File picture of Juventus’ coach Massimiliano Allegri (centre) with his players Alessandro Matri (left) and goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
DPA/Rome
Italian champions Juventus and Lazio contest the Italian Super Cup Saturday in Shanghai in a repeat of the Italian Cup final the Bianconeri won last May.
With a 2-1 win at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, Juve clinched a double in a memorable season that also saw them play the Champions League final, losing 3-1 against Barcelona.
Lazio, who qualified for the match as Italian Cup finalists, finished third in the Serie A and are to play a Champions League play off later this month.
Injuries and defeats in recent friendlies have marked the Bianconeri’s run-up to the 2015-16 season, which still sees them as favourites to lift a fifth straight national title.
“It is true, this pre-season has not been as easy as in previous years,” midfielder Claudio Marchisio said after last week’s 2-0 crash at Olympique Marseille, which followed another 2-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund.
“But beside the result, which still matters, our form is improving, and this is the most important thing at the moment. We must work and we will do it to keep winning.”
At the Shanghai Stadium Coach Massimiliano Allegri, however, will miss defender Giorgio Chiellini, midfield newcomer Sami Khedira, and striker Alvaro Morata.
Chiellini also missed the Champions League final and should be out for the first two games of the Serie A season starting on August 23.
Khedira and Morata face longer absences, of about two months and one month respectively.
After Carlos Tevez’s farewell, and with Fernando Llorente often sidelined, Allegri is likely to use new signings Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala up front, with Simone Zaza also having a chance.
As he begins his second season in Turin, Allegri has also been busy retuning a midfield package that lost Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal, now at New York City FC and Bayern Munich, respectively.
Lazio boss Stefano Pioli, meanwhile, lost four warmup matches and has midfielders Marco Parolo and Senad Lulic suspended as he looks to avenge the defeat suffered in May, which followed two others in league action.
“We have been working very well because this is an important game as there is a trophy to lift,” midfielder Danilo Cataldi told Lazio Style Radio.
“We play against the strongest team in Italy, and one of the strongest in Europe. We will try to defeat them because we have not done it in a long time.”
Juve, who lifted the trophy twice in the past three years, beat Lazio 4-0 in the 2013 edition.
The match is being played in China for the fourth time. Beijing hosted the event three times.
