Italy - Coppa Italia Final - 29 May

[ultravires]

[bozz]

Re: Italy - Coppa Italia Final - 29 May Any team news, injuries, lineups ? Has Rossi signed for another club or is he sticking with Palermo ? I know his contract runs out in June.

[ultravires]

Re: Italy - Coppa Italia Final - 29 May I think we are in for an exciting match here. Thinking back to the two league games the first finished 2-1 to Inter but I don't remember anything about that match. The second was absolutely mental. Palermo could have been 4-0 up at HT but instead were only 2-0 up. They then missed a penalty and proceeded to implode losing 3-2. This is a final and therefore a totally different match but I'd say there is certainly a tendency towards goals when these two play. It's an equally huge match for the two teams as it is their only possible piece of silverware and obviously the best possible way to finish the season. Inter have the more pressure but Palermo have their mental owner Zampa who has said he'll help 20 needy families in Palermo if they win - god knows what he is saying to them behind closed doors. There are a couple of slight variations but I am fairly certain this is how Inter will line-up: ................Cesar Naga - Lucio - Rannochia - Chivu ..Zanetti - Motta - Stankovic .............Sneijder ..Milito/Pazz - Eto'o It's a pretty standard formation for them of late. I don't expect Samuel to be given a starting place given his recovery. The D is temperamental and requires Lucio to have a blinding game to avoid chaos at the back. He isn't the most reliable of late. These players do have high levels of play available to them but they have also displayed very slack skills plenty of times this season. The midfield has played quite a large part in the team's defensive frailties. Motta is simply not a disciplined or skilled enough holder. Zanetti and Deki are good players and can move the ball nicely but only Zanetti is an adept defender and Deki's legs aren't what they used to be. As a unit they aren't formidable defensively. Sneijder making the cut is such a boost. Kharja/Coutinho (or god-forbid Pandev) cannot dream of matching his levels as the link to attack. He may not be 100% but I'd certainly play him. He has stated on Twitter that he is ready for the match so I'd say that is the green light. A genuine WC player on his day and with him Inter's attacking potential is vastly increased. Up top I'd go with Pazza and Eto'o as Milito hasn't been himself this season. He is a big-time player though so may get the nod as Pazz has shown great impact off the bench. Eto'o will enjoy having Sneijder back as he can concentrate more on putting the finishing touches to moves as opposed to starting them. Palermo come in with little to lose as the 'dogs for this match. It strikes me as their kind of situation though as they are capable of beating any team in Serie A on their day but are hounded by inconsistency over a season. Here's how they should line up: .................Sirigu Cassani - Munoz - Goian - Balzaretti ....Nocerino - Liverani - Migliaccio .......Pastore - X .........Miccoli - X Ilicic (with Pastore) or Pinilla/Hernandez (with Miccoli) Personally I'd drop Ilicic because he has been poor of late and go with two up top to hassle Inter's D more. I see the two situations (Illicic starting or not) as pretty equal because they do tend to favour playing two behind one leading the line. The D is an absolute joke and they can be comical at times. They don't possess a quality holder, and as with Inter, rely on a collective 3 to cover all the grass with no player specialising in anything. Their attackers are capable of carving sides apart. They can be isolated as a 3 that lack support from the midfield, particularly if they are under heavy pressure. I expect Inter will see more of the ball and Palermo will be limited to their counter game, which I imagine they'll be more than happy with. Palermo have a very diverse attack and I would go with Pastore behind Miccoli and Hernandez. The latter has blistering pace and only Nagatomo could stay with him. That is something I'd look to exploit. With Bovo missing I find it hard to see how Inter wont score to be honest. I see Inter having the greater possession and Palermo having to mount quick-counters which I do see being fruitful. 1X2 is too unpredictable for me as neither side have shown enough consistency. I do see goals though: Over 2.5/3 goals - 1.925 - 6 points - bet365

[ultravires]

Re: Italy - Coppa Italia Final - 29 May

Any team news, injuries, lineups ? Has Rossi signed for another club or is he sticking with Palermo ? I know his contract runs out in June.

I've indicated what I'm pretty sure will be the line-ups. The team news thus far is: Inter - Suspended - Maicon // Injured - Cambiasso Palermo - Suspended - Bacinovic, Bovo. Rossi is probably going to leave so this may well be his last game in charge of the team.

[ultravires]

Re: Italy - Coppa Italia Final - 29 May Rannochia was a doubt with flu symptoms yesterday but will likely make it. I don't fancy Samuel to make 90 minutes so it is quite important that he does make it. For Palermo I'm now more sure that both Pastore and Ilicic will play behind one striker - who I think will be Hernandez for his pace. Having the two AM's behind 1 striker will help the team build meaningful attacks as I guess one AM could get crowded out. Doesn't look like Acquah will make it so Liverani should be expected to play. FORZA PALERMO!

[ultravires]

Re: Italy - Coppa Italia Final - 29 May Shame about Inter winning this one, but at least it finished with 4 goals. I was losing faith pretty rapidly at one point as Palermo couldn't score despite what they attempted. Certainly got a slice of fortune as the third goal came from a non-existent corner and Milito tapped in the 4th. Having said that if Palermo were able to put the finishing touch on their match last night they could have bagged a couple themselves. It's a real shame they couldn't win because I think this team may have it's best parts ripped out of it this Summer. Anyway, almost 6 points profit so a nice way to end the domestic season.

[MPLouis]

Re: Italy - Coppa Italia Final - 29 May From what I saw, it was a great game, with Inter getting an early lead, then Palermo pressing for most of the game and looking increasing dangerous in the second half, but Inter deadly on the counter with Eto'o in top form.