Copa d’ Italia final
The Serie A has already been decided, the Coppa Italia not yet. On Wednesday in the final of the Italian Cup, Fiorentina will face Inter Milan, in the Italian capital at Olimpico Roma. Inter beat Juve in the semi-finals, Fiorentina against Cremonese.
Holders Inter Milan face six-time champions Fiorentina in Wednesday's Coppa Italia final at the Stadio Olimpico in a bid to win the second game of the treble. Inter, who lifted their eighth domestic cup last year and have already lifted the Supercoppa Italia this season, are on the verge of a place in the Champions League while the Viola are also preparing for a European final and a 22- want to end a year-long dry spell in the Italian cup.
Fiorentina have long been overshadowed by the side from the second city, but lately the Tuscan club have started to close the gap - thanks to the influence of coach Vincenzo Italiano. The former Spezia coach was only brought in when Gennaro Gattuso's signing went awry, but since his arrival in summer 2021 Fiorentina have played spectacular football - albeit intermittently - and are now two games away from a double trophy. Like Inter, Fiorentina reached a continental semi-final last week , beating Basel in extra time and meeting West Ham United in Prague next month in the Europa Conference League.
Are you new to our Betandyou blog? Well, check out our promotions!
Can Fiorentina end the dry spell?
After victories against Cremona, Torino and Sampdoria, the Italian coach's side have reached the Coppa Italia final and could go down in history if Wednesday's game goes in their favor - even if the Serie A campaign has been quite a disappointment. After being plagued by inconsistency for much of the season, Fiorentina won nine games out of ten ahead of the semi-finals against the Cremonese, who had already eliminated Roma and Napoli, but after drawing 1-1 with Torino in the last round they are not even to be found in the upper half of the table. In the cup competitions, it's all or nothing if they are to end the quest for their first trophy since Roberto Mancini's Coppa win against Parma in 2001.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, is more unpredictable, because while Inzaghi rarely deviates from his preferred 3-5-2 formation, Vincenzo Italiano prefers to tinker. Several key players were sidelined in Sunday's draw against Torino, leaving Sofyan Amrabat, captain Cristiano Biraghi and top scorer Arthur Cabral among the players set to return to the Viola's starting XI mid-week. Giacomo Bonaventura returns from Serie A suspension and will play in midfield , while Salvatore Sirigu has ended his season with an Achilles tendon injury and will only watch from the sidelines.
Inter are the Cup specialists
Inter not only eliminated city rivals in the semi-finals of Europe's premier club competition, but also knocked out old rivals Juventus from the Coppa Italia when the two Calcio giants met last month. Having beaten Juve in the final 12 months ago and won the Supercoppa against Milan in January, the Nerazzurri are undeniably cup specialists under the stewardship of Simone Inzaghiare; Parma and Atalanta were also defeated on the way to Rome that year. Inter may have suffered their twelfth defeat in a mixed Serie A season as they lost 3-1 to new champions Napoli on Sunday, but their previous eight-game winning streak in all competitions means they are still on course the top four . It's quite a reversal for Inzaghi, who was still fending off questions about his future at San Siro ahead of this series: when his team lost 1-0 to Fiorentina in early April, it was the first time Inter had played in six years Serie A lost three times in a row.
After a disappointing season in Serie A, there is still a lot of pressure on coach Inzaghi. But with victories in Rome and Istanbul, where the Nerazzurri meet Man City, his name could become engraved in club history, much like that of Jose Mourinho, who won the treble in 2010. Inter are one of three Serie A teams set to take part in European finals in the near future, and hopes the result recalls the 4-3 win last October, when Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored the last-second winner in Florence, rather than the narrow defeat on home soil. Inter were unbeaten in their last 11 league games against the Violets before ex-Milan Giacomo Bonaventura scored the decisive second-half goal in their last meeting at the San Siro.
With Inter's winning streak coming to an end in Napoli, Simone Inzaghi will field a squad similar to that seen in last week's win against Milan. Joaquin Correa and Romelu Lukaku are likely to be replaced by Lautaro Martinez and Edin Dzeko, while several other regulars return to the starting XI. Only the long-term absentees Milan Skriniar (back) and Henrikh Mkhitaryan (thigh) are out through injury, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan missing in midfield to be compensated by Marcelo Brozovic. Captain Samir Handanovic is expected to be in goal - replacing Andre Onana, who will play in the Champions League final instead. Handanovic started the semi-final first leg against Juventus but was then suspended for the second leg after being sent off after the final whistle.
Fiorentina - Inter: What to expect?
Even factoring in the second team's defeat at the weekend, Inter have won seven of their last eight games - 23-6 on aggregate. Fiorentina also looks to be reaching its peak at the right time, but at the sold-out Olimpico it will be difficult to keep that firepower in check and the Nerazzurri can complete the second part of their hopefully successful trophy trilogy. We rely on a tip 2 and under 2.5 goals.
- Inter to win
- Under 2.5
* All odds and markets are correct at time of publication and subject to change.