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Napoli and AC Milan will contest the first Supercoppa Italiana semi-final tonight, and it will be their second meeting of the season.
Corriere dello Sport speaks of the desire for ‘revenge in the desert’. Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri travelled halfway around the world in 81 days to meet face to face again. They hadn’t met in 12 years, and now they’ll square off for the second time in less than three months in Riyadh.
On September 28th at San Siro, Allegri came out on top. This is a different competition though, one that Milan are defending their crown in after they beat Juventus and then Inter – both with comebacks – in the last edition back in January.
It’s not the time for cigars and champagne, but the atmosphere at Al-Awwal Park Stadium, home of Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, will be special. Milan are a magnet, the favoured Italian club among Arab fans, and Luka Modric’s enduring appeal has done the rest.
As Conte said, Napoli are also starting to leave their mark. The photos they asked the two coaches to take after training sessions and conferences testify to their international appeal. The result: a game that sold out days ago with 25,000 spectators ready to descend, unlike for Bologna-Inter.
They are the football fairytales of the Arabian Nights, with 23 titles to their name: Allegri is chasing the number 15, Conte the number 10. Stuff for the rich, for sheikhs.
Stars everywhere
We know that on Tuesday, someone will return to Italy with a trophy on a plane. Max and Antonio’s declared objective is exactly that. Furthermore, their respective teams have the best record in head-to-head matches in Serie A: Milan have won four and drawn two; Napoli have four wins and two defeats, coincidentally against Diavolo and Bologna. Both have beaten Inter.
It will be Allegri and Conte’s 11th meeting since Cagliari-Atalanta in 2009, across the league and the Coppa Italia, but their first in the Supercoppa. The record: five wins for Conte, three for Allegri, and two draws.
The Milan coach will now hold the record for most appearances in the competition (eight, tied with Simone Inzaghi). He boasts three wins and aims to catch up with Capello and Lippi, having lifted two with Juve in 2015 and 2018, and one with the Rossoneri in 2011.
The Rossoneri have eight Supercoppa trophies in their cabinet, equal to Inter and one less than Juve, an added incentive. Allegri and Conte are the stars though: currently the most decorated coaches in Italian football, the dominant force with 11 Scudetti in 15 seasons from 2010-2011.
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