Juventus vs Atalanta; Coppa Italia Semi-Final
Juventus vs Atalanta. Coppa Italia Semi-Final.
Juventus StadiumAttendance38,417.
Juventus v Atalanta preview: Advantage Juventus ahead of Coppa Italia semi-final second-leg tie
Wednesday 28 February 2018 19:28, UK
Juventus hold a 1-0 advantage over Atalanta ahead of their Coppa Italia semi-final second leg tie on Wednesday live on Sky Sports.
Gonzalo Higuain's third-minute goal at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia a few weeks ago has given the current cup holders the lead on aggregate, with the winner facing either Lazio or AC Milan in the final.
The two were supposed to meet in Serie A on Sunday, but the game at the Allianz Stadium in Turin was called off due to heavy snow.
Juventus head into the Coppa Italia clash on a 17-game unbeaten run in all competitions, and will be aiming to make their fourth successive final - winning the last three - which is an incentive for manager Massimiliano Allegri.
"The Italian Cup for us is a big goal, first of all because in the modern era there has not been a team that has won the national cup four years in a row and this year us, along with PSG and Barcelona, have the chance," he said.
"Tomorrow is an important goal as if it were a final and we need to be focused on that."
First leg goalscorer Higuain has not recovered from injury in time to feature, while Mattia De Sciglio, Juan Cuadrado and Federico Bernardeschi are also sidelined.
Gianluigi Buffon will start in goal, while Paulo Dybala and Claudio Marchisio could start to pick up more minutes on the field.
Atalanta are winless in their last four games in all competitions, including a Europa League exit to Borussia Dortmund, which they will be aiming to put behind them on Wednesday.
Luca Rizzo and Andrea Petagna are sidelined with injury, while the rest of the squad should be available for selection.