In the semi-finals of the revamped Supercoppa Italiana, Serie A opponents Napoli and Fiorentina will face off at Riyadh's Al-Awwal Stadium on Thursday.
This time around, four teams are participating, and the reigning Scudetto champions will kick off the tournament against last season's runners-up in the Coppa Italia.
Napoli made the trip to Saudi Arabia without key players Victor Osimhen and Frank Anguissa, who are currently at the Africa Cup of Nations. Additionally, their first-choice goalkeeper is unavailable, with Alex Meret nursing a hamstring injury. This leaves Pierluigi Gollini as the designated goalkeeper for Napoli.
Injuries have also sidelined Natan (shoulder) and Mathias Olivera (knee), adding to Napoli's challenges. On a positive note, Piotr Zielinski, who missed the previous game against Salernitana, could be back in contention. Midfielders Jens Cajuste and Diego Demme are expected to overcome minor knocks.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, can include recent signing Marco Faraoni, who made an impact by setting up Lucas Beltran's goal in his debut. Another positive for Fiorentina is the return of right-sided player Dodo, who has resumed training after a lengthy absence due to an ACL injury. However, Michael Kayode is likely to start.
While Nico Gonzalez has returned to training, Gaetano Castrovilli is unavailable, and Christian Kouame is representing Ivory Coast at the AFCON. In the attacking lineup, Vincenzo Italiano faces a choice between Beltran and M'Bala Nzola, both of whom scored in the previous game. Beltran seems to be the favored option, having scored half of Viola's last eight league goals.
This time around, four teams are participating, and the reigning Scudetto champions will kick off the tournament against last season's runners-up in the Coppa Italia.
Napoli made the trip to Saudi Arabia without key players Victor Osimhen and Frank Anguissa, who are currently at the Africa Cup of Nations. Additionally, their first-choice goalkeeper is unavailable, with Alex Meret nursing a hamstring injury. This leaves Pierluigi Gollini as the designated goalkeeper for Napoli.
Injuries have also sidelined Natan (shoulder) and Mathias Olivera (knee), adding to Napoli's challenges. On a positive note, Piotr Zielinski, who missed the previous game against Salernitana, could be back in contention. Midfielders Jens Cajuste and Diego Demme are expected to overcome minor knocks.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, can include recent signing Marco Faraoni, who made an impact by setting up Lucas Beltran's goal in his debut. Another positive for Fiorentina is the return of right-sided player Dodo, who has resumed training after a lengthy absence due to an ACL injury. However, Michael Kayode is likely to start.
While Nico Gonzalez has returned to training, Gaetano Castrovilli is unavailable, and Christian Kouame is representing Ivory Coast at the AFCON. In the attacking lineup, Vincenzo Italiano faces a choice between Beltran and M'Bala Nzola, both of whom scored in the previous game. Beltran seems to be the favored option, having scored half of Viola's last eight league goals.
Napoli possible starting lineup:
Gollini; Di Lorenzo, Rrahmani, Jesus, Rui; Cajuste, Lobotka, Zielinski; Politano, Raspadori, Kvaratskhelia
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Terracciano; Kayode, Milenkovic, Martinez Quarta, Biraghi; Duncan, Arthur; Sottil, Bonaventura, Ikone; Beltran
Tags:
Serie A