Inter Milan vs Juventus
A place in the Coppa Italia final is up for grabs as Inter Milan and Juventus meet in the return leg of their evenly-poised semi-final tie.
The first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-final was a tense affair that saw two goals and three red cards beyond the 80th minute. Despite initially falling behind, defending champions Inter Milan managed to come back and draw 1-1 against Juventus. Simone Inzaghi’s men are now hoping to avoid a semi-final exit for the third time in four years. Ahead of the crucial second leg, ‘I Nerazzurri’ strolled to a 3-0 victory over Empoli in Serie A’s highly competitive top-six. However, their upcoming schedule poses a challenge, including league matches against Lazio and Roma, as well as a Champions League semi-final against AC Milan. Despite this, they cannot afford to overlook this fixture, especially after going winless in their last four home outings in all competitions (D1, L3).
Interestingly, one of those matches that Inter failed to win was a 1-0 loss to none other than Juventus. The Old Lady has experienced a sudden reversal of fortunes lately. But, while their recent move back into the top four of Serie A after the acquittal of their points deduction was cause for celebration, the visitors’ joy was short-lived. Massimiliano Allegri’s men were defeated 1-0 by runaway leaders Napoli courtesy of Giacomo Raspadori’s stoppage-time winner in a game that saw two Juve goals disallowed. Having won the Coppa Italia a record 14 times, Juventus have reached the final in seven of the past eight seasons. However, ‘I Bianconeri’ must find a way to overcome their recent struggles on the road (D1, L2) if they’re to extend their three-game winning streak in Coppa Italia away matches.