Thursday 28 / November / 2024
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Walter Mazzarri says Napoli will need to be at their very best against Inter in the sold-out EA SPORTS FC Supercup final in Riyadh on Monday if they are to emerge victorious.
The reigning Lega Serie A champions reached the final after defeating Fiorentina 3-0 at Al Awwal Park on Thursday night thanks to goals from Giovanni Simeone and a late double from substitute Alessio Zerbin.
Napoli manager Mazzarri, however, knows inter – currently top of Serie A, the holders of the Supercup and last season’s Champions League finalists – will be a tougher proposition.
Speaking at the pre-final EA SPORTS FC Supercup press conference, Mazzarri said: “I understand that we will meet Inter at the best possible moment for them. Inter has a great coach and is at its best moment at every level, in play and speed. We want to win the final, and if we should do well tomorrow as we hope, then it would give us even more confidence to continue in the league.
“We need to be strong defensively, it's the way to minimise Inter'soffensive threat. We're here to win the cup and secure our first title of the season, which is going to give us a big boost moving forward. We want to win for our club and our fans.”
The sell-out Supercup final between Inter and Napoli kicks off on Monday at 10pm at 25,000-capacity Al Awwal Park in Riyadh.
Asked about injuries and his starting eleven, Mazzarri replied: “I am not able to give a definite answer because I need to wait for the last training session. (Jens) Cajuste will probably be back within the team and (Piotr) Zielinski is doing good. (Hamed) Traore might need some time but for (Jesper) Lindstrom this is a different conversation. He seems ready and enthusiastic, but we need a bit more time to confirm the potential seen in him.”
Napoli captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo is determined to add another Supercup to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona trophy room.The club has won two Supercups in their history – in 1990 when Maradona captained the club to a 5-1 triumph over Juventus, and a penalty shootout win over the same team in 2014.
Di Lorenzo said: “I think it is wrong to talk about favourites for the final, we have two champions for the previous seasons and now all counters are reset to zero and we will do our maximum to bring the trophy back home.”
The 36th edition of the historic Supercoppa Italiana marks the fourth time that the prestigious event is being held in Saudi Arabia. The competition, incorporated in 1988 as a two-team match between the winners of Serie A and the Coppa Italia, has also previously been held in the USA, Libya, China and Qatar – beginning with America back in 1993.
This year’s Supercup – the first time ever it has been a four-team competition – is the latest illustration of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to host the very best international events across all sports, with football right at the forefront.
While enabling the Kingdom to build relationships and showcase the unique football culture to the world, hosting events like these provides new opportunities for the Saudi people to be inspired, pursue dreams, and realise potential.
Italy’s Supercup follows the recent success of its four-team Spanish counterpart earlier this month, which concluded with Real Madrid defeating Barcelona in an incredible Spanish Super Cup final in Riyadh. The competition also featured La Liga sides Atletico Madrid and CA Osasuna.
Both competitions help kick-start an incredible year-round schedule of international sports in the Kingdom, with football, motorsport, tennis, esports, combat sports, golf, and equestrian events all locked in for 2024.
