It's not (just) a final of Coppa Italia. Milan-Bologna, in order, is a play-off for theEuropa League, a do or die that is worth a trophy and, last but not least, a breath of fresh air for the club coffers. The shiny Champions, of course, but those who reach the end of the Europa League still make a round figure: just think that the Lazio, with its quarters reached, has grossed approximately 30 million between UEFA and box office takings. The Rossoneri seek redemption, the Rossoblu seek to realize a dream after 51 years of waiting. Two hungry teams, two different paths, one goal.
Milan – Bologna (21pm, Channel 5)
On the one hand there is a Milan in search of redemption, on the other hand a Bologna who dreams big. Two teams on a collision course, separated in the league by just 2 points but united by the need to give meaning to the season. The Rossoneri, eighth, have raised their heads with three wins in a row, but remain bottled up in a crowded and treacherous European race. For them, this is the most important match of the year, the only one, perhaps, that can change the judgment on a season that has at times been opaque. Conceiçao dreams of lifting the second trophy in a few months after the Super Cup in January, thus sending a good message to the management, which has not yet decided whether to confirm him or turn the page. The pitch will have its say, but the future on the bench is far from certain. And the same goes for the desk: the casting for the new sporting director is in full swing, with D'Amico e Tare at the top of the list.
Among the names that have been circulated are also Giovanni Sartori, Bologna's market man... who however has no intention of leaving Emilia. Yes, Bologna. If Milan are looking for answers, the rossoblù are looking for history. The club hasn't lifted a trophy in 51 years (Coppa Italia 1974, won on penalties against Palermo at the Olimpico) and the enthusiasm in the city is sky-high. 30 people will go to Rome, including VIPs such as Gianni Morandi and Cesare Cremonini. The race for the Champions League, thanks to the two points collected in the last three games, has become more complicated, but the atmosphere remains magical: Saputo, the Canadian president, has invested almost 300 million in eleven years to transform Bologna into a solid and ambitious club. Now he wants to see the fruits of his efforts.
And in a game of international banks, this final is also a challenge between models: Cardinal (absent) on one hand, with the American Milan; Saputo on the other, with an Atalanta-style Bologna, capable of replace Thiago Motta with Italian (coincidentally, also followed by the Rossoneri) without batting an eyelid, indeed finding themselves in the running for a trophy. In the meantime, Rome is locking itself down. The Viminale has raised the level of attention: continuous cleanups inside and outside the stadium, checks in the pubs in the center and eyes fixed on the stations, where the fans will be escorted to the Olimpico. In the capital, between football and tennis (with the International in full swing), there is an air of a great event. The stakes, after all, are very high, but only one will be able to lift the Cup.
Conceiçao: “We want to give a trophy to the fans! Jovic or Gimenez? I won’t tell you…”
“This pressure is part of our history, we feel it every day and it is normal for a big club – he underlined Conceiçao -. We must only focus on the match, on what to do and how to face the opponent, it will be different from the league match. We will play in a stadium that gave me great satisfaction as a footballer, but those were different times. We will have to be at our best, against a team with great intensity. We will also need that attitude, remembering that every match is different: we have prepared well, we hope to have a good response. The latest results have been positive, the team has evolved individually and collectively. The first three months have been difficult, we live on results and getting one in the final would be very important. It would be a great pleasure to give a trophy to the fans in a difficult year, we have this in mind. There is great joy in facing this final, no fear but just normal adrenaline. Jovic or Gimenez? I won't say who plays, not even the players know it yet, they've all worked well and they also have doubts".
“There will be 30 of us, we want to play a great match”
“We will live the evening with great enthusiasm, like the one that has always accompanied us in the Cup – he explained Italian -. We will try to play a great game, we must be careful and we have the desire and will to play a good game. We will give the city an important night, what you experience in Bologna is inexplicable among flags, scarves and banners. You can feel it, you can sense the anticipation and it's a great emotion to have given the people this match. You have to think that we have 29.303 red and blue animals as hungry as us to try to bring home this trophy. We are 11, but we will feel them because they really want to be close to us. It will be my seventh final, playing them is nice because you get there with a path. Our presence here was not a given, we did something superlative. Three wins and three losses, I'm even. If my parents want to give me this gift... But it's already nice like this".
Milan – Bologna, probable formations
Milan (3-4-2-1): Maignan; Tomori, Cage, Pavlovic; Jimenez, Fofana, Reijnders, Hernandez; Pulisic, Leao; Jovic
On the bench: Sportiello, Torriani, Thiaw, Walker, Terracciano, Emerson Royal, Bartesaghi, Florenzi, Musah, Loftus-Cheek, Chukwueze, Joao Felix, Abraham, Gimenez
Coach: Conceicao
Unavailable: Bondo, Sottil
Disqualified: None
Bologna (4-2-3-1): Skorupski; Holm, Beukema, Lucumì, Miranda; Ferguson, Freuler; Orsolini, Odgaard, Ndoye; Dallinga
On the bench: Ravaglia, Bagnolini, Calabria, Casale, De Silvestri, Aebischer, Lykogiannis, Pobega, Moro, Fabbian, El Azzouzi, Dominguez, Cambiaghi, Castro
Coach: Italian
Unavailable: Pedrola, Erlic
Disqualified: None
