Inter beat city rivals AC Milan 3-0 in 2022 and Napoli 1-0 last year in Riyadh, with captain Lautaro Martinez, who has only netted once in the past 10 games, scoring on both occasions.

The Argentinian World Cup winner passed up several chances in the Supercup 2-0 semi-final victory over Atalanta at Awwal Park on Thursday, achieved through a Denzel Dumfries double, but says those wonderful Riyadh memories can spur further silverware success. The final kicks off at 10pm at Al Awwal Park on Monday.

Lautaro Martínez

Speaking at the EA Sports FC Italian Supercup final pre-match press conference on Sunday, Lautaro Martinez said: “For us coming and playing here has been important in the past finals, because we won the trophy and also because I scored. It was great to have managed to score in both finals played here. Tomorrow it’s an important game because it’s the derby. We need to prepare to be at our best in the game. Atalanta was a physical game, but I feel very confident that we will make a good performance. We are good as a group, as a team. This is important, given that we face a strong team, and one that has beaten us so far in the league. We will try to bring the trophy home, which is what we all want.

 “It’s a final, a derby, and we all know how important it is. This is the first trophy we face, the first goal of the year. As we always say, we play to win every competition. I’m calm, even if a goal doesn’t come. I have other teammates who are scoring. Inter has to win, and that’s the only thing that matters.”

Simone Inzaghi

Inter manager Simone Inzaghi has been in charge for all of the club’s Supercup wins in Riyadh and similarly hopes to use those fond memories to inspire new ones in the derby. AC Milan overturned a 1-0 first-half deficit to beat Juventus 2-1 at Al Awwal Park on Thursday to earn their spot in the final. Inter are going for four Supercups in a row virtue of having won the 2021 edition in Italy by beating Juve 2-1 – with Inzaghi also in the dugout and Martinez scoring the opener.

Inzaghi said: “It would be very special winning the Supercup for the fourth time with Inter, and third consecutive time in Riyadh. I believe in the last two seasons it became even more difficult, because we need to win two games within just a few days; but this will give us satisfaction. Tomorrow we will face a valuable opponent who has the same hunger to win the trophy. Sergio Conceicao is a very vertical coach; his teams never give up. We saw the semi-final; Juventus seemed to be in control, but Milan had a great second half and deserved to reach the final.

“The derby is a special, exciting match. This will be the first trophy of the season up for grabs, my thirteenth. It would be great to win it again in Riyadh.”

The EA Sports FC Supercup is being staged in Saudi Arabia – where some 80% of the population either play, attend, or follow football – for the fifth time. AC Milan entered the competition as runners up of last season's Serie A, while Juventus were included as Coppa Italia winners. Supercup holders Inter won Serie A, while the team they beat on Thursday, Atalanta, lost to Juve in May’s Coppa Italia final.

Sergio Conceicao

AC Milan go into Monday’s final eager to earn their first trophy since the Serie A triumph of 2021/22, and before that their 2016 Supercup win, and ruin Inter’s Riyadh record in manager Conceicao’s second match in charge. Sergio Conceicao took over from Portuguese countryman Paulo Fonseca on December 30.

Conceicao, who it was revealed was suffering from flu at the pre-final press conference, joked: “I hope the team is in better condition than me! We are playing against a big team that has been with us for a long time, but we have to focus on ourselves. The match will be difficult, but we must be men and take our responsibilities in the middle.”

Asked about the fitness of star player Rafael Leao, who was pictured taking selfies with AC Milan fans in the Riyadh stands on Friday night at the Supercup semi-final, Conceicao said: “We will evaluate his condition today. We have training in the evening. Tomorrow we will know if he will participate in the match.”

Conceicao added of the Rossoneri’s desire to win the Supercup in Riyadh: “My goal is to prepare the team in the best possible way. We must have ambition and hunger to win the title.”

Tijjani Reijnders

Tijjani Reijnders, the AC Milan midfielder, has an opportunity to win the first trophy of his career – and it is one the Dutchman would relish achieving in Riyadh.

Reijnders said: “It’s a great opportunity to win my first big trophy. It would be nice, and tomorrow I have to play as if it were my last game. I think we should all do that. It’s a nice chance for us as a group to win a trophy. It doesn’t happen often that you can win a trophy, and then we will have to think about the championship and the Champions League. It’s a good opportunity to change things.

“In the first half against Juventus we weren’t aggressive enough in pressing and we didn’t take risks with the ball. In the second half we showed that we could do more, creating more chances. I think we have to gain more and more confidence and beating Juve gave us a good push in that sense. We have to feel like a family and that was a good sign.”