Inter in at the deep end as Serie A gets underway

ROME, Sep 7 (Reuters) Italian champions Inter Milan will be plunged straight in at the deep end when they start their Serie A campaign away to Fiorentina on Saturday.

Inter were the main beneficiaries of the punishments handed out in the Serie A match-fixing scandal, inheriting last season's title from Juventus and gaining a head-start on arch-rivals AC Milan, who begin the season on minus eight points.

Their advantage, however, creates a few unfamiliar pitfalls.

Having gone 17 years without winning the Serie A title, Inter suddenly find themselves favourites, with all the pressure and expectations that entails.

''This is Inter's year. If they don't win it this time, they'll never win it,'' captain of Italy's 1982 World Cup-winning team Dino Zoff told Reuters: The club's status as the team to beat has been boosted by an extravagant series of signings, which included Hernan Crespo from Chelsea and Patrick Vieira and Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Juventus.

All three are expected to play against Fiorentina following their good performances in Inter's 4-3 win over AS Roma in last month's Italian Super Cup final.

Last season, Fiorentina won this fixture 2-1. This time round they will be more concerned with securing their top-flight survival, having been given 19 penalty points for their involvement in the match-fixing scandal.

The closed season, however, has not been all bad for the club, who managed to hold on to Luca Toni, Serie A's top scorer last season, and bring in striker Adrian Mutu from Juventus.

Milan begin their pursuit of Inter at home against Lazio on Sunday.

Lazio, who were also caught up in the scandal, have been weakened by the departures of midfielders Fabio Liverani and Ousmane Dabo, but will be desperate to chip away at their own 11-point penalty.

Milan fans will be curious to see whether team coach Carlo Ancelotti plays Ricardo Oliveira -- the Brazilian striker brought in to replace Andriy Shevchenko.

Filippo Inzaghi and Alberto Gilardino seem set to lead the team's attack.

Inzaghi in particular has shown great pre-season form, scoring three times in the two Champions League qualifiers against Red Star Belgrade then adding another goal in Italy's 1-1 draw with Lithuania last week.

Inter's other rival for the title, AS Roma, play their first game on Sunday, hosting Livorno at the Olympic Stadium.

REUTERS PDS KP2117