Good evening and thank you for joining Sports Mole for live text commentary of the Coppa Italia final between Fiorentina and Napoli.

Two of Serie A's most entertaining side's meet for the chance to claim silverware and end their seasons on a high. Third-placed Napoli come into the match as slight favourites given the eight-point gap between the teams in the Serie A table, but Rafael Benitez knows that his men will have to be at their best to overcome a Fiorentina outfit that have enjoyed a great season under Vincenzo Montella.

FIORENTINA XI: Neto, Tomovic, Rodriguez, Savic, Pasqual, Pizarro, Aquilani, Vargas, Joaquin, Valero, Ilicic

NAPOLI XI: Reina, Henrique, Fernandez, Albiol, Ghoulam, Jorginho, Inler, Hamsik, Insigne, Callejon, Higuain

FIORENTINA SUBS: Rosati, Diakite, Compper, Bakic, Fernandez, Ambrosini, Wolski, Anderson, Matos, Matri, Rossi

NAPOLI SUBS: Colombo, Dublas, Revelliere, Britos, Maggio, Zuniga, Mesto, Dzemaili, Behrami, Mertens, Pandev, Zapata

TEAM NEWS: Fiorentina start the match without a recognized striker, as Joaquin, Josip Ilicic and Borja Valero occupy the front three positions. Giuseppe Rossi has returned to the side and is on the bench, but they are without Juan Cuadrado, who is suspended for the Viola, after picking up a booking in the second leg of the semi-final with Udinese. His loss is a real blow to the club, as he has been in great form recently, having scored four goals in his last four games.

As for Napoli, they are led by Gonzalo Higuain, who has recovered from the heavy bruising he sustained to his ankle during their last match. Lorenzo Insigne and Jose Callejon will provide him with support from out wide, with Marek Hamsik chosen to start in the midfield alongside Jorginho and Gokhan Inler.

The clubs have played each other twice in Serie A this season and it is currently one win apiece. In the first meeting back in October of last year, Napoli came away from Florence with all three points following a 2-1 victory. Both sides ended that night with 10 men, following red cards to Juan Cuadrado and Christian Maggio. A sending off played a big part in their league match a few weeks ago in Naples, as Faouzi Ghoulam was dismissed for Napoli in the first half. It looked like the game was going to end in a goalless draw until Joaquin scored two minutes from time to seal a 1-0 win for Fiorentina.

As you would expect from two teams inside the top four, they are amongst the highest scorers in the league. Napoli have found the back of the net 64 times this season, with Fiorentina netting 59 goals. They are both similarly matched in defence too, with Napoli's 36 goals conceded slightly better than the Viola's 38. One thing they do have is common, is that they are the only two teams to have beaten league leaders Juventus in Serie A this season.

One man who Fiorentina have missed in recent months is their star striker Giuseppe Rossi. The 27-year-old suffered ligament damage in his right knee during a match against Livorno in January and is back in the squad for the first time since this evening. He had scored 14 goals in 18 league games before his setback and led the Serie A goalscoring charts. His return will be a huge boost not only to his club side, but the Italian national team, with Cesare Prandelli hopeful of naming the forward in his World Cup squad this summer.

Arrivati allo stadio Olimpico! -Arrived at the Olimpico Stadium! #FiorentinaNapoli #TimCup #ACFFiorentina #forzaviola pic.twitter.com/aQ6EgJG6Xi

— ACF Fiorentina (@ACF_Fiorentina) May 3, 2014

Rossi is not the only striker who has been in the headlines this week, as Napoli have been sweating on the fitness of start man Gonzalo Higuain. The Argentine was stretchered off in last weekend's goalless draw against Inter Milan and at the time his club feared the worst. Tests earlier this week ruled out any serious injury and showed that he had suffered a heavy bruise to the right shinbone. It would have been a blow if he wasn't able to play tonight, as the 26-year-old has been in good form since his big-money move from Real Madrid, having scored 24 goals in all competitions this season.

PREDICTION: It is difficult to predict a winner this evening with the two teams so closely matched. If the form guide is anything to go by then Fiorentina slightly shade the pair, having won three of their last four games. There has been little to separate them in the two meetings played this season and I expect the game to be separated by just the one goal this evening. I am going to tip Napoli to edge the match 1-0, with the chance of extra time and penalties a very real possibility.

We are still waiting for the players to enter the pitch and there has been reports of some serious crowd trouble outside of the ground. There are discussions taking place about what time the match will start, so I will let you know any further information as soon as I get it.

Napoli captain Marek Hamsik is in discussions with officials on the side of the pitch. It is not clear what they are talking about, but we could be in for a bit of a delay. The fans don't seem to be too affected in the stadium, with the Stadio Olimpico fully packed this evening.

It seems that there might be some disturbances inside the stadium and Hamsik has gone over to the section of Napoli supporters to speak to them about what is going on. There are a number of flares seen around the stadium, but that is not out of place in a regular match in the Italian top flight.

There have been reports of shootings outside of the ground, and we hope that is not the case. According to the Corriere della Sera, a police officer was attacked and gunfire was heard. We are also hearing that Napoli fans don't want the match to kick off, if it is confirmed that somebody has died outside of the ground.

Whilst we wait for any confirmation about what time the match will kick off, the managers of each club are seen in discussions down the tunnel. Another manager in the ground this evening is Prandelli, who will be casting his eye on players for his World Cup squad.

As well as the Coppa Italia being decided this weekend, Juventus could be crowned the Serie A champions as soon as tomorrow. The Bianconeri will win their third-successive Scudetto if Roma fail to win their match against bottom of the league Catania.

With kick off still not confirmed, another player that I feel could have a huge impact on the final tonight is Jose Callejon. The midfielder joined the club from Real Madrid last summer and has scored an impressive haul of 17 goals this season.

3 - José Callejón has scored the joint-most goals in #CoppaItalia this season, three. Expected. — OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) May 3, 2014

We have an encouraging sign now, as the cup has been brought out onto the pitch. That is surely an indication that kick off is not too far away.

The players are now lined up in the tunnel and are set to walk out onto the pitch. They have had a long wait in the changing rooms and must be itching to get out.

After a long delay, both teams finally enter the pitch to a rapturous applause from the crowd. Following the Italian national anthem, we will be kicking off in Rome.

The anthem has been sung, the players have shaken hands and now finally we are about to see some football taking place this evening!

The players are undergoing a short warm up before the kick off, having finished their initial preparations for the match around 45 minutes ago.

KICKOFF! We are underway at the Stadio Olimpico!

Savic is lucky to get away without an early booking, as he goes in with a crunching challenge on Inler. The Napoli man is not best pleased, but the referee keeps his cards in his pocket on this occasion.

Vargas is almost in behind for Fiorentina, as he is picked on the far side from a long ball, but he didn't time his run properly and is caught offside. If he had been looking along the line there was plenty of space for him to exploit.

CHANCE! Insigne has the first shot off the match, but after cutting inside from the left, he sees his low effort touched behind by Neto.

CHANCE! From the resulting corner Napoli have another chance to score as Higuain is picked out in the six-yard box, but Neto is there again to save the strike.

YELLOW CARD! It's taken less than 10 minutes for us to see the first booking of the match, as Valero is shown a yellow card for a clumsy tackle from behind.

Napoli have taken the lead and it's a fine finish from Insigne. Hamsik leads the charge through the midfield, before slipping the ball through for the winger. He still has the keeper to beat, but bends a beautiful strike into the bottom corner and out of the reach of Neto. What a start to this match!

We've been made to wait for the game to start, but it has lived to expectations so far. Napoli have started strongly and are playing some fantastic attacking football.

CHANCE! Napoli get in behind Fiorentina yet again, with Callejon delivering a teasing ball across the six-yard box that is missed by Neto and somehow put behind before Higuain can tap it into the net.

Napoli are running away with this game! Higuain shows great skill and strength to get free down the right, before pulling the ball back across the box. It is just behind Hamsik, but Insigne arrives to sidefoot an effort that deflects of Tomovic and into the back of the net. Montella must be wondering how his side can get back into this match now as they are being torn apart.

I certainly didn't expect the first 20 minutes to be anything like this. There is so much space for each team in the midfield, with Napoli exploiting huge gaps behind their opponents' defence. Benitez's men have looked like finding the net every time they have come forward.

Napoli continue to dominate and Inler fancies his chances with an effort from range, but ends up hammering his left-footed strike high over the bar.

Fiorentina haven't created too many chances and Valero has their first on goal with a powerful effort from 25 yards that ends up flying over the bar.

CHANCE! Callejon has been amongst the goals for Napoli this season and goes for goal with a low strike from outside the box that he sends narrowly wide of the far post.

Out of absolutely nothing Fiorentina are back in this match! Vargas latches onto Ilicic's ball over the top, before hammering a powerful strike into the bottom corner that leaves Reina rooted to the spot.

That goal was just what Fiorentina needed and they are on the attack again when Valero breaks free down the right before squaring the ball across the box. His pass is just out of the reach of Joaquin at the back post, but they are full of confidence now.

It is now Napoli who are being caught out at the back, and Joaquin is incredibly unlucky to be flagged offside after being picked out with a ball over the top.

YELLOW CARD! Montella's side are seeing plenty of the ball at the moment and they have won a free kick just outside the box following Albiol's foul on Joaquin. The defender is booked for the challenge and the Viola will have a good chance from the set piece.

Vargas takes the free kick but hammers his effort into the wall. Moments later the ball breaks to Valero on the right hand side of the box, but he can't find the target with his fierce strike.

It's Napoli's turn to keep possession of the ball as they look to re-establish their control on the match. At this stage, Benitez would love to hear the half time whistle with his side's lead still intact.

YELLOW CARD! Ilicic is the latest player to go into the book after a lunging challenge on Insigne.

As we approach half time, Fiorentina will have a big chance to get a delivery into the box from a free kick that they won to the left hand side of the box.

GOAL DISALLOWED! Fiorentina think they have levelled the scores as Aquilani meets Vargas's free kick and slots in from close range. The goal is ruled out though, as he was standing in an offside position.

What a fantastic half of football we have enjoyed here in Rome. Napoli started the game in electrifying fashion and went two goals ahead inside of 20 minutes thanks to Lorenzo Insigne. Fiorentina looked completely out of the contest before Juan Vargas fired home to pull a goal back for his side and set up what should be a fascinating second half.

This match has been a wonderful advert for Italian football. We have seen great attacking play from both sides, plenty of strikes and some brilliant goals scored this evening.

Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Montella must have been fearing the worst after his side went two goals down, but Vargas's goal has given them hope they can draw level. They were unlucky with the offside goal at the end of the half, but it was a good spot from the linesman.

One player who may have caught the eye of England fans is Napoli winger Lorenzo Insigne. The 22-year-old has been in good form and has shown his quality this evening. He is expected to be named in Italy's World Cup squad this summer and would not look out of place on the biggest stage.

© AFP

At some stage in this match we might see Fiorentina throw one of their strikers on if they are still a goal behind. Alessandro Matri has scored five goals for the club since his loan move from AC Milan in January, while their top scorer Giuseppe Rossi could make his long awaited return from injury.

Napoli take the kick off and get the second half started.

YELLOW CARD! Tomovic picks up an early booking in the half for a late challenge on Albiol.

YELLOW CARD! The referee hands out another booking as Aquilani is down and in some pain after a challenge from Inler. The Napoli man is booked, which takes the total tally of yellow cards up to five this evening.

Napoli still look incredibly dangerous down the flanks as Hamsik gets free on the right hand side. He has plenty of support making their way into the box, but his final delivery is poor and is easily cut out at the front post by the opposition defence.

Fiorentina have been seeing plenty of the ball this half, with Napoli guilty of squandering possession rather cheaply. They are looking to build attacks from the back, but seem to be calling out for a recognized striker in the forward role.

SUBSTITUTION: The Viola make their first change of the match as Fernandez comes on for Pasqual.

Valero plays a wonderful ball over the top that picks out Tomovic, but his first touch is poor and allows the Napoli defence to clear the danger.

The second half has so far failed to live up to the excitement we witnessed in the first 45 minutes, with both teams much tighter at the back.

SUBSTITUTION: Napoli's captain Hamsik is making way, with Mertens coming on to replace him.

YELLOW CARD! Fernandez has only been on the pitch for a few minutes, but picks up a booking for a late challenge, that has given Napoli a free kick in a promising position.

The free kick is wasted by Napoli, as Mertens's cross fails to pick out any of his teammates in the middle.

At this stage of the game surely Montella is thinking about bringing on some more attack minded players. Obviously Rossi is the one man that the fans want to see, but he hasn't played in so long and they won't want him picking up an injury by being rushed back too quickly.

SUBSTITUTION: Napoli bring off Higuain and replace him with Pandev. He has looked tired, having suffered a bruised ankle against Inter Milan last weekend.

CHANCE! Fernandez comes close for Fiorentina as he powers in a strike from long range that is tipped over the bar by Reina.

SUBSTITUTION: The man that Fiorentina wanted to see is back on the pitch, as Rossi comes on to replace Joaquin.

CHANCE! It's almost a third goal for Napoli, as they break quickly with Pandev slipped in behind. He has just the keeper to beat, but sees his effort saved by Neto. What a big chance that was to wrap up the win!

The game has been reignited over the past few minutes, with Fiorentina starting to play with much more urgency. They have a good chance to get players into the box from a free kick, but Reina is out quickly to punch clear Valero's set piece and gets fouled in the process.

YELLOW CARD! Insigne is the latest player to be booked by the referee for an off the ball incident.

RED CARD! What a huge blow for Napoli. Inler picks up his second yellow card for a foul from behind on Ilicic and is sent off. Benitez will be furious with him as there was no need to make that challenge.

YELLOW CARD! The bookings continue to pile up as Reina is shown a yellow card for time wasting.

SUBSTITUTION: Napoli goalscorer Insigne comes off with Behrami taking his place.

SUBSTITUTION: Fiorentina make their final change of the match, with Matri coming on for Aquilani.

CHANCE! What a huge miss! Fiorentina break quickly with Matri leading the charge. He gets to the edge of the box and spots Ilicic in acres of space. The midfielder then takes a touch and gets it onto his left foot, before bending an effort wide of Reina's far post.

Matri has been involved in a couple of good moves since coming on and he comes close again when he is played the ball on the edge of the box, before turning and firing a strike wide of the post.

Fiorentina are throwing the ball into the box at every chance they get now, but the Napoli defence are holding firm. Fernandez then takes it upon himself to let fly from long range, but his effort is poor and ends up going well wide.

Callejon is down on the edge of his own box after a clash of heads with Vargas. We have also heard that there will be five minutes of stoppage time for Fiorentina to take this game to extra time.

It's surely all over now, as Mertens grabs Napoli's third goal of the evening. Callejon showed great awareness to pick out the Belgian in acres of space and he made no mistake with a composed finish past Neto.

Napoli have managed to hold on and win the fifth Coppa Italia in their history. A late red card made it a tough finish, but their defence held firm to ensure a trophy for Benitez in his first season at the club.

Fiorentina certainly played their part in what was an entertaining final. The first half was full of brilliant attacking football from both teams, but it is Napoli who will be celebrating this evening.

One plus side for Viola fans was the return from injury of Rossi, who has been out since January. He could not make a big impact on the pitch, but his hopes have been raised of making the Italian World Cup squad this summer.

An Italian international who did make a huge impression on tonight's game was Insigne, who scored twice in the first half. After the delayed start to the match, both teams delivered a fine display of what great football this country can offer.

That's all we've got time for here. Thank you for joining me for what has been a memorable cup final. Please stay with us at Sports Mole for all of the weekend's news and results, but from me, it's goodnight!