Napoli and Juventus will meet in Rome on Wednesday night in the highly anticipated Coppa Italia final after the two teams qualified for the showpiece last week.
Juventus, who crept through on away goals after a goalless draw against Milan on Saturday, were denied in last year’s final by Lazio.
Ronaldo misses a penality- Coppa Italia: Semi-Final Second Leg
Napoli haven’t tasted Coppa Italia success since 2014. The Partenopei’s 1-1 draw on Sunday night with Inter was enough to see them progress through on aggregate, giving manager Gennaro Gattuso his first shot at silverware as a head coach.
When Is Kick Off? Wednesday 17 June
What Time Is Kick Off? 20:00 BST
Where Is it Played? Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV Channel/Live Stream? BT Sport (UK)
Gonazalo Higuain was not included in the 23-man squad against Milan. The Argentine has a suspected thigh injury and is unlikely to feature on Wednesday.
Giorgio Chiellini and Aaron Ramsey are both doubtful. The pair missed the Milan game and are on individual training programmes as they continue to recover from injury.
Gonzalo Higuain is out with injury
Turkey International Merih Demiral was initially ruled out for the rest of the season back in January. Now with the prolongation of the league it is unclear whether the defender will feature again this campaign, but it is highly unlikely he will play a part in the final.
Kostas Manolas missed Napoli’s semi final second leg against Inter with a muscular injury and is unlikely to feature, while Stanislav Lobotka and Kevin Malcuit remain injured and will not play.
Kostas Manolas is out of the final
Napoli: Ospina; Di Lorenzo, Maksimovic, Koulibaly, Hysaj; Zielinski, Allan, Ruiz; Politano, Mertens, Insigne.
Juventus: Buffon; Danilo, De Ligt, Bonucci, Alex Sandro; Bentancur, Pjanic, Matuidi; Dybala, Ronaldo, Bernardeschi.
Since Napoli re-established themselves as a heavyweight contender in Serie A, this fixture has been an intoxicating affair.
Historically, Juventus have had the slight upper hand in victories, though it was the Neapolitans who came away with three points in their last bout, as an inspired Lorenzo Insigne lifted his side to a 2-1 victory in Serie A.
Lorenzo Insigne celebrates victory against Juventus
The Bianconeri have won three of their last five meetings with Napoli, the majority of which have been tight encounters.
Napoli endured a fairly rocky period at the turn of the year which saw them slip down into mid-table. Since the changeover in management, the Partenopei have enjoyed a steady run of form as they ready themselves to fight for European football next season.
Success in the Coppa Italia will be a highlight in what has largely been a difficult season for the Neapolitan outfit.
Napoli manager Gennaro Gattuso
Like Napoli, Juventus have had their ups and downs this season. The Bianconeri are being taken to the wire by Serie A surprise-package Lazio, with just one point in it at the top of the table.
A rocky winter period saw the Bianconeri slip to defeats at Napoli, Verona and Lyon, and victory in the final will help boost the confidence and steady the ship of Maurizio Sarri’s side.
Juventus manager Maurizio Sarri
Here’s how the two teams have fared in their last five outings.
Napoli
Napoli 1-1 Inter (13/6)
Napoli 2-1 Torino (29/2)
Napoli 1-1 Barcelona (25/2)
Brescia 1-2 Napoli (21/2)
Cagliari 0-1 Napoli (16/2)
Juventus
Juventus 0-0 Milan (12/6)
Juventus 2-0 Inter (8/3)
Lyon 1-0 Juventus (26/2)
SPAL 1-2 Juventus (22/2)
Juventus 2-0 Brescia (16/2)
This is going to be a close one. With defeat in both Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana finals last year, Juve have seemingly lost their invincible aura. Napoli toppled their counterparts back in January, but the Old Lady will be keen on taking revenge.
Juve, with their superior squad, should be able to secure the trophy. Expect Cristiano Ronaldo to make the difference.
Prediction: Napoli 1-2 Juventus
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