It will be a final with the wind in the Cup, but we are not referring to the ponentino, the sweet summer breeze that caresses Rome on mild or warm nights. Tonight at the Olimpico, strong air currents will blow along the wings, Milan-Bologna promises to be a game driven by the flanks. Pulisic and Leao for Milan and Orsolini and Ndoye for Bologna will put wings on the Coppa Italia. Four wingers with pace and technique, players who move fast and create turbulence in the opponent's half.
For the Rossoneri, Christian Pulisic on the right, Rafa Leao on the left. The clean and quick foot of the American, the power and talent of the Portuguese. In the league, Pulisic is second in the assist standings, having served nine, one less than Lukaku who tops the chart, and one more than Nuno Tavares (Lazio), Bellanova (Atalanta), Nico Paz (Como), and Rafa Leao himself. In the current Serie A, Milan has collected 17 assists from its attacking wingers, 9 plus 8. That's a lot, and there is no lack of reciprocity between the two, one assist from Leao to Pulisic and vice versa, from winger to winger, a combination that gives every coach thrills of delight. Even though he is inconsistent and at times irritating in his ups and downs, Leao is indispensable. More or less all of Milan's big victories have coincided with big performances from Leao. Ten days ago, in Genoa, his bursts allowed the Devil to come back from a goal down and beat Genoa. The latest example in a long series. It is probable that Leao will find Davide Calabria in front of him, as it seems Vincenzo Italiano intends to field the former Milan captain as right back and not Holm. Leao and Calabria know each other well, who knows how many times they faced off in training games at Milanello, but they have very different physical structures. Calabria knows everything about Leao and vice versa. A good part of the match will pass through this almost fratricidal confrontation.
Pulisic on the right will, as always, do a different job compared to Leao. The American tends to cut inside because he is a bit of a winger and a bit of an attacking midfielder, he does not disdain the central corridors, whereas Leao uses the monorail of the left wing. Not only assists, Pulisic is Milan's top scorer of 2024-25, with 17 goals in all competitions. Leao, with 12, is third behind Reijnders (15), and these figures tell us how Milan has a center-forward problem. None among Abraham, Gimenez, or Jovic has been able to permanently claim the central striker position, and it's strange because the supply, both from the sides and through the middle, is not lacking.
For the Rossoblù
Fifth in the league's scoring chart with 13 goals, like Lukaku, and one less than Marcus Thuram, Riccardo Orsolini is a healthy carrier of the "orsolata," a codified and recognizable move. Orsolini shifts from right to center, to cut inside onto his left foot, his preferred foot, and fire a shot that is sometimes curled and sometimes not, depending on the situation. The last to fall into the Bear-trap was Pavlovic on Friday, in Milan-Bologna (3-1) in the league, a rehearsal of tonight's final. It would be sensational if the Serbian defender were to fall again into the mistake of underestimation like last week. Every swerve from Orsolini, even many meters from goal, must be faced with maximum attention. Orsolini, this season, sank Inter, with the last-second goal at the Dall’Ara on Easter Sunday, a goal that could cost Inzaghi's team the Scudetto. Today he could complete the work against the Milan teams. On the left, his counterpart should be Dan Ndoye, a Swiss player who is rather unpleasant to face, as seen against Italy in the round of 16 of Euro 2024, with the Azzurri beaten 2-0.
Italiano, in yesterday's final training, alternated him with Cambiaghi and it's not even ruled out that at the last moment the profile of Dominguez might appear. Like Orsolini, Ndoye has already struck Milan this season. It happened at the end of February in the rescheduled match postponed in autumn, his was the decisive goal, the 2-1 victory, a match in which Leao had scored for Milan. This season, across all competitions, Ndoye has 8 goals and Orsolini 15, a total of 23. Orsolini, like Leao at Milan, is the team's top scorer.
The power of these two finalists lies on the wings, although there are alternatives. From the bench, watch out for other combinations, for example the impact of substitutions. Sergio Conceicao has adjusted or overturned many games with his changes: Joao Felix, Gimenez, Abraham, and Chukwueze can change results, as can Castro, Fabbian, Dominguez, and Cambiaghi for Bologna.
It is an open final. Milan has more quality players, Bologna plays better football. Milan to save their season, Bologna to protect themselves in case of missing out on the Champions League: this final is worth almost a Scudetto, even if whoever wins will have to settle for the Europa League, as relayed via La Gazzetta dello Sport.
