Maurizio Sarri can win his first trophy in charge of Juventus when the Old Lady clash with his former club Napoli in the Coppa Italia final on Wednesday.
The Neapolitan has experienced a rocky existence in the Juve hotseat but can put prior frustrations to one side when his team travel to the Italian capital. The 61-year-old has already tasted defeat to his former employers in the league, but will be hoping to reverse that trend a clinch Juve a record-extending 14th title.
Napoli, now headed by Gennaro Gattuso, will be hoping to scoop their first Coppa Italia trophy since 2014. They eliminated a very competent Inter Milan side in the semi-finals, winning 2-1 on aggregate, including Sunday’s 1-1 draw. Gattuso also has previous in this tournament, reaching the final with AC Milan in 2018.
Juve meanwhile saw off the Rossoneri last Friday, progressing to the showpiece event on away goals after a lacklustre 0-0 draw, with Cristiano Ronaldo exhibiting signs of rust after missing a penalty and firing a blank. The Portuguese superstar will be hoping the three-month shutdown hasn’t affected his sharpness too much.
The penultimate matches last week certainly won’t live long in the memory, but this blockbuster bout between two bitter adversaries is shaping up to be quite the event. Polarising Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis has already sparked a war of words with Sarri and added another fascinating layer to this narrative, branding his compatriot a ‘cheater’ after he abandoned his beloved club for Chelsea in 2018.
With that heated subplot, an abundance of world class players on display and two of Italy’s most iconic clubs going head-to-head, this is a final you will not want to miss — not even for the Premier League.
Napoli vs Juventus kick-off time and details:
Competition: Coppa Italia Final
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Date: Wednesday, 17 June 2020
Kick-off: 20:00 PM (UK time)
Where to watch Napoli vs Juventus on TV:
TV coverage (UK): BT Sport 2
TV coverage (US): ESPN
Napoli & Juventus’ previous line-ups:
- Napoli (vs Inter Milan): Ospina*; Di Lorenzo, Maksimovic, Koulibaly, Hysajs; Elmas, Demme, Zielinski; Politano, Insigne, Mertens.
- Juventus (vs AC Milan): Buffon; Danilo, De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic, Matuidi; Dybala, Costa, Ronaldo.
David Ospina, who was nutmegged from a corner by Christian Eriksen in the semi-final, will be unavailable for the final due to suspension after picking up a yellow card against Inter. Alex Meret is likely to deputise in the Colombian’s absence. Kostas Manolas and Kevin Malcuit are also doubtful for Gattuso.
Gonzalo Higuain missed the previous outing and is touch and go to make the matchday squad, meaning Ronaldo is set to continue leading the line for Juve. Giorgio Chiellini and Aaron Ramsey remain sidelined for the Old Lady.
Players to watch:
- Napoli: Dries Mertens. The diminutive Belgian has been a long-term target of Chelsea but now looks set to remain at the San Paolo Stadium after firing his side to the final at the weekend and becoming the club’s all-time record goalscorer in the process. The 33-year-old surpassed Marek Hamsik’s previous 121-goal record against Inter, after Napoli countered Antonio Conte’s side in devastating fashion. That goal brought up Mertens’ 13th for the season and he will be hoping to add to that tally in Rome.
- Juventus: Cristiano Ronaldo. At 35 the five-time Ballon d’Or recipient is very much entering the twilight years of his career, but a 25-goal haul for the campaign would suggest he is playing with the pomp and vigour of a man 10 years his junior, such is the peak physical condition the Portuguese superstar strives for. Against Milan there were certainly signs of rust, but that can largely be attributed to the three-month shutdown major European football experienced. For Juve’s sake, the club will be hoping this habitual finisher can get back up to speed and fire the Old Lady to further domestic glory.
Scoreline prediction: Napoli 0-2 Juventus
Recent form:
- Napoli: DWDWW
- Juventus: DWLWW
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