Serie A fixture list 2017-18: Juventus to open season against Cagliari in Turin

In fitting Italian fashion, the Serie A governing body waiting until there’s less than a month before the season starts to announce the actual 2017-18 campaign’s fixture list on Wednesday night. But, at long last, we finally found out when and where Juve will begin its season.

Juventus will open its latest title defense at Allianz Stadium — still need to get used to the name change, by the way — against Cagliari on Sunday, Aug, 20, in Turin. It’s followed up by the first away game of the season, a trip to the Luigi Ferraris to face Genoa.

Things pick up a notch or two starting on Matchday 5, with new Juve winger Federico Bernardeschi facing his former side Fiorentina when La Viola make the trip to Turin. Then comes Derby Day against Torino and a trip to Bergamo to face upstart Atalanta — who just so happen to have some future Juventus players on the roster with the likes of Mattia Caldara, Riccardo Orsolini and Leonardo Spinazzola — and a home fixture against Lazio.

(Round 8 is a monster round in Serie A, by the way, with the first Milan derby of the season as well as the Derby del Sole between Roma and Napoli in Rome.)

The final month of the first half is one heck of a stretch — especially when you throw in the final rounds of the Champions League group stage — with games against Napoli, Inter Milan and Roma all on the docket. The Roma game will happen just before Christmas as Serie A will have no lengthy holiday break this season.

As much as we want to look at those games as a huge way to close out the calendar year, the return legs will likely be even bigger as Juve (hopefully) march toward another Serie A title.