AC Milan, Bologna clash in Coppa Italia
Both aiming to end a long wait for Coppa Italia glory, AC Milan and Bologna will clash on Wednesday night, when this year’s final takes place at Stadio Olimpico.
The clubs met as recently as last week in Serie A, as Milan fought back to win 3-1 on home turf, but they now reconvene in Rome with silverware at stake.
In a curious precursor to the cup final, Milan met Bologna at San Siro for Serie A’s Friday night contest, and a comeback win helped the hosts draw within two points of their visitors in the standings.
While their opponents last lifted the Coppa Italia in 2003, Bologna have only done so twice before – most recently in 1974, when they beat Palermo on penalties.
After a run of 13 defeats and four draws against Milan in Serie A, Bologna finally broke that winless streak at Stadio Dall’Ara in February, but Friday’s loss at San Siro dented their dreams of successive Champions League appearances.
So, there could be several twists and turns in the ‘Eternal City’, where it might take extra time to split two teams that sit side-by-side in Serie A.
The Rossoneri are in better form than their Rossoblu rivals, and with their trophy-winning know-how, they can lift the Coppa Italia for just a second time this century.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Real Madrid to delay the title race as they host Mallorca
Real Madrid will attempt to keep the title race alive for at least an extra 24 hours when they welcome Mallorca to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday.
Los Blancos are seven points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona following Sunday’s 4-3 defeat in El Clasico, while the visitors head into matchday 36 in ninth position.
Real Madrid are on the verge of relinquishing their La Liga crown to their old foes Barcelona after their title hopes were effectively quashed by Sunday’s defeat at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys.
As a result, Los Blancos could hand the title to their rivals on Wednesday if they fail to beat Mallorca, while a win would at least keep their faint hopes alive for another 24 hours before Barcelona face Catalan rivals Espanyol on Thursday.
While the title may be slipping away, Real Madrid will still be keen to finish with a strong set of results in their final three games against Mallorca, Sevilla and Real Sociedad, as they look to deliver a fitting send-off to Carlo Ancelotti, who is set to depart to become Brazil’s new head coach, paving the way for Xabi Alonso to take over at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Real Madrid will want to delay Barcelona’s title win by at least 24 hours, and they will also be keen to produce a response following Sunday’s disappointing result in El Clasico.
Credit:sportsmole.co.uk
Valencia travel to Mendizorroza to face Alaves
Valencia will continue their quest for European qualification when they travel to Mendizorroza for Wednesday’s La Liga fixture against Alaves.
Meanwhile, the visitors are battling to preserve their top-flight status with just a point separating them from the bottom three. Alaves are hovering above the drop zone after winning eight, drawing 11 and losing 16 of their 35 La Liga matches this season.
El Glorioso carried a three-game unbeaten streak into Sunday’s meeting with fellow Basque side Athletic Bilbao after drawing with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid on either side of a narrow 1-0 victory against Real Sociedad.
The defeat has left Alaves just one point clear of 18th-placed Leganes, and they remain three points better off than Las Palmas with three games left to play against Valencia, Real Valladolid and Osasuna.
As they turn their focus to Wednesday’s home fixture, Alaves may be concerned by the fact that they have failed to score more than one goal in any of their previous 12 league matches since they netted two in October’s defeat to Real Valladolid.
The hosts will also take confidence from the fact that they have avoided defeat in each of their previous five home meetings with Valencia, including victories in their last two encounters at Mendizorroza.
The hosts remain without the services of defender Abdel Abqar, who has missed the last four matches with a hamstring injury.
Alaves boss Eduardo Coudet is hopeful that Kike Garcia will be ready for Wednesday after being left on the bench at the weekend due to an adductor issue.
Valencia will head into the midweek fixture in a confident mood after putting together a 10-game unbeaten run, and we think that they will extend that run by claiming a narrow victory over an Alaves side that have found goals hard to come by in their recent home games.
Credit: sportsmole.co.uk
Ancelotti ‘never had a problem’ with Real Madrid
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti says he has “never had a problem” with the club and does not want to “make a big deal” out of his impending departure for the Brazil national team.
The Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) confirmed the 65-year-old’s appointment as head coach on Monday but there has not been an official announcement from Real.
The Italian’s tenure with Brazil will begin on 26 May, the day after Real Madrid face Real Sociedad in their final match of the 2024-25 season.
Bayer Leverkusen manager, and former Spain and Real Madrid midfielder, Xabi Alonso is set to succeed him at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Commenting on Monday’s announcement, Ancelotti said: “If I didn’t have the press conference today, it would be fantastic. There are things I can’t explain right now because I’m at Madrid and I want to respect the shirt.
“From 26 May onwards, I’ll be Brazil’s coach. It’s a very important challenge, but I want to finish the final stretch of this fantastic adventure here well.
“I never had problems with Real and never will have problems with Real. It’s a club that lives dearly in my heart, but everything in life has a date to end.
“I couldn’t be Madrid coach for the rest of my life. It comes to an end for many reasons. The club may need a new impetus. I’m not making a big deal out of it.
“A thousand thanks to this club. And we’ll carry on. I’ll always be a Madrid fan. It’s the end of an era. Spectacular. I never thought I’d coach Madrid for six years, and now it’s happened.”
Credit: bbc.com
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