Meeting for a high-stakes Derby della Madonnina on Monday evening, Inter Milan and AC Milan will compete to claim the Supercoppa Italiana.
While Inter are intent on lifting the trophy for a fourth straight season, Milan can draw level on eight supercup wins by beating their old foes for the second time this term.
Match preview
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Despite both clubs' long and successful histories, Monday's contest will be only the fourth final between the two Milanese giants, after the Coppa Italia of 1977 and two more recent Supercoppas.
The first Milan derby in Italy's super-cup competition came back in August 2011, when the Rossoneri won 2-1; then, two years ago, their Nerazzurri rivals cruised to a 3-0 victory in Saudi Arabia.
The two clubs now reconvene in Riyadh, with holders Inter having qualified for the four-team format - first introduced last year - by being crowned Serie A champions ahead of Milan last season.
On Thursday, they swept aside Lombardy neighbours Atalanta BC in the first semi-final, with a second-half brace from Denzel Dumfries continuing their dominance over La Dea, who they trail by a point in the league standings - both sit behind new leaders Napoli.
Now, the Nerazzurri are just 90 minutes away from claiming some silverware at the expense of their city rivals, which would prove the perfect way to start a year that holds plenty of promise.
An unprecedented quadruple is their aim in 2025, as Inter are not only through to the Coppa Italia quarter-finals and doing well in the Champions League but are also in good shape to retain the Scudetto.
Simone Inzaghi's side travelled east on the back of five consecutive league wins - while averaging over three goals per game - after beating Cagliari in their final fixture of 2024.
Seeking the 10th trophy of his managerial career, Inzaghi has already secured four Supercoppas - two with Lazio and two for his present employers - and he would surpass coaching legends Marcello Lippi and Fabio Capello for most wins in the competition with victory on Monday.
Precedent is certainly on his side, as in 36 previous editions of the Supercoppa Italiana, more than two-thirds have been won by the Serie A champions.
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Since their 2-1 league victory in September - when Matteo Gabbia was their unlikely hero, with the late winner that ended a long losing streak against Inter - Milan have fallen far behind their fierce foes in the standings.
In the months following that success at San Siro, the Rossoneri have gradually slipped 13 points adrift, and with Champions League qualification at stake, they sacked struggling Paulo Fonseca just after Christmas.
Fonseca's fellow Portuguese coach Sergio Conceicao - whose successful spell at Porto ended in acrimony - enjoyed some fortune on his dugout debut, as his new team overcame Juventus in Friday's second semi-final.
After a lifeless first-half display, Milan equalised when Christian Pulisic earned and then converted a penalty, before a wicked deflection led to their second goal less than five minutes later.
That ultimately proved enough for Conceicao to claim victory over a Juve side that should have featured his son Francisco Conceicao, who was forced to pull out injured shortly before kickoff.
Another reunion will take place on Monday evening, as the ex-Inter player leads out Milan at Al-Awwal Park, aiming to get the better of his former club.
Few coaches can say they have won a trophy for their club within a week of being appointed, but success for the red-and-black half of Italy's second city would make that a reality for Conceicao senior.
Team News
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After he was taken off at half time in the semi-final win over Atalanta, Inter's top scorer Marcus Thuram may miss out on the Supercoppa decider, with a thigh injury casting serious doubt over his participation.
Mehdi Taremi replaced Thuram on Thursday night, and in the France forward's absence he would vie with Joaquin Correa and Marko Arnautovic to partner captain Lautaro Martinez up front.
Simone Inzaghi is also without defensive duo Benjamin Pavard and Francesco Acerbi - both of whom have been left at home - but should have the rest of his squad to choose from.
Meanwhile, Sergio Conceicao's first starting XI as Milan head coach featured three changes from Paulo Fonseca's final selection, and that trio might be retained on Monday.
Recalled from the wilderness, Fikayo Tomori started at centre-back; Ismael Bennacer made his first start following a four-month layoff; Christian Pulisic also returned from injury and scored the equaliser.
Goalkeeper Mike Maignan was named captain, and he will again start behind a back four, but the rest of the Rossoneri's lineup remains less certain.
Rafael Leao could recover to play some part in the final, while Tammy Abraham and Alvaro Morata were paired during the second half against Juventus; Conceicao has suggested that might happen again - albeit, he may be more cautious against Inter.
Due to injury, Noah Okafor, Samuel Chukwueze, Alessandro Florenzi and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are all unavailable.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Correa, Martinez
AC Milan possible starting lineup:
Maignan; Emerson, Tomori, Thiaw, Hernandez; Fofana, Bennacer; Pulisic, Reijnders, Jimenez; Morata
We say: Inter Milan 2-1 AC Milan
One extra day of rest for Inter could prove crucial, as they already have a deeper squad than their city rivals and come into this final in much better form.
Milan are still brittle, with several players operating below their best, so the black-and-blue side of the city should celebrate a record-equalling Supercoppa number nine.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats, suggests the most likely outcome of this match is a Inter Milan win with a probability of 53.65%. A draw has a probability of 23.4% and a win for AC Milan has a probability of 22.93%.
The most likely scoreline for a Inter Milan win is 1-0 with a probability of 10.33%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome are 2-1 (9.79%) and 2-0 (9.13%). The likeliest drawn scoreline is 1-1 (11.07%), while for an AC Milan win it is 0-1 (6.27%).
Jonathan O'Shea
