Juventus vs AC Milan (AGG: 1-1)
Allianz Stadium, Torino
Friday, 12-06-2020 @10pm
Ref: Daniele Orsato
Juventus will be hoping to reach a record 19th Copa Italia final when they host AC Milan on Friday night.
The Old Lady have the advantage going into the second leg after Cristiano Ronaldo’s penalty ensured they earned a vital away goal and a draw when the two sides first met in Milan back in February, before the Coronavirus set in.
Having won four consecutive Copa titles between 2015 and 2018, Juve relinquished their crown to Lazio last year, failing to even reach the final.
Juve have won the Cup a record 13 times while Milan have triumphed on only 5 occasions with the most recent coming in 2003 when they defeated Roma.
Milan have reached the final on 14 occasions and lost to Juve in both the 2016 and 2018 editions, the most recent they have negotiated past the last four.
Juve have been fairly inconsistent under Maurizio Sarri, having been embroiled in one of the closest Serie A title races in recent years.
The Bianconeri are also in an uncomfortable position in the Champions League, where they lost the Round of 16 first leg 2-1 against Lyon.
However, in the Cup, they have looked decent, beating Udinese and AS Roma rather comfortably en route to the semi-finals.
For Milan, it has been yet another frustrating season, wherein they have gone through another sub-par Serie A campaign.
The Rossoneri are currently seventh in the standings, having made slow progress under Stefano Pioli.
As far as the Coppa Italia is concerned, Milan have fared well, beating SPAL and Torino in their first two rounds before setting up a meeting with Juventus.
Juventus defender Merih Demiral remains sidelined with a cruciate ligament rupture, while veteran striker Gonzalo Higuain is also unlikely to feature. Otherwise, Sarri has a fully-fit squad to pick from, with Higuain’s Argentinian compatriot Paulo Dybala likely to lead the line alongside Ronaldo and Douglas Costa. Midfield duo Miralem Pjanic and Adrien Rabiot continue to be linked with moves away from Turin, and both players may be unlikely to feature from the opening whistle.
Milan will be unable to call upon Zlatan Ibrahimovic after he suffered an injury in training, but the striker was suspended for the fixture anyway. Theo Hernandez will also watch from the sidelines after his red card in the first leg, and the Frenchman will be joined by Samu Castillejo and Leo Duarte who are both set to miss out. Hernandez’s absence could open up a spot for Davide Calabria to deputise at left-back, with Andrea Conti occupying the right-back position for Milan.
Juve have won each of their last 7 home games against AC Milan in all competitions. In fact, the Rossoneri have never beaten the Bianconeri at the Allianz Stadium. Juventus are also unbeaten at home against AC Milan in the Coppa Italia since 1985, winning three of the six games (D3). Juventus have been drawing at half-time and winning at full-time in 5 of their last 6 home games in all competitions against AC Milan. Juventus have not been beaten in 10 of their last 11 Coppa Italia matches. AC Milan, on the other hand, have lost two of their last eight, falling at the same hurdle last season. If Juventus reach the final, they will extend their lead over the rest of Italy for most appearances in the showcase event, taking them to 19 finals appearances – two clear of next best AS Roma.
The other Copa Italia semi final return leg
Saturday, 13-06-2020 @10pm
Inter Milan vs Napoli (Agg: 0-1)
