The Coppa Italia final is set kickoff on Wednesday – between league leaders Juventus, and 6th place Napoli. Here is a breakdown of both the team’s performances and what they need to hoist the championship trophy.
The first semi-final’s second leg ended with a 0-0 draw. Juventus were very dominant and controlled the game through its entirety, but could not manage a single goal. Ronaldo who came the closest with a penalty hit the left post and was denied his 26th goal for the season (all competitions). Juventus had the ball in Milan’s half for most of their possession but looked unthreatening in the attacking third.
Before quarantine, Juve’s biggest weakness was their midfield who were considered a slow passing team and moved the ball around too slowly. The same thing happened again in the semi-final, although Juve’s midfield did start strong. Juve also looked very weak from set-pieces, and all their crosses from open play and corners were very rarely met by a Juventus player, usually not even clearing the first Milan defender.
On the bright side, their defense looked in great shape, and it should not be a concern for them. For Juve to lift the trophy, they will have to be more attacking and test the keeper in the attacking third. They will also have to utilize Ronaldo’s threat in the air and give him chances to head the ball.
Napoli who have reached the final, have shown their potential to be a threatening team. In their semi-final, they were always on the backfoot but were able to hold down the fort and not let Inter score more than one. However, their offense was not really getting many chances, and they were constantly losing the ball in the midfield and in the attacking third, leaving them susceptible to counter-attacks.
Napoli needs to test Juve’s defense and at least control a good share of possession, or Juve will easily dominate. The team also needs to utilize the speed of Politano, and give Insigne and Mertens more chances in the opposition half.
Juventus are favorites with a +102 odds, compared to Napoli’s +245. However, this game will definitely be interesting to watch, especially with Serie A to begin just a few days after.
Photo: JuveFC
