The 2024/25 Supercoppa Italiana begins tomorrow, with Serie A champions Inter taking up Europa League winners Atalanta in Riyadh.
Right here is the whole lot it’s good to know forward of this mouthwatering encounter.
The place and when is the sport?
The primary semi-final of the Supercoppa Italiana 2024/25 takes place on Thursday January 2, 2025.
The sport kicks off at 22:00 native time (20:00 CET) and might be held on the newly-constructed Kingdom Enviornment, as will the opposite semi-final and the ultimate.
The 30,000 capability venue in Riyadh opened in October 2023 and can also be the house of Saudi Professional League facet Al-Hilal and holds two Guinness World Information: the biggest coated soccer stadium on this planet and the best capability for an indoor coated stadium.
How did the 2 groups qualify?
📸 Marco Luzzani – 2024 Getty Photographs
In 2023, the Supercoppa Italiana moved away from the standard format pitting the Scudetto winner in opposition to the Coppa Italia winner, pivoting to a four-team format.
That sees the highest two in Serie A tackle the Coppa Italia finalists, which apparently is the highest 4 from Serie A final season.
Inter certified by advantage of successful the league championship, whereas Atalanta had been overwhelmed within the Coppa Italia remaining.
One participant to look at from every workforce
Federico Dimarco (Inter)
📸 PIERO CRUCIATTI – AFP or licensors
Others within the facet could seize extra of the plaudits however the flying wing-back is arguably the person who makes the Nerazzurri tick.
He’s very important to Simone Inzaghi’s system, each defensively and going ahead, cementing his standing as top-of-the-line attacking gamers within the league, contributing three objectives and three assists thus far this season in Serie A.
Dimarco is a continuing supply of manufacturing for Lautaro Martínez and Marcus Thuram within the penalty space.
Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta)
📸 MARCO BERTORELLO – AFP or licensors
Competitors is fierce for being the standout man of the Atalanta assault, given the performances of recently-crowned African Participant of the 12 months Ademola Lookman and the in-form Mateo Retegui.
However the Belgian has justified La Dea’s gamble to pay Milan his large price ticket and paid them again with some sensational shows this season each at dwelling and in Europe.
The playmaker has discovered a brand new lease of life in Bergamo and resides as much as the entire early hype that surrounded him when he first arrived in Italy.
Who’re the coaches?
Simone Inzaghi (Inter)
📸 Marco Luzzani – 2024 Getty Photographs
After final season’s Scudetto win, Inzaghi has now received all of it domestically at San Siro since arriving from Lazio in 2021, together with this match on three events.
The truth is, he has received the Supercoppa in each season with the Nerazzurri and along with his victories with Lazio, is now aiming for glory for the sixth time within the dugout.
He even got here heartbreakingly near main them to the Champions League too however was narrowly overwhelmed by Manchester Metropolis in 2023.
Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
📸 Marco Luzzani – 2024 Getty Photographs
As soon as of Inter for a short however unsuccessful spell, Gasperini has since firmly established himself as the best coach in Atalanta historical past.
Together with his patented 3-4-3 system, he has captured the creativeness of neutrals internationally together with his thrilling model of attacking soccer which has introduced a lot pleasure and success to Bergamo.
Along with main the Orobici, who usually yo-yo’d between the highest two divisions earlier than his arrival, to the latter phases of the Champions League, his crowning glory got here in Dublin in Might when he masterminded a thrashing of Bayer Leverkusen to ship Europa League glory.
Memorable assembly
📸 GABRIEL BOUYS
Each league match-ups within the 2022/23 season led to dramatic 3-2 wins for Inter, which proved pivotal in serving to them beat their Lombardy rivals to a high 4 berth.
Predicted line-ups
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Frattesi, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram.
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Carnesecchi; Koussounou, De Roon, Kolasinac; Bellanova, Ederson, Pasalic, Ruggeri; De Ketelaere; Lookman, Retegui.
📸 Marco Luzzani – 2024 Getty Photographs