Napoli vs Juventus
Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Wednesday, 17-06-2020 @10pm
Ref: Daniele Doveri
Football might only just be back in Italy, but the first trophy is set to be contested for already.
The Coppa Italia will be up for grabs this Wednesday night, when Napoli and Juventus will lock horns at Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Napoli kicked off their 2019/20 Coppa Italia campaign in the Round of 16, where they beat Perugia 2-0 before setting up a quarter-final date with Lazio. The Partenopei got past them as well to book their place in the semi-finals, where they met Inter Milan. The Nerazzurri were quite the competition for Gennaro Gattuso’s men, who won the contest 2-1 on aggregate.
Juventus on the other hand, entered the competition at the same stage as Napoli, easing past Udinese with a 4-0 win. The Bianconeri then cruised to a 3-1 win over AS Roma before meeting AC Milan at the penultimate stage of the competition. A low-scoring affair, the tie ended in a 1-1 draw after two legs, with Juventus progressing to the final due to the away goals rule.
Napoli and Juventus have already met each other twice this season, with both sides winning one game apiece.
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.
The last time Juventus met Napoli in the Coppa Italia was in the semi-final in 2017. The Bianconeri won the tie 5-4 on aggregate to reach the final. Juventus are the most successful club in Coppa Italia history, having lifted the title 13 times. They have also been triumphant in four of their last five Coppa Italia finals. The previous 4 meetings between these two sides have seen both teams score. Dries Mertens’ goal against Inter Milan last time out made him the all-time goalscorer for Napoli, eclipsing Marek Hamsik’s tally of 121 goals. Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 2 goals in 6 matches against Napoli in his career, although both goals have arrived in his last 2 games.
