conte and Vincenzo Italiano will continue their cycles at Napoli and Bologna after winning the Serie A title and the Coppa Italia last season. Here's what to know about this week's action:

• Date: Saturday, Aug. 23 | Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
• Location: Stadio Città del Tricolore -- Reggio Emilia, Italy
• Live stream: Paramount+
• Odds: Sassuolo +500; Draw +289; Napoli -177

Napoli will kick off their 2025-26 Serie A campaign on Saturday when they will face one of the newly promoted teams, Sassuolo, back in the first division after one season playing in the Italian Serie B. Napoli made some big changes to their roster this summer, and after the injury of Romelu Lukaku another striker is expected to arrive ahead of the summer transfer window's deadline on September 1. Among all the new signings, the most interesting by far is the arrival of former Manchester City legend Kevin de Bruyne, who signed as a free agent after his deal with Pep Guardiola's side expired on June 30. The Belgian midfielder will likely become a key player for Conte, but he also needs to adapt in a team that was structured around another former Premier League player, Scott McTominay, who was named MVP of the 2024-25 Serie A season after scoring 13 goals in 36 Serie A matches last year. Conte's main issue right now is to create a tactical system where the two creative midfielders can play together.

If we look a their touches in the Premier League and Serie A matches last season we can see a clear difference. While McTominay is much more present on the left side of the pitch, from the defense to the attacking third, with the ultimate goal to become a box-to-box midfielder, de Bruyne tended to stay in the attacking third, shifting his position from the left to the right and vice versa. The Belgian midfielder enjoys greater freedom to roam and find optimal positions, whereas McTominay maintains a consistent presence in both defensive and offensive phases.

It's not a coincidence the two will likely both start against Sassuolo in the 4-1-4-1 deployed by Conte, with McTominay operating on the left side of the four-line midfield, while De Bruyne will have more freedom supporting Lorenzo Lucca, the striker who will replace Romelu Lukaku. During attacking phases, Napoli may shift to a 4-2-3-1, with Zambo Anguissa and Stanislav Lobotka forming a defensive midfield pivot to counter Sassuolo's counter attacks. Matteo Politano is set to operate as the right attacking winger, with McTominay and De Bruyne positioned behind the central striker. Napoli's season opener will offer deeper insight into Conte's tactical vision, but it's clear the Italian manager is expected to deploy both former Manchester United and Manchester City stars on the pitch.

Napoli may be Serie A champions, but what must Antonio Conte's crew do to truly compete in Europe?

All times U.S./Eastern

Saturday, August 23Genoa vs. Lecce, 12:30 p.m. (Paramount+)Sassuolo vs. Napoli, 12:30 p.m. (Paramount+)AS Roma vs. Bologna, 2:45 p.m. (Paramount+)AC Milan vs. Cremonese, 2:45 p.m. (Paramount+)

Sunday, August 24Cagliari vs. Fiorentina, 12:30 p.m. (Paramount+)Como vs. Lazio, 12:30 p.m. (Paramount+)Juventus vs. Parma, 2:45 p.m. (Paramount+)Pisa vs. Atalanta, 2:45 p.m. (Paramount+)

Monday, August 25Udinese vs. Verona, 2:45 p.m. (Paramount+)Inter vs. Torino, 2:45 p.m. (Paramount+)

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