Coppa Italia: Bologna’s first Final in 51 years, Milan aim to win after 22 years

Bologna have reached their first Coppa Italia Final since 1974 and will face a Milan side trying to win the trophy after 22 years.

The Final will be hosted on neutral turf at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on May 14.

It is going to be a one-off fixture, to be decided after 90 minutes, extra time or even a penalty shoot-out if required.

The winners of the Coppa Italia also get automatic qualification for the Europa League, if they are not already in a major UEFA tournament.

Both Milan and Bologna will also play in the Supercoppa Italiana Final Four, along with Inter and Napoli.

Road to the Coppa Italia Final

Bologna already knew it would take something remarkable for them to miss out after winning the first leg 3-0 away to Empoli, so they finished off the job at the Stadio Dall’Ara this evening with a 2-1 victory.

They have reached the Final twice before and won the trophy on both occasions, beating Torino in 1970 (after a competition format rather than a one-off final) and Palermo in 1974.

Milan have a surprisingly poor record in the Coppa Italia, winning the tournament on five occasions and losing nine finals.

Their victories were in 1967, 1972, 1973, 1977 and 2003, while the most recent Final was in 2018, where they lost 4-0 to Juventus.

This will be the first time that Milan and Bologna have met in the Coppa Italia Final.

Curiously, Bologna and Milan are set to face off in Serie A on the weekend of May 10-11, so a few days before the May 14 clash.