Walter Mazzarri insists Napoli are still the Champions of Italy and mentally ‘on the same level’ as Inter in the Supercoppa, confirming Cyril Ngonge could get his debut.
The Supercoppa Italiana Final kicks off at the Al-Awwal Park stadium in Riyadh on Monday at 19.00 GMT.
Despite the new Final Four format, it is still the traditional clash between the Serie A champions and Coppa Italia holders for the trophy.
“I think that Napoli, thanks also to winning the Scudetto last season, is well known all over the world. It was already the case when I was here 12-13 years ago and we got back into the Champions League,” said Mazzarri in a press conference.
“Since then, the club has almost always participated in European cups, so President Aurelio De Laurentiis has created a solid project over the years.”
Mazzarri has won only one piece of silverware in his entire career, the Coppa Italia with Napoli in 2011-12, and once lost the Supercoppa showdown.
“In 23 years of my coaching career, I will twice compete for this trophy and hope to finally get to lift it. If I don’t then I am happy regardless, not all coaches who start from the bottom like me manage to get here at all.”
Mazzarri also had a spell on the Inter bench from May 2013 to November 2014, but Simone Inzaghi has made them into a juggernaut this season.
“This is a great team with a great coach and we saw Inter excel in every way. However, even the best teams can have moments where their form is wobbling. We will face Inter during their best period of form.
“If we should do well in those circumstances, which we hope to do, then that would give us even more confidence going forward this season.
“I would not settle for a draw, though, let’s not forget Napoli are the reigning Champions of Italy and will be until someone else wins the Scudetto.
“When we played Inter in Serie A, we had more possession, but lost 3-0 due to their counter-attacks. Football is a strange sport. We are missing a few key players, but in terms of mentality, we are on the same level as Inter.”
Victor Osimhen and Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa are at the Africa Cup of Nations, while Mathias Olivera, Natan and Alex Meret are injured.
Mazzarri confirmed Jens Cajuste should be fully recovered after a knock in the 3-0 win over Fiorentina, while Diego Demme needs to be evaluated for a spot on the bench.
Piotr Zielinski is also available, “but we don’t know how many minutes he has in his legs.”
There could be some debuts tomorrow, because Napoli signed Cyril Ngonge from Verona and Hamed Junior Traore on loan with option to buy from Bournemouth.
“The staff tell me Traore needs a bit more fitness work. I spoke to Ngonge, he is ready and I think in good shape. We could use him, I will decide if and when.”
Napoli, #Mazzarri: "Inter straripante, ma non dimenticatevi chi sono i campioni d'Italia" https://t.co/ocPRPxyaFw
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) January 21, 2024