Italy coach Luciano Spalletti is in the stands for the Supercoppa Italiana between Inter and his old club Napoli. ‘However it goes, I will be happy.’
It kicks off at the Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh at 19.00 GMT.
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the LIVEBLOG.
The winner will be decided after 90 minutes or go straight to a penalty shoot-out.
“It is a bit like extra time from last season and everyone would love to play this game,” Spalletti told Mediaset.
Although he helped Napoli qualify by winning the Scudetto, he admits there have to be torn loyalties with his new role as coach of the Nazionale.
“I have half a dozen Inter players in my squad, so however it goes, I will be happy.”
Although it is the first time the Supercoppa has been decided in a Final Four format, including the runners-up of the Serie A title and Coppa Italia as well, the trophy still goes down to the traditional two.
“I think this is the right final, as Inter and Napoli both deserve to be there. They play good football and it will make for an enjoyable clash on the international stage too.”
Curiously, both Napoli and Inter are using a three-man defence this evening, something also adopted by Juventus in the Scudetto race, so does that trend affect Spalletti’s Italy tactics?
“It is a bit of a head-scratcher and I am thinking about that. However, I don’t like to lose two very attacking wide men, as they are more difficult to mark, so I would like to keep that characteristic.”
#Spalletti sulla #Supercoppa: “Sarò felice in qualunque modo vada a finire” https://t.co/cXlDKauvil
— Alfredo Pedullà (@AlfredoPedulla) January 22, 2024