Everything you need to know as Milan eye trophy

AC Milan begin their Supercoppa Italiana journey on Friday against Juventus, so let’s go through the key information behind the tournament.

It has been a difficult few seasons for Milan, and with this season following the same trend, Sergio Conceicao will be aiming to bring some silverware back to Italy in the Supercoppa.

In a four-team competition, the Rossoneri will face Juventus before playing the winner of Inter-Atalanta in the final, should they make it past Thiago Motta’s side in the semi-final.

So, let’s get into some of the key details of the tournament and what is at stake for the Rossoneri.

The schedule

First things first, we must look at when the Rossoneri are scheduled to play in the competition. Conceicao’s side travelled to Saudi Arabia yesterday ahead of Friday’s clash (January 3) against the Bianconeri – which takes place at 20:00 CET (22:00 local time).

Should they be successful in that game, they will take on the winner of Inter-Atalanta (which will be played on Thursday, meaning the Rossoneri will know their potential opponents before they play) on Monday, January 6 at 20:00 CET (22:00 local time).

Milan will then return to Italy to prepare for the game against Cagliari on January 11.

The big prize

At present, there is a drought of silverware for the Rossoneri, which is not helped by Inter’s recent successes. The last sight of a trophy came in 2022, with the side lifting the Scudetto, so there is a dream to win something at this opportunity.

Looking at this competition specifically, it has been eight years since Milan last lifted the Supercoppa – doing so in 2016. Giacomo Bonaventura’s 38th-minute equaliser was not enough to spur on any more goals in normal time, but the Rossoneri won on penalties despite Gianluca Lapadula missing the first spot kick.

If Conceicao’s side are succesful in Saudi Arabia, it would be the eighth time that the Diavolo have won the competition and their fourth since the turn of the millenia.

A big purse

For qualifying for the tournament, the Rossoneri have automatically pocketed €1.6 million, which is a start, but eyes will already be on a bigger prize.

€16m has been allocated to the teams for the tournament, so there is a boost available for the squads, and getting to the final is the minimum for the Diavolo, considering they will be given €5m simply for a loss.

Should they win against Inter or Atalanta, that figure will raise to €8m, meaning the prize for winning the competition will be almost €10m, a figure which could be substantial in the case of renewals, or even for January spending.