Bitter rivals from either side of the North-South divide, Juventus and Napoli clash at the Mapei Stadium on Wednesday, in the 33rd edition of the Supercoppa Italiana.
With the first silverware of the season at stake, the Serie A champions take on last season's Coppa Italia winners - a repeat of June's dramatic cup final in Rome.
While Italy's most decorated club, Juventus, have claimed the Supercoppa trophy eight times since it was first awarded in 1988 (in 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2018), Napoli have done so just twice - beating the Bianconeri on both occasions (1990 and 2014).
This time, Andrea Pirlo's outfit approach potentially one of the most explosive games of the season on the back of a devastating Derby d'Italia defeat to fellow Scudetto contenders Inter Milan on Sunday.
This week, Napoli meet their old northern foes on neutral territory - at the home of serial overachievers Sassuolo, in Reggio Emilia. With three wins from three since their awful collapse against ten-man Spezia at the start of the month, the Partenopei will travel to the compact Mapei Stadium full of confidence.
Captain Lorenzo Insigne netted a brace in the 6-0 destruction of Fiorentina at the weekend - which moved his side third in the table - and will again lead the Naples giants into battle in search of a second straight triumph over the Old Lady of Turin.
There are several spots up for grabs in midfield, with Arthur and Adrien Rabiot, Aaron Ramsey and Weston McKennie plus Federico Chiesa and Dejan Kulusevski all competing against each other for a start. Up front, Alvaro Morata will again be paired with Cristiano Ronaldo.
Napoli's Victor Osimhen is still absent due to COVID-19, but back-up striker Andrea Petagna has recovered from a calf problem and should provide the front-line focal point for Gennaro Gattuso's team.
Dries Mertens is not expected to be fit to start against the Bianconeri, but should at least feature from the bench. Skipper Lorenzo Insigne, Piotr Zielinski and Hirving Lozano are in fine form as the trio supporting the front man and should again combine forces in the creative department.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Danilo, Demiral, Bonucci, Frabotta; Bernardeschi, Rabiot, Bentancur, Chiesa; Morata, Ronaldo
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Ospina; Di Lorenzo, Manolas, Koulibaly, Rui; Bakayoko, Ruiz; Lozano, Zielinski, Insigne; Petagna
0 Comments