Fiorentina-Inter is the final of the 2022-23 Coppa Italia and is played on Wednesday at 9 pm: likely formations, predictions, free-to-air TV and streaming.
An unprecedented final at the Stadio Olimpico. Fiorentina and Inter have never before clashed in the last act of the Coppa Italia. For the Viola, no longer accustomed to this kind of stage, it is undoubtedly a golden opportunity to return to the limelight and lift a trophy that has been missing in the Tuscan capital for a long, long time.
Exactly twenty-two years: it was still Vittorio Cecchi Gori’s Fiorentina and the 2000-01 Coppa Italia won against Parma-the sixth in its history-was the swan song before the very painful bankruptcy that forced the club to start again from the lower categories. For Vincenzo Italiano’s team, the cup also represents a pass to a Europe that this time will not come via the league. Fiorentina, with two days to go, is only ninth, a long way from European placings. Inter, on the other hand, is aiming for reconfirmation. Simone Inzaghi has a special feeling for this competition – he had already proved it with Lazio – and like last year he led the Nerazzurri to play for the final. The coach from Piacenza is dreaming of another magical night like the one against Juventus, beaten 4-2 in extra time at the end of a match of a thousand emotions. Unlike a year ago, however, something even more important and prestigious is on the horizon. Inter, in fact, after thirteen years has landed in the Champions League final thanks to a double success against in the semifinal against AC Milan. The season of Lautaro Martinez and his teammates will end on June 10 in Istanbul, where the Nerazzurri will attempt to overturn the odds against what is currently the strongest team in the world, Manchester City.
Equilibrium in previous Italian Cup matches
The Coppa Italia could thus turn into a tasty appetizer before the grand gala on Turkish soil, as well as being the second trophy of the season after the Supercoppa Italiana won in January in Saudi Arabia, again against Milan’s cousins.
Lautaro Martinez
Inter arrives in the capital in top form. And don’t deceive the defeat suffered in Napoli (3-1) on the last day of the championship, with Inzaghi who, in order to have fresh starters ahead of the match at the Olimpico, fielded an experimental lineup, reaping the first defeat after as many as eight consecutive victories among the various competitions. Fiorentina, which is returning to a Coppa Italia final for the first time since 2014, is coming off a draw (1-1) with Torino, a match between two teams that no longer have realistic goals in the league. Reason why even Italiano took advantage of this to give space to many second lines. Like Inter, the Viola will also have the honor (and the burden) of playing a European final. Last Thursday, a goal by Barak in the last minute of the second overtime allowed the lily-livered team to retake Basel and enter the last act of the Conference League. Fiorentina on June 7 in Prague against West Ham will have the opportunity to win its second European trophy after the 1960-61 Cup Winners’ Cup.
The eventual conference win, as well as the Coppa Italia win, would enable the Tuscans to secure a pass to the next Europa League. Balanced precedents meanwhile with Inter in the domestic cup: five wins on each side and three draws. Balance is also even in the two previous season’s ties. Inter came out on top in a thrilling 3-4 win in Florence, while the Viola took revenge by defeating San Siro 1-0 last April, taking advantage of the Nerazzurri’s moment of crisis.
The prediction
The assaultive Inter of recent weeks can only start as favorites. The differences, especially technical ones, are quite stark compared to outsider Fiorentina. But finals, you know, are capable of shortening any kind of gap, and a more balanced match than expected could come out, with the Viola trying to play their chances. The Viola by vocation is a team that does not give up offense, regardless of the value of the opponent in front of them. That is why there should be no shortage of goals on either side, as indeed has been the case in the last two previous fixtures. Even in the one at San Siro, won 1-0 by Fiorentina, Inter had countless chances, wasting them badly. The second half is likely to prove more eventful than the first half. The Nerazzurri should in any case avoid defeat in the 90 regulation matches.
The probable lineups of Fiorentina-Inter
- FIORENTINA (4-2-3-1): Terracciano; Dodò, Milenkovic, Ranieri, Biraghi; Amrabat, Castrovilli; Ikonè, Bonaventura, Gonzalez; Cabral.
- INTER (3-5-2): Handanovic; Darmian, Acerbi, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Dzeko.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1