New Lega Serie A President Ezio Simonelli insists playing the Supercoppa Italiana Inter-Atalanta in Saudi Arabia means ‘exporting the best of what Italian football can offer.’
It kicks off at the Al-Awwal Park Stadium in Riyadh at 19.00 GMT.
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens on the Liveblog.
This is the second year using the Final Four format, so there are two semi-finals featuring the winners of Serie A and the Coppa Italia against the runners-up in both those competitions.
The winning teams of Inter-Atalanta and Juventus-Milan then go head-to-head for the trophy on Monday, all played in Riyadh.
Supercoppa played in Saudi Arabia
“We are proud to be here presenting a match between the two top teams in Serie A right now,” Simonelli told Sport Mediaset.
“The fans can consider themselves fortunate. We are exporting the best of what Italian football can offer.”
There has been criticism of the decision to stage the tournament in Saudi Arabia, with Italy following in the footsteps of Spain.
“Compared to five years ago, we have seen Saudi Arabia make big steps towards opening up to the West. Football can be a vehicle to open up the world and build bridges between different continents.”
The plan originally had been to hold a minute’s silence for former Torino star Aldo Agroppi, who died today, but that will now be organised in Serie A this weekend instead.
Simonelli: ‘Supercoppa exporting best of Italian football’
The Supercoppa Italiana, the annual football match between the winners of Serie A and the Coppa Italia, is set to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this year. Despite some controversy surrounding the decision to host the match in the Middle East, Italian Football Federation President Gabriele Gravina believes that the Supercoppa is a great opportunity to showcase the best of Italian football to an international audience.
In a recent interview, Supercoppa Italiana CEO Luigi De Siervo echoed Gravina’s sentiments, stating that the event is not only a chance to promote Italian football abroad, but also to strengthen ties with international partners and attract new fans to the sport.
One player who is particularly excited about the upcoming Supercoppa is AC Milan midfielder Nicolo Simonelli. The young Italian talent sees the match as a chance to prove himself on a global stage and help his team secure another trophy.
With top teams like AC Milan and Juventus set to face off in what promises to be an exciting and competitive match, the Supercoppa Italiana is sure to captivate football fans around the world. Stay tuned for more updates on this prestigious event!
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