Coppa Italia: Viola’s Passion Will Test the Old Lady

Fiorentina vs Juventus

Juventus are on their way to Florence on Wednesday for a Coppa Italia first leg clash with Fiorentina and their hosts are sure to put up a fierce fight.

Juve are at SBOTOP odds of 1.38 to progress to the final with I Viola at 3.17 and, with Inter and AC Milan battling it out in the other semi, the final is guaranteed to be a blockbuster. The two teams last met in November when a goal from ex Viola player Juan Cuadrado gave I Bianconeri a 1-0 win. And that is a common theme for the home fans who have seen more of their players leave for the serial Scudetto winners.

And that factor will all add to an electric atmosphere on the night. 

Talking Points

Vlahovic can expect a hot reception  

He isn’t the first player to swap the purple of Fiorentina for the Black and White of Juventus, but Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic is the latest Viola favourite to make the switch. Last year it was Italy star Federico Chiesa who moved from Florence to Turin before starring for the Azzurri at their Euro 2020 triumph. And of course Cuadrado is an ex Fiorentina favourite.

Viola fans are not amused and will give Vlahovic, and Cuadrado, if he features, a hostile welcome. Since moving to Juventus, for a reported fee of 75m Euros in January, Vlahovic has scored four goals in six games to take him to 20 for the season, and now he’s at the head of the race for the Capocannoniere, one goal ahead of Lazio’s Ciro Immobile.   

The Coppa Italia 2022 highlights will be worth watching to see how the 22 year old Vlahovic responds in this white hot atmosphere. He seems to have a cool head on young shoulders as the man tasked with filling the gap left by Cristiano Ronaldo. He scored within a minute of his start when I Bianconeri drew 1-1 with Villarreal in the Champions League, and he bagged a goal on his Serie A debut against Hellas Verona as well as the winner in Juve’s Coppa Italia win over Sassuolo. 

Head coach Max Allegri has a long injury list including Chiesa, Paulo Dybala and centre back Giorginio Chiellini.  Matthijs de Ligt will marshal the Juve defence and pose an attacking threat at set pieces, he scored in a recent 1-1 draw against Torino. With the Milan clubs fighting it out in the other semi-final the Coppa Italia 2022 betting odds are backing the Old Lady to retain the title and De Ligt, as well as Vlahovic, will be key players if they do. 

Viola’s Home Comforts

The fans at the Stadio Artemio Franchi will raise the roof for their heroes when they face Juventus, and the crowd has played the role of the 12^th man pretty well this season as Fiorentina have won eight of their 12 home games, and their solid home form has left them in eighth place and well in contention for a Europa League place. A 2-1 defeat to Sassuolo last time out put an end to a run of three consecutive wins but head coach Vicenzo Italiano will have little work to do to get his team pumped up. He has a natural leader in defence in the form of Italy star Cristiano Biraghi, while Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira on loan from Arsenal has added some quality to the midfield, and Krzysztof Piatek, on loan from Hertha Berlin, already has three goals in the competition.

This is a collection of new heroes who can help the fans forget the players who have left the club.  

History

Since the first Coppa Italia in 1922 the competition has been open to clubs of the top two tiers and four teams from Serie C. Juventus are the record holders with 14 Coppa Italia wins and six runners up places. I Bianconeri has won five of the last seven, including the 2021 final in which they beat Atalanta 2-1.

Fiorentina are six times winners, the last time in 2001 and were runners up for the fourth time in 2014, losing that final to Napoli.

In terms of recent form both teams have won three from the last six, though Fiorentina have lost two and drawn one while Juventus are unbeaten in their last nine games and four away from home. 

And Fiorentina’s last home win against Juve came in 2017. 

Betting Tip

All three results are in play, with the hosts at 3.05 to win this leg, the draw at 3.15 and I Bianconeri at 2.31 to win on the night. This is a fascinating tie with the sub plot of the ex Viola players making it a tasty affair, and I expect the home fans to roar their team onto a positive first leg result.

 

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