Italiano on brink of fourth final in three seasons

The Rossoblu are on the verge of a historic achievement. They have not reached the final of the Coppa Italia since 1974. In the intervening decades, their appearances in finals have been limited to now-defunct competitions such as the Intertoto Cup - in 1998 and 2002, and to play-offs for promotion, relegation, or European qualification across Serie A and B.

For Bologna, reaching the final would be the end of a 50-year drought. For Italiano, it would simply be business as usual. The Italian manager is on the cusp of yet another final—his fourth since 2023.

He arrived at Bologna last summer after guiding Fiorentina to three finals in just two seasons—though he lost every one of them. Italiano has become a near-guarantee of reaching the final stage, though silverware has so far eluded him.

This year, he'll be determined to shake off that reputation—assuming Empoli don't produce a miracle comeback. The likely final opponents? The winners of Inter vs Milan.

Back in the 2022/23 season, Italiano's Fiorentina faced Inter in the Coppa Italia final but fell to a 2-1 defeat. That same season, the Viola also reached the final of the UEFA Conference League, only to lose 2-1 once again—this time to West Ham, courtesy of a last-gasp Jarrod Bowen strike in the 90th minute.

Undeterred, Italiano led Fiorentina to yet another European final the following campaign. But heartbreak followed once more. Olympiacos, managed by Jose Luis Mendilibar, claimed the Conference League crown with a 1-0 win in extra time, El Kaabi scoring the decisive goal.

Now at Bologna, Italiano finds himself once again within touching distance of a major final. This time, he'll be desperate to not just reach it—but to finally win it.