Prediction: Atalanta vs Lazio

Verdict: Atalanta win.

Best odds: 7/4

Bookmaker: Bet365

Even though Atalanta are the nominal home side for this season’s Coppa Italia final, it will be Lazio who will be welcoming the team from Bergamo as the venue that will host the event is the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

The Serie A simply won’t leave the hands of Juventus and no Italian sides are left in any of the European competitions, so this is practically the last trophy still up for grabs for them.

Atalanta

Gian Piero Gasperini’s team have been on terrific form recently. Their fantastic string of results in the Serie A, four wins and a draw in their last five league games, has gotten them within reach of next season’s Champions League with two rounds remaining. They sit fourth on 65 points, and four more would be enough to mathematically seal their appearance in the group stages of UEFA’s elite club competition next season.

As for the cup, they routinely got past Cagliari in the round of 16 before humiliating champions Juventus by beating them 3-0 in the quarterfinals. The semis saw them stand against Fiorentina over two legs, where they drew 3-3 in Florence and won 2-1 in Bergamo.

Team News

Gasperini will be missing defender Rafael Toloi through injury, but forward Papu Gomez, and defenders Andrea Masiello and Gianluca Mancini are all available again, having been suspended for the win over Genoa on Saturday.

Lazio

Simone Inzaghi in the Lazio dugout and his men are eighth in the league at the moment with 58 points, and they have a faint hope of qualifying for the Europa League next season through the league.

Their road to the Coppa final has been arguably easier than that of Atalanta, though still not to be sneezed at. They eliminated Serie C1 – A side Novara in the round of 16, though then they faced both Milan teams as they they drew 1-1 against Inter over 120 minutes and beat them on penalties before taking out AC Milan in the semis by winning 1-0 on aggregate.

Team News

Sergej Milinković-Savić is on the way back from injury, and Inzaghi is hoping to have the Serbian midfielder at his disposal. Goalkeeper Thomas Strakosha and defenders Patric and Jordan Lukaku are all ruled out, as well as midfielder Valon Berisha.

Conclusion

Some may be expecting a fiery encounter between two charged up sides, but given that this is a cup final, a game where a goal may be enough to determine the owner of the trophy, a cautious approach from both sides is more likely, at least at the start.

But given everything the two sides have shown over the course of the season, it is to be expected that Atalanta will come out on top.

Verdict: Atalanta win.

Best odds: 7/4

Bookmaker: Bet365