The Italian Supercoppa is to be contested during the Serie A winter break rather than before the start of the season, it has been announced.
Juventus -- who recently claiemd their third straight league title -- will face Coppa Italia winners Napoli
Due to their involvement in the playoffs for the Champions League in August, Napoli requested the game be moved to a new slot. The Lega Serie A, in confirming the schedules for next season, have accepted the Azzurri's request and, with Antonio Conte's side agreeing to the game being staged during the winter break, have allocated it a new date of Tuesday, December 23.
The fixture, traditionally the curtain-raiser to the domestic season, had initially been pencilled in for the month of August, and was due to be staged in Beijing as part of a marketing agreement drawn up in 2011 which stipulated that three of the subsequent five editions of the event would take place in China.
Last summer, Juventus and Lazio argued over the venue of the showpiece with the Biancocelesti keen to play in China, given the extra income they would have earned from playing in the Far East.
The match -- won 4-0 by Juventus -- took place in Rome's Stadio Olimpico with the hosts earning the lion's share of the revenue. Juve and Napoli spent the summer of 2012 arguing about the location of that year's event, which was ultimately played in Beijing with the Bianconeri winning on penalties, and Napoli's players refusing to pick up their medals.
There has been no dispute this year, however. The Serie A season will start on Aug. 31 with a winter break between Dec. 21 and Jan. 6..