Another edition of the Derby della Madonnina plus a reunion between bitter foes Juventus and Fiorentina. No, it's not another matchday in Serie A, but rather the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals. Calcio fans will surely be spoiled for choice over the course of 48 hours, with the Milan-Inter tie taking place on Tuesday, March 1st followed by Fiorentina vs. Juventus 24 hours later.
Here's all you need to know ahead of these two highly-anticipated matches.
Preview: Milan vs Inter
Both Milan and Inter come into this match having experienced some very frustrating results last weekend. The Rossoneri were held to a 1-1 draw with Udinese, despite initially going 1-0 up, while the Nerazzurri fired blanks in a dull scoreless stalemate with relegation-threatened Genoa. As things stand, the two sides sit in second and third respectively, with Napoli taking advantage of both teams' draws to move back on top of the table.
However, there will be little time to rue dropped points as another installment of the Derby della Madonnina is on the cards. Inter will be seeking their first win against Milan of the season, as they drew the first meeting and lost the second, as the Nerazzurri look to make it a double of the Coppa Italia and the Scudetto for the first time since 2010. Milan, for their part, haven't won the Coppa in nearly two decades (since 2003) and are hoping to finally end that frustrating run by knocking their city rivals out of the competition.
Inter's form has been quite concerning as of late. The reigning Scudetto champs have won just one of their last five league games, and overall, one of their last six. While they do have a vital game in hand that could help them leapfrog both Napoli and Milan, their poor form - which also coincides with Lautaro Martinez's ongoing goal drought - will be a major source of concern for fans as they look to get to their first Coppa Italia final in over a decade.
Milan, by contrast, have had a slightly better run, albeit draws with the likes of Salernitana certainly will have felt more like two points dropped than one point won. Still, they'll hope to try to make it a third Derby della Madonnina sans defeat to put themselves in good stead for the second leg that will be played next month.
Team news: Milan vs Inter
Milan: Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains out with an Achilles issue, so won't be able to play against his former side. In addition, Sandro Tonali misses out due to suspension, while Simon Kjaer is a long-term absentee following a knee injury.
Inter: Joaquin Correra has made progress in his recovery from injury, but won't be fit to feature until possibly later this month. However, new signing Robin Gosens could be involved here after finally recovering from a hamstring issue.
Match facts: Milan vs Inter
- Inter have won seven Coppas, with their last taking place in 2011
- Meanwhile, Milan have won the trophy on five occasions, with their last win being in 2003
- This will be the 26th Derby della Madonnina contested at this stage
- Milan have lost just two of their last 18 home games played at the Stadio San Siro
- H2H in this competition: Milan have won ten, Inter eight (seven draws)
- Stefano Pioli's record vs Inter: W6 D5 L10
- Simone Inzaghi's record vs Milan: W4 D5 L7
- Pioli vs Inzaghi H2H: W4 D3 L6
Where to watch Milan vs Inter live on March 1, 2022
Milan vs Inter kick off at 12:00 PST/15:00 EST/20:00 GMT/21:00 CET
USA: CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
UK: Mediaset Infinity, Canale 5
Italy: Premier Sports 1, Premier Player HD
Live elsewhere? Here's where you can watch Milan vs Inter live from your current location:
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Preview: Fiorentina vs Juventus
Fiorentina will come face to face with their talismanic striker for the first time when the Viola welcome Juventus for the first leg of their semi-finals clash on Wednesday evening. It will certainly be a tough game for Dusan Vlahovic, who earned the ire of the Viola supporters (and was reportedly even harassed by some extreme fans) with his January move to bitter rivals Juventus, but the 22-year-old Serbian international will be fully focused on helping his team make it to what would be their 21st Coppa Italia final.
Given that Juventus are in fourth spot, seven points behind league leaders Napoli, the Scudetto looks highly unlikely for Massimiliano Allegri's side. Their Champions League dreams hang in the balance following a one-all draw with Villarreal in the round of 16 first leg, so the Coppa Italia, which Juventus have won more times than any other team, could realistically represent their sole chance at winning a trophy this season.
The Bianconeri are unbeaten in their last 10 games across all comps, but of major concern will be their inability to keep a clean sheet. They come into this match having battled to a 3-2 win over Empoli last weekend, but will still fancy their chances when taking on Empoli's Tuscan rivals Fiorentina, who, despite winning two of their last five in the league, have not been in top form since the start of the current year.
Indeed, Fiorentina, who are currently under the leadership of Vincenzo Italiano, have earned ten points from their last seven games, and have indeed been struggling for results since their star striker left for Juventus. Ironically, Vlahovic was part of the team that battled to a surprise 5-2 win over Napoli as it was his goal that opened the scoring late in the first half. Fiorentina come into this match having seeing their two game winning streak snapped as a result of a disappointing loss to Sassuolo, and Gigliati fans will hope that the home side will be able to shake that off as they hope to make it to their first final since 2014.
Vlahovic has already scored for his new side in this competition, netting alongside Paulo Dybala for Juventus to dump Sassuolo out of the tournament and book their spot at this juncture. Many eyes will be on him to see if he'll be able to do the same - except this time, against his former team.
Team news: Fiorentina vs Juventus
Fiorentina: Fiorentina will only be missing Lucas Martinez due to suspension.
Juventus: The Bianconeri are still missing quite a few players, including Denis Zakaria (Thigh injury), Paulo Dybala (Thigh injury), Alex Sandro (Calf injury), Weston McKennie (Foot fracture), Federico Chiesa (Knee injury), Kaio Jorge (Knee injury)
Match facts: Fiorentina vs Juventus
- Juventus are the most successful side in the Coppa Italia, with 14 wins so far
- Fiorentina, meanwhile, have won it on six occasions, with the last win taking place in 2001
- Fiorentina actually have a strong home record against Juventus in the Coppa Italia, with just one loss from their last eight meetings (W4 D3)
- Overall, the head to head record is Fiorentina (six wins), Juventus (four wins), and four draws
- Current Viola boss Vincenzo Italiano has never beaten Juventus (P3 L3)
- Massimiliano Allegri's record vs Fiorentina: W13 D4 L7
Where to watch Fiorentina vs Juventus live on March 2, 2022
Fiorentina vs Juventus kick off at 12:00 PST/15:00 EST/20:00 GMT/21:00 CET
USA: CBS Sports Network, Paramount+
UK: Premier Sports 1, Premier Player HD
Italy: Mediaset Infinity, Canale 5
Live elsewhere? Here's where you can watch Fiorentina vs Juventus live from your current location:
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
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