Supercoppa Italiana Semifinals Start in Riyadh

In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Supercoppa Italiana semifinals begin Thursday evening with SSC Napoli facing AC Milan at AlAwwal Park, marking the start of the tournament's revamped four-team format. The match kicks off at 19:00 GMT, with the winner advancing to Monday's final against the victor of Friday's clash between Bologna and Inter Milan. Unlike previous editions, outcomes will be decided after 90 minutes or via penalty shootout, eliminating extra time.

Napoli, who qualified as last season's Serie A champions, enter the contest on the back of two recent defeats: a 1-0 loss to Udinese in Serie A and a 2-1 setback against Benfica in the Champions League. Prior to that, they secured a 2-1 victory over Juventus and advanced past Cagliari on penalties in the Coppa Italia. Manager Antonio Conte has reshaped the lineup amid several injuries, including absences for Kevin De Bruyne, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Billy Gilmour, and Alex Meret. Romelu Lukaku returns to the squad after a muscle tear sidelined him since August, though he starts on the bench. The starting XI features goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic behind defenders Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani, and Juan Jesus, with...