The two teams involved in Wednesday night’s Supercoppa Italiana final – Juventus and Napoli – go into the game in Reggio Emilia with very differing form.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s team needs a victory to rebound in Serie A.
Juventus, who are chasing an unprecedented 10th consecutive Italian A league title, find themselves in the unusual position of being fifth in the table – seven points behind the leading Milan clubs AC and Inter.
Meanwhile, Africa’s leading digital-TV operator StarTimes will bring the 2020 Supercoppa Italia final live on Wednesday at 9pm on its World Football channel.
It will be the 33rd time that the Supercoppa Italiana competition is held.
It is contested by the winners of the Serie A and the Coppa Italia in the previous season, as a curtain-raiser to the new season.
Juventus have won the Supercoppa a record eight times, and been the losing finalist seven times.
Juventus have consecutively appeared in the last eight editions, winning four and losing four.
Meanwhile, all three of Napoli’s previous finals have been against Juventus, the last one in 2014, when Napoli won 6-5 on penalties.
Pirlo played for Juventus in that game, while current Napoli players Belgian striker Dries Mertens and French defender Kalidou Koulibaly were on the winning side.