The 2021 Coppa Italia final sees Atalanta take on Juventus, with both sides having contrasting seasons so far. The former has secured Champions League football for the third season running with a game to spare and currently sit second in the league. A win against AC Milan on the final day would see them secure their highest ever league finish and Gian Piero Gasperini has said that his side have already had a successful season regardless of the result in the final. Of course, the trophy would be an ‘icing on the cake’ in his words but they face tough competition from Andrea Pirlo’s Juventus, for whom the trophy could possibly cover up the cracks of this season.
With just one game to go, Juventus’ Champions League hopes are not in their own hands and they need one of Milan or Napoli to slip up in order for them to book their spot in Europe’s elite competition. Having won the league nine times in a row prior to this season, the Old Lady has suffered a stunning fall from grace and failure to qualify would possibly mean losing their star man Cristiano Ronaldo for next season. With everything to play for, our tactical analysis previews the fixture and this analysis seeks to identify the possible tactics of both sides ahead of the final.
Predicted lineups
Atalanta (3-4-1-2): Pierluigi Gollini, Rafael Tolói, Cristian Romero, Berat Djimsiti, Robin Gosens, Remo Freuler, Marten de Roon, Hans Hateboer, Matteo Pessina, Duván Zapata, Luis Muriel.
While Gasperini’s preferred formation has been the 3-4-2-1, we believe he would switch to the 3-4-1-2 for the final, considering that this was his formation of choice in both the league fixtures against Juventus this season. The 3-4-1-2 allows his side to press the Juventus center-backs more effectively and also has a central player behind the forwards in order to prevent Pirlo’s side from having a free man in midfield. Like the 3-4-2-1, the 3-4-1-2 also has natural diamonds in the formation and this emphasis on using diamonds in possession have become a trademark of Atalanta’s tactics.
