The Inter, beaten 2-1 at home in the first leg, is forced to come back on Tuesday (4:45 pm in Chile) in Turin, in the semi-final second leg of the Italian Cup, to deprive Juventus of a seventh final in ten years.
For the meeting this Tuesday, both Alexis Sánchez and Arturo Vidal are suspended due to accumulation of cards.
In the other semi-final, on Wednesday in Bergamo, the picture is wide open between Atalanta and the defending champion Naples, after the 0-0 first leg at the Diego Maradona stadium.
For their trip to Turin, Inter can count on the power of Romelu Lukaku and the quality of Achraf Hakimi on the right wing. Both missed the first leg due to suspension.
The Nerazzurri’s mission does not seem easy against a Juventus that is very solid in the championship after the setback against Inter itself (2-0) on January 17. The Bianconeri have achieved six victories (counting all competitions) and have conceded one goal since then – the one scored by Lautaro Martínez in the first leg of the semifinals.
Juventus coach Andrea Pirlo, who expects a real “battle”, does not exclude the return to the squad of Paulo Dybala, absent since January 10 due to a sprained left knee.
In case of qualification, Juventus (13 Italian Cups in their record), will play their seventh final in ten years.
For Napoli, keeping the trophy they won last year against the Bianconeri does not seem the priority at the moment.
After falling 2-1 to Genoa on Saturday in the championship, Neapolitan coach Gennaro Gattusso recalled that the goal of the season was to finish in the Top-4 to return to the Champions League.
“The Italian Cup gave us satisfaction last year, but returning to the Champions League is the priority,” said the coach, who has a tough test against Juventus in Serie A. on Saturday.
On the other hand, the Cup is a dream for Atalanta, since it is the only trophy in their record after winning the 1963 edition. Raising it would allow them to crown the current great period with Gian Piero Gasperini at the helm. Landed in 2016, the coach has taken the ‘Dea’ to unprecedented heights in Italy and Europe, but has not yet achieved a title.
