SSC Napoli have their best shot at winning a trophy when they take on ACF Fiorentina in the semi-final of the Supercoppa Italiana.
Italian champions SSC Napoli will face ACF Fiorentina on Thursday night at the KSU Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia for their Supercoppa Italiana semi-final. This represents the Vesuvian side’s best shot at securing silverware this season.
This is the first time in the competition’s history that four teams will take part in it. Traditionally a clash between the league champions and the cup holders, the competition has undergone an expansion this season onwards The clash between the defending Serie A holders and last season’s Coppa Italia runners up should be an exciting clash.
The winner on the night will face a formidable Inter Milan side or Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio in the final. Given the season Napoli have endured so far, they could do with a rub of the green. Fiorentina on their day are an excellent side and will represent a tricky challenge to negotiate.
Napoli have won the competition just twice in their history, with the most recent of them coming a decade ago. Fiorentina, meanwhile have won it just once, all the way back in 1996.
The Serie A holders have won the trophy more often than not, with the Coppa Italia runners-up coming out on top just twice in 35 years of its existence. However, given the current form of Napoli and the nature of knockout matches, the tie against Fiorentina is likely to be more evenly matched than expected. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
SSC Napoli
Napoli can more or less a successful Serie A title defence goodbye, and their recent loss to Torino once again showed how far they have fallen off this season. The late win over Salernitana will have gotten morale up. But there is much work to be done if they are to salvage their campaign.
Walter Mazzarri’s men are 20 points off the top in the league, have been knocked out of the Coppa Italia and will face Barcelona in the final 16 of the UEFA Champions League. To claim that the Supercoppa Italiana is their best chance of securing silverware this season would not be an understatement.
The champions travel to Saudi Arabia sans Victor Osimhen and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, both of whom are currently at the Africa Cup of Nations. The former’s loss, in particular, is significant.
Napoli are also without starting goalkeeper Alex Meret, Natan and Mathias Olivera, all of whom are out injured. Jens Cajuste and Diego Demme are both expected to recover from knocks. Mazzarri is likely to retain the 4-3-3 formation, with Pierluigi Gollini in goal.
The reserve goalkeeper should start in goal behind the backline of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus, and Mario Rui. Stanislav Lobotka should hold the keys to the midfield, with Jens Cajuste and Piotr Zielinski flanking him.
Matteo Politano will occupy the right flank, with Giacomo Raspadori starting upfront. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia should occupy the left flank and will hope to make the difference on the night.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Gollini; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Rui; Cajuste, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Raspadori, Kvaratskhelia
ACF Fiorentina
La Viola are currently in the mix for a top-four finish and can secure a mental edge over Napoli should they come out on top on Thursday. Vincenzo Italiano’s side pushed Inter Milan close in the Coppa Italia final last season and will hope to end their 23-year-old wait for a trophy.
They came close twice last season, but had to settle for second spot in the Coppa Italia and the UEFA Europa Conference League. The expansion to the Supercoppa Italian gives them the opportunity to set things right.
Gaetano Castrovilli is unavailable for the night while Dodo is still lacking match fitness despite returning to training. Christian Kouame is at the AFCON, ruling himself out as well. New signing Marco Faraoni secured himself an assist on his debut and will be in contention to feature once again.
Italiano will be keen to deploy his side in a 4-2-3-1 formation that could help them seize the initiative in the middle of the park. Pietro Terracciano should start in goal behind the back four of Michael Kayode, Nikola Milenkovic, Lucas Martinez Quarta, and Cristiano Biraghi.
Alfred Duncan and Arthur Melo should form the double pivot, giving the trio of Jonathan Ikone, Giacomo Bonaventura and Riccardo Sottil the freedom to push forward. Lucas Beltran scored against Udinese at the weekend and will retain his spot at the head of the Fiorentina attack against Napoli.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Terracciano; Kayode, Martinez Quarta, Milenkovic, Biraghi; Duncan, Arthur; Sottil, Bonaventura, Ikone; Beltran
Key Stats
- SSC Napoli have won the Supercoppa Italiana just twice in their history, while ACF Fiorentina have won it just once.
- The Coppa Italia runner up has won the competition just twice in 35 seasons.
- The winner of the Supercoppa Italia has predominantly been the Serie A holders, securing the trophy on 24 occasions out of 35 so far.
- This is the first ever Supercoppa Italiana to feature four teams in a mini-tournament style.
Player to Watch
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
The Georgian international has struggled to get going this season and is a mere shadow of the colossus we saw last season. Kvaratskhelia has only five goals and five assists in 26 games across all competitions this season.
His inability to influence matters on the field, especially in the absence of Victor Osimhen is particularly jarring for Napoli. The lack of a lynchpin in attack has cost Napoli dear this season and there is no better time than now for the youngster to rediscover his rhythm.
Prediction
SSC Napoli 1-1 ACF Fiorentina (Fiorentina to win on penalties)
Napoli have lost their aura of invincibility, while Fiorentina are a dangerous side when on form. Given the knockout nature of the fixture, both sides are likely to adopt a safety-first approach and one is unlikely to see an open, free-flowing game. With both teams expected to get stuck in, The Hard Tackle predicts a stalemate at the end of 90 minutes, with La Viola coming out on top in the penalty shoot out.