Bologna head coach Vincenzo Italiano is prepared for an “emotional” Coppa Italia final against AC Milan as he aims to create history on Wednesday.
This will be Bologna’s second Coppa Italia final, previously reaching the final in 1974 against Palermo, when they won the title on penalties after a 1-1 draw in extra-time.
Since then, the club have won Serie B twice and Serie C, with their upcoming encounter at the Stadio Olimpico the biggest in Bologna’s recent history.
Bologna have scored 10 goals in the Coppa Italia this season, while the last edition of the tournament in which they scored more goals was in 1997-98 (11).
But Italiano’s team come into the final without a win in their last three matches (D2 L1), with their latest defeat coming against Milan in Serie A last weekend.
“We have great enthusiasm, that’s what has accompanied us on this cup journey,” Italiano said via TMW on his side’s chances of lifting the trophy.
“The Dall’Ara was packed for the second-leg semi-final, and we’ll have a lot of people supporting us in the final. We’ll try to play a great game.
“After 51 years, Bologna will play such an important game again. We will try to take another step towards history.
“We know we’ll face a team full of champions, but we want to play our chances.”
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This will be the 15th meeting between the two teams in the Coppa Italia. The Rossoneri lead with six wins to Bologna’s four, while four matches have ended in a draw.
Having won the Supercoppa Italiana, Milan are aiming to win two trophies in a single season for the first time since 2007-08, when they won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Italiano added that their league defeat to Milan was a valuable lesson, providing the team with a chance to learn and ensure they don’t repeat the same mistakes in the final.
“Milan have already lifted a trophy this season, Bologna haven’t done it in many years,” noted Italiano.
“Every match starts from zero, and we must not forget about Friday, when we switched off for 15 minutes.
“We need to play freely, light-heartedly, with joy and no regrets. We’ll try to be ready.”
This will not be Italiano’s first Coppa Italia final, having guided Fiorentina there in 2023, but they were beaten 2-1 by Inter.
However, this fixture comes with more emotion attached to it, with Bologna without a major honour since their last Coppa Italia success 51 years ago.
“It will be emotional. After so many years, we’ve managed to gift an important match to an entire city,” said Italiano.
“You can feel that there is great anticipation for the match in the city.
“Once the referee blows the whistle, we’ll have to think about the 30,000 Rossoblu animals, who will be just as hungry as we’ll try to bring this trophy home.
“I’m sorry they can’t be on the field with us.”
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