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Reformed Juventus title favorites

It's not often that a team loses a player that's worth almost a quarter of a billion dollars and manages to improve, but that's just what Juventus did this summer, which is why the Northern giants are favorites to capture a sixth straight scudetto.

Paolo Bruno/Getty Images

Hell, they might even be a dark horse contender in this year's Champions League, they're just that good. So how did all this come to fruition? Well it started rather unconventionally when Juventus sold star midfielder Paul Pogba to Manchester United earlier this summer for what can only be described as a small country's war chest. Mino Raiola, Pogba's agent, made so much money on the transfer, he could probably fill up his swimming pool with money a la Scrooge McDuck.

Instead of blowing all the Pogba money on seven or eight young prospects, like Tottenham after selling Gareth Bale or Liverpool after selling Luis Suarez, Juventus took a page out of the Book of Bayern, pilfering the top talent from the teams closest to them in the league table. By doing this, Juventus ensured that their league dominance will continue for at least a few more years. Without further ado, let's take a look at the Serie A super team in the final post of this year's Know Your Enemy series.

Juventus

Last Season: 1st place, 91 pts, +55 goal differential

Manager: Massimiliano Allegri

Key Additions: Dani Alves, Mario Lemina, Medhi Benatia, Marko Pjaca, Gonzalo Higuain, Juan Cuadrado, and Judas

Key Losses: Paul Pogba, Alvaro Morata, Mauricio Isla, Simone Zaza

Synopsis

Juventus looks primed for a treble this season. It's hard to imagine anyone finishing within 15 points of them given the fact that they've signed the top talents on the next closest teams in the league. They've maintained their stranglehold on the rest of Italy while also improving their chances of winning the Champions League this year.

The juggernaut is showing no signs of slowing.

Style of Play

Manager Massimiliano Allegri has used the 3-5-2 formation, which Juventus is known for, during the first three rounds of Serie A play this year. The result? Three wins out of three matches. The Juventus roster is built for the formation, with the team absolutely stacked at the wing back and center back positions.

Juventus has so many attacking options that shots on goal are abundant, although it should be noted the team has an affinity for attacking down the right side of the pitch often times.

Biggest Threat

Gonzalo Higuain is the odds-on favorite to be Juventus' biggest threat. He won the capocannoniere last season at Napoli after scoring a record breaking 36 goals in 35 Serie A matches. The Argentine international has three goals in three matches with Juventus so far this season.

Biggest Weakness

No discernible weaknesses.

Scudetto Threat Factor: 10/10

If another team wants the scudetto, they'll have to rip it out of Juventus' cold, dead hands.

Roma Threat Factor: 10/10

This season could get ugly quick.