The Old Lady Sings Her First Ballad in Coppa Italia

Juventus vs Salernitana

Top dogs in the Italian top flight made their debut in the Round of 16 of the Coppa Italia, and surprisingly, some of them didn’t fare well against their Italian rivals. The last match before the Quarter-final will be against a fresh Juventus versus a battle-scarred Salernitana at Allianz Stadium.

There are three spots left in the Quarter-final and it’s already set in stone that there will be a newly crowned Coppa Italia champion after Bologna ended Inter’s title defence during their Round of16 bout.

Will Juventus follow suit and succumb to their Italian rivals in the round of 16, or will they dominate their adversaries just like in the top flight?

Talking Points

The real challenge for Granata starts with Juventus

Filippo Inzaghi’s outfit has been dominating in the Coppa Italia since the first round of the tournament! It seems like their luck, or lack thereof, in the Italian top flight doesn’t leave this inspired club shackled when playing in other competitions, as they bulldoze and dominate every adversary that came their way in the Coppa Italia thus far.

They breezed through Serie B outfit, Ternana, in the first round of the tournament, where they took control of the pace and leaned the game to their style of play. Antonio Candreva scored an early goal to give the Granata the lead, and they never looked back since then.

In the second round, they clashed with another Serie B outfit, Sampdoria. Salernitana, the hosts, gave their patrons one heck of a showcase by thumping the visitors 4-nil.

Now, Granata are keen on maintaining their form and produce strong Coppa Italia 2024 results moving forward, but their real challenge starts in the Round of 16, where they’ll face off against an adversary that’s proven to be one of the best clubs in Italy this season.

Salernitana reached the Round of 16 by sweeping Serie B clubs, which is no easy feat, in all honesty. But this will be the first time Filippo Inzaghi and his team will face a colossal team like Juventus in the tournament thus far.

Granata are hoping to be one of the teams who pulled off an upset against other top flight giants in the Round of 16.

Can the Old Lady get past a seasoned Salernitana?

Some of the clubs in the upper echelon of the Italian leagues have gotten byes and went straight to the Round of 16. Teams like Lazio, Fiorentina, Inter, Napoli, Atalanta, Roma, and Juventus are the said clubs to skip the first few rounds of the tournament.

Interestingly enough, two of the aforementioned Serie A outfits have fallen to the hands of their adversaries who clawed their way to the Round of 16 since the beginning of the tournament.

One of the fallen teams are the defending Coppa Italia champions, Inter Milan, who suffered a stunning come-from-behind loss against a marching Bologna squad, who scored both of their goals past minute 110 of the match.

Another giant who fell to their knees are the defending Serie A champions, Napoli, who were humbled with a 0-4 loss in front of their home crowd against an inspired Frosinone. The same club who lost four of their five matches in the top flight.

Should this trend be a concern for Juventus? Well, Juventus are known to be a levelheaded team, who always show composure and poise even amidst the toughest of circumstances. Their lead over Granata in the top flight is virtually out of the table, as these cup matches tend to be riddled with upsets.

This will be the first match for Juventus in the Coppa Italia this season, and unfortunately for them, they’ll face a battle-scarred Salernitana off the bat.

History

Since their promotion to the top flight in 2021, Salernitana have faced Juventus a total of just four times. Among them, the Old Lady won three, while Salernitana have yet to win a top flight match against their Italian rivals.

The closest Granata have gotten to a win over the Old Lady was during their Serie A bout back in 2022, where Granata led 0-2 by halftime. Unfortunately for them, Juventus refused to back down and were able to score twice in the second half to end the game in a 2-2 draw.

Betting Tip

This matchup will be a bout from opposite ends of the Serie A table, where Juventus are running away with the lead alongside Inter, while Salernitana are at the bottom of the standings in dire need to get some wins to avoid relegation.

With these statements alone, it is understandable why the odds are the way they are. Coppa Italia 2024 betting odds rightfully have Juventus as the heavy favourites at 1.28 while Salernitana are the obvious underdogs at 8.00.

Given the disparity in their forms in the top flight, it would be enticing to go with Juventus at 1.28, but I personally think that that price won’t get punters on the edge of their seats and make them excited for the game.

Also, this might not be as much as a lopsided match as many would think, as these cup matches are known to hold some of the most stunning upsets in the world of football. Historically, a handful of formidable teams succumb to underdogs, and it’s fair to give Salernitana the same benefit of the doubt.

Which is why my betting tip being total goals under 2.75 at 2.04. Massimiliano Allegri is well-known for his efficient and surgical brand of football. Juventus under Allegri aren’t the type to goal on a frenzy and score as much goals as possible, instead, they choose and wait for the perfect moment to charge for an attack.

They’ve won 13 of their last 18 matches in the top flight with scoring only 27 goals. This is an attestation to the brilliance of Allegri and his outfit.

 

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.