NAPOLI v AC MILAN: MATCH PREVIEW

As defending champions, AC Milan open their Supercoppa Italiana campaign against Napoli at Al-Awwal Park in Riyadh on Thursday 18 December at 20:00 CET. It's the first time in 20 years that AC Milan play in consecutive editions of the Supercoppa, and the first-ever meeting between these two sides in the competition. Ahead of the clash, here is our Match Preview.

LATEST FROM MILANELLO
AC Milan arrive after a 2-2 home draw with Sassuolo, extending their unbeaten streak in Serie A to 14 matches. Bartesaghi scored his first career brace, in form alongside Pulisic, who bagged two goals himself against Torino in the previous game. With the focus now turning to the upcoming semi-final, Allegri has confirmed that Fofana is fit, while Gimenez and Gabbia remain out.

"The Napoli game will be tough," said Allegri, "because they're a complex side. They’ll be motivated after two straight defeats. Conte always gets the best out of his teams in difficult moments. Youssouf will be available; we'll wait to decide about Rafa until after today's training."

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LATEST FROM NAPOLI
As Allegri pointed out, Napoli are coming off consecutive defeats to both Benfica and Udinese, but remain just two points behind the Serie A leaders and one behind AC Milan. Conte has reintegrated key players Lobotka and Gutierrez, with Lukaku returning after over six months off.

"There are always highs and lows throughout the year, so the important thing is to stay focused, work hard, and seize this opportunity," said Conte. "Playing for a trophy against AC Milan motivates everyone. Winning is important, and we aim to earn it on the pitch."

PRE-MATCH NUMBERS

• In the last 20 meetings across all competitions, Milan and Napoli have each won seven times, with six draws.
• Both sides feature three of Serie A's most effective penalty-saving goalkeepers in the past five seasons: Vanja Milinković-Savić (7), Mike Maignan (6), and Alex Meret (6).
• Allegri (2.00) and Conte (2.23) have the highest points-per-game averages in Serie A history among coaches with at least 70 league matches.

WHERE TO WATCH NAPOLI v AC MILAN
In Italy, the match will be shown live on Mediaset, both on Italia 1 and Infinity. Milan TV coverage begins at 19:15 CET with pre-match analysis and post-match interviews, as well as Allegri's official press conference afterwards. AC Milan content is also available via acmilan.com, the AC Milan Official App, social media channels, and WhatsApp.

LATEST FROM SUPERCOPPA ITALIANA
Luca Zufferli (Udine) will referee, who previously officiated the Rossoneri's 2-2 home draw against Pisa and Napoli's win in Florence and home draw against Como. He will be assisted by Imperiale and Rossi; Pezzuto is fourth official. VAR will be operated by Gianluca Aureliano, with Dionisi as AVAR. If tied after 90 minutes, the game goes straight to penalties; there is no extra time in the Supercoppa.

For the third year running, the Supercoppa consists of four teams: Napoli and Inter (1st & 2nd in 2024/25 Serie A), and Bologna and Milan (Coppa Italia finalists). The final will be on Monday 22 December between the winners of Napoli v AC Milan and Bologna v Inter (Friday 19 December).

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