The Serie B start: what we'll expect this year?

With yesterday night's game between Modena and Hellas Verona at the 'Braglia' stadium, the Serie B 2012/13 has officially started.

It will definitely be a different season compared to the one we saw last year. There won't be big teams or fallen giant like it was with Torino and Sampdoria, that both reached the promotion to Serie A. The only team that is in that category is Hellas Verona: one of the team that strengthen the most in this transfer market with great signing such as Rivas and Grossi.
As well as the gialloblu, also Spezia played a great role in this transfer market even if the 'Aquile' are a neo-promoted team.
There are also great expectations for the relegated teams from Serie A, Novara and Cesena, and the neo-promoted to Serie B such as Virtus Lanciano, Pro Vercelli and Ternana (and Spezia, that we talked about earlier).

In a summer where there were more Court talks than football, the waiting is exasperating.
Will Vicenza and Grosseto survive in this Serie B? The veneti knew last Thursday they would have played in Serie B after Lecce relegation and the maremmani saw their relegation cancelled after the Court decided that.
It will be a strange League, Pro Vercelli will play the first games of the season in Piacenza as well as Lanciano that will play at 'Adriatico' stadium, in Pescara, due to renovations to their grounds.

Nine teams will start the season with the minus sign in the table due to penalizations in the calcioscommesse scandal and this is certainly a record for Europe and maybe even for the whole world.
Here's the following points deducted:

Grosseto: -6
Bari: -5
Novara: -4
Reggina: -3
Padova: -2
Modena: -2
Empoli: -1
Varese: -1
Ascoli: -1


And what about a global prediction of the forthcoming Serie B season?
It will certainly have some mistakes at the end of the season (hope not for the top of the League), but the market values seem the following. Let's hope we'll enjoy this season, but we're sure of it, because Serie B never bores.

Promotion race:
Hellas Verona
Novara
Spezia
Varese
Padova

Playoffs race:
Cesena
Sassuolo
Juve Stabia
Reggina

Outsiders:
Modena
Brescia
Pro Vercelli
Crotone
Empoli

Relegation zone:
Ascoli
Livorno
Cittadella
Bari
Ternana
Lanciano
Grosseto
Vicenza



Luca Bergamasco
@lucahellas90