Italiano: ‘Emotional’ Coppa Italia Final for Bologna | OneFootball

Bologna coach Vincenzo Italiano says tomorrow’s Coppa Italia Final against Milan will be ’emotional’ and urges his players to think about their fans: ‘I’m sorry they can’t be on the field with us.’

Italiano spoke at a press conference on the eve of the Coppa Italia Final against Milan. It will be played tomorrow, Wednesday, May 14, at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

“We have great enthusiasm, that’s what has accompanied us on this cup journey,” Italiano said via TMW.

“The Dall’Ara was packed for the second-leg semifinal, and tomorrow we’ll have a lot of people supporting us. We’ll try to play a great game. After 51 years, Bologna will play such an important game again. We will try to take another step towards history. We know we’ll face a team full of champions, but we want to play our chances.”

Milan and Bologna already met on Friday, but the Rossoblu lost 3-1 at San Siro.

“Milan have already lifted a trophy this season, Bologna haven’t done it in many years,” noted Italiano.

“Every match starts from zero and we must not forget about Friday when we switched off for 15 minutes. We need to play freely, lightheartedly, with joy and no regrets. We’ll try to be ready.”

Will Santiago Castro start in attack?

“The pain in his foot seems gone, but the problem is that he hasn’t played the full 90 minutes for two months,” Italiano said.

“I don’t know how much he can contribute from the start, but I know what he can offer as a substitute. I want to think carefully, as we can’t afford mistakes. Ndoye, Holm, and Odgaard are back, and we’ll need to manage that, too.”

Circa 30,000 Bologna fans have bought tickets for the game.

MILAN, ITALY – MAY 09: Nikola Moro of Bologna passes the ball whilst under pressure from Tijjani Reijnders of AC Milan during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Bologna at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 09, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

“It will be emotional. After so many years, we’ve managed to gift an important match to an entire city,” said Italiano.

“You can feel that there is great anticipation for the match in the city. Once the referee blows the whistle, we’ll have to think about the 30,000 Rossoblu animals, who will be just as hungry as we’ll try to bring this trophy home. I’m sorry they can’t be on the field with us.”

Italiano already reached the Coppa Italia Final with Fiorentina in 2023.

“This is my seventh Final, and just getting here is already an outstanding achievement. It’s terrific to play finals,” he concluded.

“Our presence here was not expected; we’ve done something extraordinary. You play finals to win, but just getting here gives satisfaction. I’ve won and lost three. I see the boys’ eyes, and I can see they are preparing for the game and the affection from the fans. We want to give them something to cheer about.”