Tonight, at 20:00 CET in Riyadh, Napoli and Bologna meet in the Italian Supercoppa — branded the EA SPORTS FC Supercup for sponsorship reasons. 🏆🇸🇦

There’s a trophy to lift, there’s a trip to Saudi Arabia that has become a familiar part of this competition, and above all there’s a one-off final that offers no second chances: tonight, 22.12.2025 at 20:00 CET Napoli and Bologna face off in the Supercoppa Italiana at Al-Awwal Park (King Saud University Stadium) in Riyadh. Napoli are chasing their third Supercoppa, Bologna their first.

The format is a Final Four: single-elimination semi-finals followed by the final. Napoli arrive as the 2024/25 Serie A champions, while Bologna come in as the 2024/25 Coppa Italia holders. In the semi-finals, Antonio Conte’s Napoli knocked out Massimiliano Allegri’s Milan, while Vincenzo Italiano’s Bologna edged past Christian Chivu’s Inter on penalties. Bologna goalkeeper Federico Ravaglia played a huge part, saving spot-kicks from Bonny and Bastoni.

Napoli: Form Rating 90+ 🎮🔥

 

Napoli come into this final carrying the double weight of a side that has learned how to win and a team that, under Antonio Conte, has instantly regained order, edge and intensity in every phase. In Serie A, the Azzurri are right where they want to be: still in the leading pack, close to Inter and Milan (Inter 33 points, Milan 32, Napoli 31), with a run that speaks of consistency and an ability to respond when the schedule bites.

The last few league games have shown a very “Conte” Napoli: three straight wins against Atalanta, Roma and Juventus, then the setback in Udine that brought everyone back down to earth before the trip to Riyadh. In the Champions League the path has been bumpier: the 2–0 defeat in Lisbon against Benfica made things more complicated and underlined a European moment that hasn’t matched domestic form, with the group table still wide open in the new format. Yet the real headline of this Napoli so far is how well they’ve coped with absences: Conte has publicly praised a squad that arrived in Saudi Arabia missing key pieces such as Frank Anguissa and Kevin De Bruyne, with Romelu Lukaku only just returning after a long layoff.

Danish Duel in Riyadh: Rasmus vs Jens 🇩🇰⚔️

In that context, Rasmus Højlund has stepped up and is becoming a genuine reference point in one-off games: against Milan he delivered a goal and an assist, while Neres keeps growing and delivering when the stakes are highest. And history adds weight to this night: this is Napoli’s sixth Supercoppa final, with two titles already on the board (1990 and 2014).

Youtube Video: Supercoppa Napoli–Juventus 5–1 (1 September 1990): highlights recap on sports TV show La Domenica Sportiva (2.9.1990).

As for the team set to take the pitch, the feeling is that Antonio Conte will lean on continuity and on the structure that has given Napoli certainty in knockout football. Vanja Milinković-Savić is expected to be confirmed in goal, while in defence the back line should start with Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Amir Rrahmani and Juan Jesus, even if Alessandro Buongiorno remains a serious option should Conte want extra physicality or a different matchup against Bologna’s forwards.

Conte-roller Settings — Player Instructions On 🎮✅

 

On the flanks, Matteo Politano on the right and Leonardo Spinazzola on the left are the two arrows: width, acceleration and relentless work-rate that, in a final, can matter as much as a moment of brilliance. In the middle, Stanislav Lobotka’s control and Scott McTominay’s all-action leadership are the engine that holds Napoli together, balancing aggression with order. Up front, Højlund will lead the line, with David Neres providing pace and unpredictability, and the third attacker likely to be chosen between Noa Lang and Eljif Elmas depending on the need to attack depth or knit the play between the lines.

Bologna: Project Saputo — Level Up 🇨🇦📈

Bologna land in Riyadh with the lightness of an underdog and the substance of a team that has learned to compete for real. In Serie A, Vincenzo Italiano’s side are sitting sixth after 15 matchdays, right in the European mix, and they’ve brought that same balance of courage and organisation into a Supercoppa run that already feels like a statement.  The semifinal against Inter captured their identity perfectly: absorbing pressure, finding the moment to hit back, then holding their nerve when it turned into a test of mentality. Bologna got through on penalties after a 1–1 draw, with Ciro Immobile converting the decisive kick, and Federico Ravaglia stepping into the spotlight as the face of their belief saving two spot-kicks by Ange-Yoan Bonny and Alessandro Bastoni. Ravaglia has been named “Man of the Match” by the Italian Football Federation. Around the club, you can feel what this means: Joey Saputo, the Canadian owner who has driven the project in recent years, admitted he is “very emotional” about the occasion — a line that says a lot about how quickly Bologna have moved from long-term rebuilding to nights that can redefine a cycle. 

Scottish Derby in Riyadh: Lewis vs Scott 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿⚔️

On the pitch, the expectation is for continuity at the back, with Ravaglia in goal and a back four that has become familiar, while midfield could see Lewis Ferguson return with a bigger role, potentially reshaping the balance compared to the semifinal. Up front, Italiano still has a live decision to make: Santiago Castro offers intensity and presence, but Thijs Dallinga is pushing hard and could get the nod if Bologna want a different kind of reference point. 

Youtube Video: Supercoppa semifinal Bologna vs Inter: highlights recap on official Bologna FC Channel

H2H Stats: Rivalry Data Pack Loaded 🎮⚔️

Bologna already have a recent psychological edge: on 9 November 2025 they beat Napoli 2–0 at the Renato Dall’Ara. Thijs Dallinga (50’) and Jhon Lucumí (66’) decided it — a result that still hangs over this Supercoppa final.

This is the 154th official meeting between these two teeams with Napoli leading 61 wins to Bologna’s 49, plus 43 draws.  Napoli are making their sixth Supercoppa appearance and have lifted the trophy twice (1990 and 2014, both against Juventus), with the most recent triumph coming on 22 December 2014, decided on penalties after a 2–2 extra-time classic featuring the Tevez and Higuaín braces. For Bologna it’s a historic first: their debut in the Supercoppa, as the 13th different club to take part in the competition, and there’s even a deep-cut precedent that ties them to Napoli — Bologna’s first ever win in the single-group Serie A era came against Napoli on 27 October 1929.

Youtube Video: Bologna vs Napoli (9/11/2025): highlights recap on official Bologna FC Channel

Ravaglia: From Professional to Legendary 🧤🎮🔥

Federico Ravaglia is the kind of goalkeeper whose career reads like a Career Mode grind: step-by-step XP, a few rough early “patches,” and then the sudden upgrade that everyone notices when the stakes are highest. A Bologna academy product born in the city, he has spoken about turning up to his very first training session at five years old already wearing gloves and padded trousers — “blame” his dad (who played in goal) and Gianluigi Buffon, his childhood idol, whose shirts he still keeps like trophies from the tutorial level.

Loans and hard minutes shaped the save traits, but it’s the big-night moments that have built the legend: against Inter in the Supercoppa semifinal he went full Clutch Mode, denying Bastoni and Bonny in the shootout and earning the official EA SPORTS FC Player of the Match award, with Italian media rating him among the clear standouts of the night. And there’s a neat “rivals DLC” running through his story too: Bologna writers love recalling how his Inter chapter really started with that Coppa Italia penalty save against Lautaro — a small scene at the time, now a recurring signature in his highlight reel. 

Supercoppa Italiana – Roll of Honour (by season)

1988     Milan
1989     Inter
1990     Napoli
1991     Sampdoria
1992     Milan
1993     Milan
1994     Milan
1995     Juventus
1996     Fiorentina
1997     Juventus
1998     Lazio
1999     Parma
2000     Lazio
2001     Roma
2002     Juventus
2003     Juventus
2004     Milan
2005     Inter
2006     Inter
2007     Roma
2008     Inter
2009     Lazio
2010     Inter
2011     Milan
2012     Juventus
2013     Juventus
2014     Napoli
2015     Juventus
2016     Milan
2017     Lazio
2018     Juventus
2019     Lazio
2020     Juventus
2021     Inter
2022     Inter ­
2023     Inter
2024     Milan

Supercoppa Italiana – Titles by club

Juventus 9
Inter 8
Milan 8
Lazio 5
Roma 2
Napoli 2
Sampdoria 1
Parma 1
Fiorentina 1

Napoli vs Bologna pre-match information 📋 

📅 Match date: Monday, 22 December 2025
🕒 Match time: 20:00 CET
🏟️ Venue: King Saud University Stadium (Al-Awwal Park), Riyadh (Saudi Arabia)
🧑‍⚖️ Referee: Andrea Colombo (Como, Italy)
Assistant Referees: Alessio Berti (Prato, Italy), Valerio Vecchi (Lamezia Terme, Italy)
Fourth official: Federico La Penna (Roma 1, Italy)
VAR: Marco Di Bello (Brindisi, Italy)
AVAR: Ivano Pezzuto (Lecce, Italy)

Napoli vs Bologna: Probable line-ups 🎽


Napoli 
(3-5-2)

32 Vanja Milinkovic-Savic
22 Giovanni Di Lorenzo
13 Amir Rrahmani
4 Alessandro Buongiorno (Juan Jesus)
21 Matteo Politano
68 Stanislav Lobotka
8 Scott McTominay
7 Leonardo Spinazzola
7 David Neres
19 Rasmus Hojlund
70 Noa Lang (20 Eljif Elmas)

Team Manager
Antonio Conte

Reserves 🔁

14 Nikita Contini (GK), 25 Mathias Ferrante (GK), 3 Miguel Gutierrez, 5 Juan Jesus, 17 Mathias Olivera, 31 Sam Beukema, 30 Pasquale Mazzocchi, 35 Luca Marianucci, 26 Antonio Vergara, 69 Ambrosino, 20 Eljif Elmas, 9 Romelu Lukaku, 27 Lorenzo Lucca, 96 Francisco Baridó, 98 Emmanuele De Chiara

Not available players (Napoli)

Beukema and Olivera (both doubt)

Bologna
(4-2-3-1)

13 Federico Ravaglia
2 Emil Holm
14 Lysaker Heggem
26 Jhon Lucumí
33 Juan Miranda
18 Tommaso Pobega
19 Lewis Ferguson
7 Riccardo Orsolini
21 Jens Odgaard
28 Nicolò Cambiaghi
9 Santiago Castro

Team Manager
Vincenzo Italiano

Reserves 🔁

25 Massimo. Pessina, 82 Matteo Franceschelli, 75 Bodin Tomašević, 20 Nadir Zortea, 29 Lorenzo De Silvestri, 22 Charalampos Lykogiannis, 41 Martin Vitik, 80 Giovanni Fabbian, 6 Nikola Moro, 77 Ibrahim Sulemana, 11 Jonathan Rowe, 24 Thijs Dallinga, 30 Benjamin Dominguez, 17 Ciro Immobile

Not available players (Bologna) ❌

Federico Bernardeschi, Lukasz Skorupski, Remo Freuler, Nicolò Casale

 

Where to watch Bologna vs Napoli  ⚽📺

Argentina / South America: DIRECTV Sports Argentina DGO (regional variations by country)
Italy: Italia 1, Mediaset Infinity, tabii
Spain: DAZN Spain, DAZN1 Spain, Movistar+, tabii
United Kingdom & Ireland: Premier Sports Player, Premier Sports 2, tabii
USA: CBS Sports Network, Paramount+, fuboTV

Rest of the world: check local broadcasters via LiveSoccerTV’s global listings for “Celtic vs Roma”

Full Napoli vs Bologna TV listings on LiveSoccerTV

Is this the night when Napoli confirm their champion status with a third Supercoppa, or when Bologna FC level up and turn a dream into their first-ever triumph on this stage? As always, drop your predictions — and your Man of the Match pick — in the comments on TotalSportNews.

Read also our latest Serie A coverage.

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Image credits

Original digital illustration created for TotalSportNews (TSN). Bologna FC crest and related club marks are the property of their respective owners and are used here for editorial illustration purposes only. “EA SPORTS FC” and associated branding are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc.; used for editorial reference only.