(Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)
Napoli and AC Milan will face each other in the Supercoppa Italiana semi-final on Thursday, at the King Saud University Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Romelu Lukaku is back in full training after being out for 124 days due to a thigh injury from pre-season against Olympiacos. He is part of the squad for the Supercoppa Italiana but may not start right away due to his time off.
Midfielder Stanislav Lobotka returned from injury in Napoli’s recent 1-0 loss to Udinese on December 14 and should be available for the match in Saudi Arabia. However, other key players like Kevin De Bruyne, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, and Billy Gilmour are expected to be out until 2026.
Defender Mathias Olivera is a doubt due to a calf strain he suffered in training. Both Jesus Nunes and goalkeeper Alex Meret are also unavailable. Rasmus Hojlund, on loan from Manchester United, has been scoring important goals for Napoli, including two in a 2-1 win over Juventus, and is expected to play in the attack.
AC Milan has faced a setback with defender Matteo Gabbia suffering a knee injury during the 2-2 draw with Sassuolo on December 14. Fortunately, tests have shown no long-term damage, providing some relief to the team.
Gabbia might miss the Supercoppa semi-final but should be ready for Serie A action against Hellas Verona on December 28.
Christian Pulisic has been a standout player for Milan this season, with seven goals and two assists in 10 Serie A matches, making him a key attacking threat. His shooting accuracy is notable, with 11 shots on target from 15 attempts.
Napoli suffered a 2-0 defeat to Benfica in the UEFA Champions League on December 10 and followed with a surprising 1-0 loss to Udinese, marking their first league match without a shot on target since January 2024. This left them in third place in Serie A, two points behind leaders Inter Milan and one point behind AC Milan.
AC Milan is unbeaten in their last two Serie A matches, having drawn 2-2 against Sassuolo in their latest outing. They currently sit in second place in Serie A with 32 points, one point ahead of Napoli and one behind leaders Inter Milan.
Napoli: Milinkovic-Savic; Beukema, Rrahmani, Buongiorno; Di Lorenzo, Lobotka, McTominay, Gutierrez; Lang, Neres; Hojlund.
AC Milan: Maignan; De Winter, Tomori, Pavlovic; Saelemaekers, Loftus-Cheek, Modric, Rabiot, Bartesaghi; Pulisic, Nkunku.
Fans in the UK can watch the match on Premier Sports.
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