The first trophy of the 2024/25 Italian football season will go to one of the Milan clubs as they will face off in the final of the Supercoppa in Saudi Arabia.
By Neel Shelat
Both sides looking to match rivals’ successes
Inter and Milan are two of the most successful clubs in Italian football, so it should be no surprise that they have some of the biggest trophy hauls in the Supercoppa Italiana.
Inter’s recent record as three-time defending champions has taken their tally up to eight, just one off record champions Juventus. Milan are close behind them with seven, so they will be looking to restore parity with their city rivals in this respect.
A reunion in Saudi Arabia
Despite their previous success, Inter and Milan have only met twice in the Supercoppa. Their first clash was in 2011 when goals from Zlatan Ibrahimović and Kevin-Prince Boateng won Milan the trophy in Beijing, while Inter eventually got their revenge a couple of years ago in Riyadh.
That match kicked off a streak of victories in the Derby della Madonnina for the Nerazzurri, who had the chance to set a head-to-head record of seven straight wins earlier this season. However, it was Milan who scored a late winner to mark one of the few highlights of Paulo Fonseca’s tenure in charge of the club.
Sérgio Conceição’s chance to make an instant impact
Milan hired Sérgio Conceição just a few days before the Supercoppa, tasking him with staging a turnaround after a pretty disappointing first half of the season. His contract reportedly includes a unilateral termination clause that the club can exercise at the end of the campaign, so the pressure is on him to convince them of his suitability for the job. Silverware of any form will go a long way for his case, so the Supercoppa will surely mean something to him.
The Portuguese tactician will have to pull off something pretty special if his side are to defeat the defending champions in the midst of a period of subpar performances. A run of just one win in four Serie A fixtures across December cost Fonseca his job, after which Milan’s Supercoppa semi-final win against Juventus came about thanks to a cheap penalty and freak own goal rather than an overly convincing display. With injury doubts surrounding four attackers including Rafael Leão and Samuel Chukwueze, Conceição will also have to fashion a makeshift front line for this match.
Inter firm favourites
Among many things, the form book favours the defending champions. Inter have won 13 of their last 14 domestic fixtures, including the Supercoppa opener against Serie A title rivals Atalanta.
Simone Inzaghi’s side have certainly looked quite close to their very best in recent months, showcasing exceptional attacking play with slick passing and perfectly executed positional rotations. They are the top scorers in Serie A this season with 45 goals in 17 games, so they should have more than enough firepower to contend with the potential absence of top-scorer Marcus Thuram in this match. The Nerazzurri also are on a run of five consecutive clean sheets, so their defence will be a tough nut to crack.
Prediction
While Milan’s players continue to familiarise themselves with Conceição’s tactics, Inter should be backed to get a resounding victory.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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