Inter Milan face Lazio for the second time in seven days, this time with the Coppa Italia trophy at stake at the Stadio Olimpico.
Cristian Chivu’s side are aiming to add the domestic cup to their Serie A title, having already wrapped up the league crown earlier this season. The Nerazzurri boast an impressive unbeaten run in their last nine meetings with Lazio, a record that will boost their confidence heading into Wednesday’s final.
Lazio team news
Lazio receive a major boost ahead of the final with the return of key players Mattia Zaccagni and Danilo Cataldi. Both missed the weekend’s Serie A defeat but have since resumed full training, putting them in contention for the starting lineup.
Defender Alessio Romagnoli is also eligible to play despite being sent off in Saturday’s league match, as his suspension does not apply to cup competitions.
However, manager Maurizio Sarri faces a goalkeeping crisis. First-choice goalkeeper Ivan Provedel is ruled out, meaning Edoardo Motta is expected to start between the posts in the biggest match of his career. Sarri will hope his returning stars can help reverse the team’s recent poor form against Milanese opponents.
Inter Milan team news
Inter arrive in high spirits after forward Marcus Thuram overcame a minor injury scare during Monday’s training session. The French international participated fully and is set to partner captain Lautaro Martinez in attack.
On the downside, midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu remains sidelined due to fitness issues. To compensate, Chivu plans to deploy a midfield trio of Nicolo Barella, Piotr Zielinski, and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
Form
Lazio head into the final looking to bounce back after dropping to ninth in Serie A with 51 points. They had shown a strong resurgence under Sarri in spring, losing just once in ten matches before their recent outing, including a 2-1 win over Cremonese. However, their momentum was halted by a 3-0 home defeat to Inter just days ago.
Inter, newly crowned Serie A champions, are in dominant form with 85 points at the top of the table. They are on a nine-match unbeaten streak across all competitions and most recently thrashed 10-man Lazio 3-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. The Nerazzurri have scored at least twice in seven consecutive fixtures, including wins over Parma.
Predicted lineups
Lazio: Motta; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Tavares; Basic, Patric, Taylor; Isaksen, Noslin, Zaccagni
Inter Milan: J. Martinez; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, L. Martinez