Supercoppa Italiana | Juventus vs AC Milan

Can Anyone Break Juventus' Dominance In The Coppa Italia?

Can Anyone Break Juventus' Dominance In The Coppa Italia?

Juventus have made an art of winning league doubles in Italy. Can anyone stop them this year in the Coppa Italia?

Jan 6, 2019 by Chloe Beresford
Can Anyone Break Juventus' Dominance In The Coppa Italia?

Many Italian teams have tried – and failed – to break the dominance of Juventus in the Coppa Italia over the last four years. Upon the arrival of Massimiliano Allegri in Turin the current winning run in the competition began, the boss having lifted the trophy in each and every season he has filled the Bianconeri hot seat. 

Before that it had been 20 years since Juve had last won the Coppa Italia, the period since 1995 seeing all of Fiorentina, Lazio, Parma, Vicenza, AC Milan, Inter, AS Roma, and Napoli enjoy a taste of success. 

This season’s preliminary rounds have all been completed, and as we move into the final stages, there’s one simple question: Can anyone usurp Juventus from their Coppa Italia throne? 

A look at the draw reveals that Juve will face one of the following sides in the semifinal should they get past Bologna on January 12: Fiorentina, Torino, Roma, Virtus Entella, Atalanta, or Cagliari.

Should the Old Lady get through the semis, they’ll face one of these sides in the other half of the draw in the final, to be held on May 15 in Rome: AC Milan, Sampdoria, Napoli, Sassuolo, Lazio, Novara, Inter, or Benevento.

For argument’s sake, let’s go with the favorites and say that Juve would face Fiorentina, Roma Torino, or Atalanta in the semifinals, and should they come through that challenge they would go up against Milan, Napoli, Lazio, or Inter. 

We know already that Torino have a very poor record versus their cross-city rivals in derby encounters, which leaves Atalanta – who are adept at challenging bigger teams but were knocked out by Juve over two legs last season – Fiorentina, and Roma. 

The latter pair arguably have the best chance of overcoming the Bianconeri. While Fiorentina more often than not raise their game versus their most hated rivals, Roma have a good record in knockout competitions so far under Eusebio Di Francesco, reaching the Champions League semifinal last term. 

The power of Juventus – especially with Cristiano Ronaldo now on board – simply cannot be underestimated, and it would not be a surprise to see the hot favorites reach the final for the fifth season in a row. Their opponents will likely be one of Milan, Napoli, Lazio, or Inter, but not all of these teams would be strong enough to see them off. 

Lazio have twice been beaten by Juve in the final during the past four years, the 2016-17 edition one of the most one-sided 2-0 victories ever seen. Simone Inzaghi’s men are simply too far away in terms of quality from being able to challenge their Turin-based adversaries during a one-off match, a factor that discounts them here. Milan have also been twice runners-up in the last four years, but they have pushed Juve much harder than the aforementioned Lazio and did manage to triumph in the Supercoppa Italiana between the two in December 2016. Let’s include them as a candidate. 

Inter have at times proved that they can match Juve in some excellent spells with their talented squad. However, they have also clearly demonstrated they lack the consistency to be likely to put a sustained cup run together and then go on to beat Juventus in the final. 

If anyone can properly challenge the all-powerful Bianconeri, it’s Napoli. Now under the tutelage of experienced boss Carlo Ancelotti, the Partenopei are in prime position to mark their excellent form in recent years with something tangible. The veteran coach is renowned for his ability in cup competitions, having won the Champions League on three separate occasions and indeed won the Coppa Italia with his Milan side in 2002-03. 

Yet what this year’s edition will ultimately come down to is whether Juve are going to put the same amount of energy into winning it as they did before. Still unbeaten and holding a nine-point lead over Napoli at the Serie A winter break, it is clear that Allegri’s men are a real cut above the rest. It might just be that the domestic cup competition will be an unwelcome distraction when their stated aim is to win the Champions League for the first time since 1996, but in order to decide we must simply wait and see. 


Chloe Beresford specializes in Serie A for a number of outlets and can be found on Twitter and on Facebook via her page CalcioByChloe.