Di Coppa Italia semi-final second leg go hold tonight for Bergamo, as Atalanta BC and Lazio dey battle for one final ticket. After dem play 2-2 for di first leg for Rome last month, di two teams don return to New Balance Arena to settle who go meet Inter Milan for di final.
Atalanta wey dey under Raffaele Palladino, dem don reach Coppa Italia final three times for di last seven years but dem never win am. Dis season, dem don beat Juventus 3-0 for quarter-final and Genoa 4-0 for last-16 stage. But since dat first leg draw with Lazio, Atalanta don suffer Champions League exit to Bayern Munich and dem dey nine points behind Serie A top four after 1-1 draw with Roma last Saturday.
For Lazio side, Maurizio Sarri men dey pursue dia eighth Coppa Italia title. Dem don win dis cup seven years ago when dem beat Atalanta for final. Dis season, dem don eliminate cup holders Bologna for quarter-final on penalties and AC Milan for previous round. But Lazio only dey ninth for Serie A table and dem dey seven points behind Atalanta wey dey occupy last European place.
Team news dey show say Atalanta get almost full squad available. Isak Hien and Kamaldeen Sulemana don return from injury, while Giorgio Scalvini and Sead Kolasinac suppose overcome knocks wey dem carry from Roma match. For attack, Palladino go likely use either Nikola Krstovic or Gianluca Scamacca as striker.
Lazio dey miss key midfielder Nicolo Rovella and goalkeepers Ivan Provedel and Alessio Furlanetto. Mario Gila and Daniel Maldini don return to squad but Maldini no fully fit yet. For attack, either Boulaye Dia or Tijjani Noslin go start, with Petar Ratkov as outsider option.
Form guide dey show say Atalanta Coppa Italia form na W W D, while dia all competitions form na D L W W L D. Lazio own Coppa Italia form na W W D and all competitions form na W W W D L W.
Di first leg match for Olimpico Stadium don see four second-half goals. Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Boulaye Dia put Lazio ahead two times, but Mario Pasalic and Yunus Musah equalize for Atalanta. Since dat match, Lazio don shock Napoli 2-0 for away game last week – di first team to beat Napoli for dia home ground dis season.
Atalanta only lose three of dia 17 home games for Serie A dis season, but dem win just one of dia last four matches for New Balance Arena. Lazio get better away form recently, with dat Napoli victory as highlight.
For betting market, some experts dey tip Lazio to qualify for dia first Coppa Italia final since 2016/17 season. Matteo Cancellieri wey score against Napoli last week dey expected to play key role for Lazio attack. Di 24-year-old forward get four goals and six assists for 29 club appearances dis season.
Both teams get motivation to win dis match. Atalanta see Coppa Italia as dia best chance to qualify for Europa League, while Lazio need di cup to return to European competition after missing out last season. Di match go likely see end-to-end action like di first leg, with both teams having quality to score at crucial moments.
Referee and officials don arrive stadium, players don finish warming up, and fans don full di stands. Di atmosphere dey electric as kickoff time dey approach. Dis na di fourth meeting between di two teams dis season – after October goalless draw for Bergamo, Lazio 2-0 loss for Rome, and di first leg 2-2 draw.
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