In a re-match of the 2004 Coppa Italia final, Lazio and Juventus will face off at the Stadio Olimpico, which also happens to be the home ground of the Biancocelesti. Eleven years ago, the match ended as a 4-2 aggregate win for the capital club, but this time around, there will be only one meeting after the format of Italy's domestic cup was changed to a one-legged final during the 2007/2008 season.
Both teams are arguably having one of their best seasons in recent times. The hosts will come into this clash on the cusp of securing Champions League football for the first time since the 2007/2008 campaign and could pip city rivals Roma to an automatic berth with a win in the Derby della Capitale this weekend. Stefano Pioli's men were an impressive eight-match unbeaten run in the league before seeing it snapped by Juventus, and since then have struggled to gain momentum although they powered past Sampdoria in last weekend's match.
A win against la Vecchia Signora would not only prevent Massimiliano Allegri's men from completing part two of what would be a historic treble, but also represent the second time the Aquile have lifted the Coppa Italia in the past two seasons. However, it will not be easy as Lazio do not have a good record when it comes to playing against the Scudetto champions.
The last time they defeated their opponents in all competitions was during the 2012/2013 Coppa Italia semi-finals second leg, in which a 2-1 score was enough to send them through 3-2 on aggregate and to win it all at the expense of the Giallorossi. And to make matters worse, Pioli has yet to defeat Allegri in their past nine meetings (including his spells with Chievo and Bologna), with a record of six losses and three draws.
Certainly, given this, Pioli and Lazio will hope that their home-field advantage will come through on Wednesday evening:
#Pioli:"Domani sera avremo un popolo che ci spingerà” #JuveLazio #FinaleTIMCup pic.twitter.com/bP1AdBydee
— SS Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio) May 19, 2015
"Tomorrow night we will have a crowd that will push us"
Bad precedent: Stefano Pioli will meet Massimiliano Allegri for the tenth time and has yet to find a way past the former Milan coach
For Allegri, winning the Coppa Italia with Juventus would be yet another perfect addition to what has been a solid debut season for the former Rossoneri tactician. Since winning it in 1995 after a 3-0 aggregagte win over Parma, the Bianconeri have not enjoyed any success in this tournament and whilst the team and Juve fans will certainly be already thinking about Berlin, first up on the menu is to take care of things in Rome:
.@OfficialAllegri: "Winning the #CoppaItalia would enable us to prepare for the #UCLfinal in the best way possible." #JuveLazio
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) May 19, 2015
Unfortunately for Juventus, the man that fired them into their first UCL final - Alvaro Morata - will be not available for this clash due to a ban. However, save for the Spaniard's absence, Allegri will have pretty much a full-strength squad available to selection, with the exception of suspended midfielder Claudio Marchisio. Pioli, on the other hand, will be concerned about the fitness of Lucas Biglia, who missed out on the clash with Sampdoria due to a knee problem.
Will Juve make it two for two as they seek to complete a domestic double en route to a potential treble? Or will Lazio secure a second Coppa Italia crown in two seasons to cap off what has been an impressive campaign to date?
Tune in to find out!
Team sheets for Juventus vs Lazio
Juve's lineup: Storari, Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Barzagli, Evra, Pogba, Pirlo, Vidal, Llorente, Tévez.
Lazio's lineup: Berisha, DeVrij, Gentiletti, Radu, Basta, Cataldi, Parolo, Lulic, Candreva, Klose, Anderson.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Follow the game on-the-go
Download our iOS and Android apps to follow soccer on-the-go. It comes packed with features - live scores, fixtures, results, tables, line-ups, stats, TV schedule and much more! Sorry, no live streaming within the app.
