The downfall of Juventus v Milan in the Supercoppa Italiana

The 2024/25 Supercoppa Italiana continues with Juventus taking on Milan in Riyadh.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of this mouth-watering encounter.

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Where and when is the game?

The second semi-final of the Supercoppa Italiana 2025 will take place on January 3 between Coppa Italia winners Juventus and Serie A runners-up Milan.

The game starts at 22:00 local time (20:00 CET) and will be held in the newly built Kingdom Arena, as will the second semi-final and the final.

Opened in October 2023, the 30,000-capacity stadium in Riyadh is also home to Saudi Pro League team Al-Hilal and holds two Guinness World Records: the largest indoor football stadium in the world and the highest capacity for an indoor covered stadium.

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How did the two teams qualify?

Paolo Bruno – 2024 Getty Images

In 2023, the Supercoppa Italiana moved away from the traditional format of the Scudetto winner facing the Coppa Italia winner and switched to a four-team format.

This means that the top two in Serie A take on the Coppa Italia finalists, which interestingly are the top four from last season’s Serie A.

Juventus booked their ticket to Saudi Arabia by winning the Coppa Italia last May, while Milan’s second-placed Serie A finish saw them reach the Supercoppa semi-finals.

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A player to watch from every team

Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)

Valerio Pennicino – 2024 Getty Images

The Turkish youngster is enjoying a breakout season and seems to be relishing the responsibility that Thiago Motta has given him.

A Golden Boy Web Award win in December shows the respect in which he is held, and he looks set to become a cornerstone of the Bianconeri front line for years to come.

He also holds the honor of being the first ever goalscorer in the new Champions League group stage.

Rafael Leão (Milan)

ALBERTO PIZZOLI – AFP or licensors

Once the Serie A MVP in the not-too-distant past, the Portuguese star is enduring a difficult season under compatriot Paulo Fonseca.

No longer a guaranteed starter and found himself on the fringes, he has shown that when given opportunities, he is still capable of torturing defenses.

This clash could be the perfect opportunity to regain some trust and confidence.

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Who are the coaches?

Thiago Motta (Juventus)

Valerio Pennicino – 2024 Getty Images

The new man in the Old Lady dugout has been feeling the heat a bit more of late after a very impressive start built on excellent defensive displays.

Motta got the job at Turin on the back of leading Bologna into the Champions League for the first time in their history in its modern format.

Some disappointing failures during November and December have led to criticism, but he would go a long way to win back fans by lifting his first piece of silverware.

Sergio Conceição (Milan)

PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA – AFP or licensors

Less than a week ago, it looked like Milan boss Paulo Fonseca would survive the heat long enough to take his team to Saudi Arabia.

But a disappointing draw against his former club Roma on Sunday led to his sacking (which had come after a poor start) and he was quickly replaced by compatriot Sergio Conceição.

The highly-respected tactician had been out of work since ending a successful seven-year spell at Porto in the summer, and his first game in charge of the Rossoneri comes in Riyadh against Juventus.

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Memorable meeting

Laurence Griffiths – 2003 Getty Images

The clubs contested the 2003 Champions League final against each other in the first ever all-Italian affair. A tense affair at Old Trafford produced no goals before Milan went on to win on penalties.

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Predicted lineups

Juventus (4-2-3-1): De Gregorio; Danilo, Gatti, Kalulu, Cambiaso; Locatelli, Thuram; Conceiçao, Koopmeiners, Yildiz; Vlahović

Milan (4-3-3): Maignan; Royal, Gabbia, Thiaw, Jimenez; Fofana, Reijnders, Pulisic; Chukwueze, Abraham, Leão

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ISABELLA BONOTTO – AFP or licensors