Inter Milan will aim for a third straight Suppercoppa Italiana triumph when they take on Serie A holders SSC Napoli on Monday night.
Two-time defending champions Inter Milan will be eyeing a hat-trick of Supercoppa Italiana titles when they take on Serie A winners SSC Napoli in the final at the KSU Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Monday night.
Simone Inzaghi’s men swept aside SS Lazio 3-0 in the semi-final on Friday and will be keen to secure their first trophy of the 2023/24 campaign. At the summit of Serie A and also still in the UEFA Champions League, the Nerazzurri can make up for their Coppa Italia ouster by winning the trophy on Monday night.
Should they win, Inter Milan will become just the second team after AC Milan to win the competition three seasons in a row. It will also take their tally of triumphs in the Supercoppa Italiana to eight, putting them ahead of AC Milan and only behind Juventus (9) in the all-time honours list.
The same cannot be said of Napoli, who lack conviction this season. They did well to get the better of Fiorentina, but Inter Milan represent a much more difficult challenge. Walter Mazzarri will be keen to make the most of the club’s best shot at silverware this season and possibly deny Inter another night of glory.
Mazzarri was the manager when Napoli lost the 2012 final to Juventus in extra time. He now has the opportunity to make things right. It has been a long and hard season for Gli Azzurri. With another Serie A triumph or success in the UEFA Champions League unlikely, the Supercoppa Italiana represents a standout moment in an otherwise forgettable campaign.
There will be no love lost between the teams on the night. After all, Inter appear the most likely to succeed Napoli as the Scudetto winners. Monday night gives Gli Azzurri a final chance to remind the Nerazzurri, who still hold that crown. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
SSC Napoli
Despite struggling this season, Napoli are now one win away from ending the campaign with silverware. The late win over Salernitana in Serie A appears to have boosted confidence as Gli Azzurri swept aside Fiorentina in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final with minimal fuss.
The champions travelled 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 given their struggles in front of the goal.
Napoli are also without starting goalkeeper Alex Meret, Natan and Mathias Olivera, all of whom are out injured. Jens Cajuste and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia are both suspended for the weekend, meaning they will play every second on Monday.
Walter Mazzarri is likely to retain the 3-4-3 formation, with reserve goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini in goal behind the backline of Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, Juan Jesus. The trio will give Pasquale Mazzocchi and Mario Rui the freedom to push forward on the wings
Stanislav Lobotka and Jens Cajuste should form the central midfield pairing, with Piotr Zielinski starting on the bench. Matteo Politano will occupy the right flank, with Giovanni Simeone starting upfront for Napoli against Inter Milan. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia should occupy the left flank and will hope to make the difference on the night. Giacomo Raspadori and Alessio Zerbin offer Mazzarri options off the bench.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Gollini; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus; Mazzocchi, Cajuste, Lobotka, Rui; Politano, Simeone, Kvaratskhelia
Inter Milan
The Nerazzurri swept aside Lazio in the semi-final with little fuss and will go into the game as favourites. The dominant performance in the semi-final should convince Simone Inzaghi to retain his playing XI for the showpiece event.
Apart from the injured Juan Cuadrado, Inter have a fully-fit squad to choose from. With all the heavy hitters available, there will be no shortage of quality on the field in the Nerazzurri colours. Hakan Calhanoglu is recovering from a knock but given that he is suspended for the next Serie A tie, should be risked on the night.
Inzaghi will also retain his heavily-favoured 3-5-2 formation that has become a trademark of sorts. Yann Sommer should start in goal and will act as the last line of defence. The Inter Milan stopper was hardly tested against Lazio and will hope for another quiet night against Napoli.
The trio of Benjamin Pavard, Francesco Acerbi, and Alessandro Bastoni will bring up the rearguard. The experienced duo of Matteo Darmian and Federico Dimarco will hold down the wing-back spots, giving the trio of Nicolo Barella, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Hakan Calhanoglu the freedom to control the tempo in the middle of the park.
Lautaro Martinez has an excellent record in the competition and should retain his spot upfront alongside Marcus Thuram. The latter opened the scoring against Lazio and will hope to make it two in two in the competition.
Probable Lineup (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
Key Stats
- SSC Napoli have won the Supercoppa Italiana just twice in their history, while Inter Milan have won it seven times.
- A triumph on the night will see Inter Milan become just the second side after AC Milan to win the Supercoppa Italiana three seasons in a row.
- The winner of the Supercoppa Italia has predominantly been the Serie A holders, securing the trophy on 24 occasions out of 35 so far.
- The Coppa Italia holders have won the Supercoppa Italiana just nine times in 35 years. Of these Inter Milan account for two, the most recent of them coming in 2022.
- No Coppa Italia holder has won the Supercoppa Italiana two seasons in a row.
- This is the first ever Supercoppa Italiana clash between SSC Napoli and Inter Milan.
Player to Watch
Lautaro Martinez
Lautaro Martinez has consistently delivered with at least 20 goal involvements in each of the last four seasons, placing him in an elite group alongside Mohamed Salah, Kylian Mbappe, and Harry Kane across Europe’s top-five leagues.
Currently in red-hot form, the Argentine international is set to be Inter’s biggest threat in the upcoming matches. Martinez has previously scored in the last two Supercoppa Italiana finals and aims to continue his impressive record. If he finds the back of the net, he will join an elite list alongside Andriy Shevchenko, Carlos Tevez, Samuel Eto’o, and Alessandro Del Piero, with three goals in the competition.
Only Paulo Dybala, with four, has scored more in the Supercoppa Italiana. Known for being a challenging player to mark, Martinez is expected to pose a significant threat to Napoli’s defense. His performance could be crucial for Inter’s aspirations of securing yet another triumph in the competition.
Prediction
Inter Milan 2-0 SSC Napoli
Napoli are unlikely to go down without a fight, but their missing players severely handicap them on the night. Inter Milan won the league meeting 3-0 earlier in the season, and the gap between them and Napoli has only widened since. It is difficult to see anything than a third straight Suppercoppa Italiana on the night for the Nerazzurri.
