AC Milan team to beat in Serie A, rivals gear up to try and knock off defending champs

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AC Milan started pre-season the same way it ended its title-winning campaign, with two goals from veteran forward Olivier Giroud.

The goals in the 2-1 victory at Cologne in a friendly counted for a lot less than the double against Sassuolo that clinched Milan the Serie A title 55 days earlier, but it was a good sign for Giroud and his teammates.

Title rivals Juventus and Inter Milan managed to get Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku back, respectively, making Milan's challenge of retaining the title all the harder.

A successful run would be Milan's 20th Serie A title, earning it another star on its shirt because Italian teams are given a star for each 10 league titles.

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Players of Milan pose for photo prior to the Friendly match between Marseille and Milan AC at Orange Velodrome on July 31, 2022 in Marseille, France.  (Photo by Claudio Villa/AC Milan via Getty Images)

It would also see the team surpass local rival Inter, which has won the title 19 times. Only Juventus, with 36 league titles, has more.

"Achieving the second star and thus the 20th title is the aim, it was one of the first things that (directors Paolo) Maldini and (Frederic) Massara told me," Milan forward Divock Origi said. "We will do our utmost to make it possible and obviously it would be a great result."

Origi is the only new player Milan has signed so far in the offseason, although the club has made the loan signings of Alessandro Florenzi and Junior Messias permanent and also French youngster Yacine Adli has returned from his loan spell at Bordeaux.

More significantly, however, Milan appears to be on the verge of completing the