Battling it out for a place in the Supercoppa Italiana final. Lombardy rivals Inter Milan and Atalanta BC will meet in the unfamiliar surrounds of Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening.
The sides' semi-final takes place at Riyadh's Al-Awwal Park, with the Serie A champions facing off against this season's league leaders.
Match preview
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Engaged in a closely contested race for the title - alongside Atalanta and Napoli - not only are Inter seeking to successfully defend the Scudetto this term, but they also intend to keep hold of the Supercoppa.
Winners in last year's final, a stoppage-time strike from Lautaro Martinez secured the Nerazzurri's third consecutive triumph in a competition that was previously played between Italy's reigning champions and the Coppa Italia holders.
For the second time, four teams will take part in a Saudi-hosted tournament, starting off 2025 with silverware at stake - and Simone Inzaghi's hunger for trophies never relents.
Inter's coach has claimed nine in his managerial career to date, and an unprecedented quadruple is in his sights this year: just one point behind top spot in Serie A, his team are also through to the cup quarter-finals and doing well in the Champions League.
First, the Milan giants will travel east on the back of five straight league wins - while averaging over three goals per game - after beating Cagliari in their final fixture of 2024.
An arching Alessandro Bastoni header broke the deadlock in Sardinia, before Martinez struck and set-piece expert Hakan Calhanoglu finished matters from the spot, as Inter capped off another fine year.
Over the past 12 months, they have been Italy's dominant force, winning 27 out of 38 top-flight games and losing just twice - most recently in September.
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One of Inter's most impressive results during that time was a 4-0 thumping of Atalanta at San Siro back in August, but the Bergamo club have certainly responded in style since then.
Now leading their regional rivals by one point in the title race, La Dea finished off 2024 by snatching a late draw away to in-form Lazio, with Marco Brescianini stepping off the bench to earn a 1-1 draw at Stadio Olimpico.
Although that result ended an incredible streak of 10 consecutive league wins, Gian Piero Gasperini's men still lead the way in Serie A; while, after last season's Europa League triumph, they are also faring well in the Champions League.
In 2024, Atalanta recorded both their record number of wins in a year (36) and a new club best for goals scored (127) - and they will head for Riyadh on a run of 13 top-flight matches without defeat.
Such had been their status as outsiders at Italy's elite level, the Bergamaschi have never before participated in the Coppa Italia, but Gasperini's guidance has made them challengers for all the top prizes.
Now, victory on Thursday night would take La Dea into another final next Monday, where either Juventus or AC Milan will await.
Team News
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Heading into potentially two Supercoppa contests, Simone Inzaghi will be without defensive duo Benjamin Pavard and Francesco Acerbi - both of whom have been left back in Milan - but Matteo Darmian has recovered from a knee injury in time to travel.
Inter are likely to name a similar XI to that which saw off Cagliari at the weekend, with much-admired top scorer Marcus Thuram partnering captain Lautaro Martinez up front.
With Pavard and Acerbi still unavailable, Stefan de Vrij and Yann Bisseck should continue alongside Alessandro Bastoni in the Nerazzurri's back three.
Meanwhile, Atalanta are missing ex-Inter wing-back Juan Cuadrado - who sustained a thigh injury on Saturday - in addition to Italy strikers Gianluca Scamacca and Mateo Retegui.
Matteo Ruggeri may be fit to play some part in the semi-final, though, having taken part in training after a toe problem ruled him out of La Dea's trip to Rome.
In the absence of Scamacca and Retegui, 2024 African Player of the Year Ademola Lookman should support Charles De Ketelaere in the final third.
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Bisseck, De Vrij, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Martinez, Thuram
Atalanta BC possible starting lineup:
Carnesecchi; Kossounou, Hien, Kolasinac; Bellanova, De Roon, Ederson, Zappacosta; Zaniolo, Lookman; De Ketelaere
We say: Inter Milan 1-0 Atalanta BC
While Atalanta have proven particularly tough to beat in recent weeks, Inter are one of the few sides to defeat them this season.
The Scudetto holders are at their best when silverware is at stake, so they can win by a slim margin and progress to the Supercoppa final.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
