After the first leg in Florence saw Juventus win thanks to the unfortunate own goal of Lorenzo Venuti, Fiorentina will face Juventus in Turin for the second leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal. On Tuesday Inter Milan won 3-0 against AC Milan and reached their first Coppa Italia final since 2011. The winner of this second semifinal will play against Simone Inzaghi’s side in Rome on May 11. Massimiliano Allegri is chasing his fifth Coppa Italia as Juventus coach and he’s never lost in the finals of this competition as a manager. On the other hand Fiorentina have won the competition six times, but the last time was back in 2000-2001 under coach Roberto Mancini and they’ve reached the final only once since then, when they lost against Napoli in 2014.
Here’s what you need to know:
Viewing information
Date: Wednesday, Apr. 20 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Allianz Stadium — Turin, Italy
TV: CBS Sports Network | Live stream: Paramount+
Pregame coverage: 2:30 p.m. ET
Team news
Juventus: Dusan Vlahovic is the man everyone is waiting for in the second leg after he felt flat facing his former team in the first leg. This time he can count also support from the home fans. The Serbian striker is in a good form, scoring three goal in the last four Serie A matches and overall he’s scored seven goals since he joined his new club last January. Paulo Dybala is expected to start on the bench and will likely come in for the second half with Alvaro Morata likely to start alongside Vlahovic.
Fiorentina: Vincenzo Italiano’s team is definitely playing well, and has only lost one game in their last nine. The Viola are in the race for the Europa League spots this year which is a particularly impressive feet given that that Italiano was appointed in the summer after Rino Gattuso’s appointment was abruptly reversed after some internal discussions with the board. Even after losing Vlahovic in January, Fiorentina have kept their spirit and continued to impress, performing at a high level and playing with real intensity. Fiorentina lost key player Gaetano Castrovilli this week after the game against Venezia with tests revealing damage to his ACL, MCL and the lateral meniscus in his left knee. He’s likely to miss not only the rest of this season but also the majority of the next one as well.
Prediction
Juventus will push hard to reach the final and the Coppa Italia is the only opportunity they have this year to win a trophy. They can’t miss the opportunity. PICK: Juventus 1, Fiorentina 1
