Fiorentina take on FC Internazionale at San Siro on Wednesday night as the Coppa Italia reaches the quarter-final stage. Ahead of the match, we’ve put together this list of five key facts on the clash to get you in the mood.
1. Fiorentina and Inter have faced off 11 times in the Coppa Italia, with the Viola leading the way so far with five wins, three draws and three defeats. Four of these games have taken place in Milan, where Fiorentina’s record reads one win, one draw and two defeats. Only one cup clash between Inter and Fiorentina to have taken place on neutral ground, in Piacenza on 28 September 1988, finished in a thrilling 4-3 win for Fiorentina thanks to goals from Stefano Borgonovo, a Roberto Baggio brace (one from the spot) and Luca Mattei. Fiorentina have scored 16 goals against Inter in the Coppa Italia, conceding 13.
2. The most significant Inter v Fiorentina clash in the Coppa Italia was undoubtedly the semi-final second leg at San Siro on 28 February 1996, when Claudio Ranieri’s team beat the Nerazzurri courtesy of a goal from Gabriel Omar Batistuta. The Viola had beaten Inter 3-1 in the first leg – with Batistuta grabbing a hat-trick. Fiorentina went on to beat Atalanta in the final to lift the cup.
3. Fiorentina and Inter have faced off in the Coppa Italia semi-finals on two other occasions. The first came in the 1965/66 season, taking place in Florence on 9 February 1966, with the Viola winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Kurt Hamrin and Mario Brugnera. The result was particularly impressive as Inter went on to finish the season as league champions. Fiorentina beat Serie B side Catanzaro 2-1 in the final in Rome, with Hamrin scoring in the first half and Mario Bertini bagging the winner from the penalty spot in the second half of extra time. The other semi-final meeting between Fiorentina and Inter was a two-legged affair in the 2009/10 season: Inter won the home leg 1-0 thanks to a Diego Milito goal, before securing their passage to the final with a 1-0 win in Florence courtesy of Samuel Eto’o.
4. The Coppa Italia quarter-final between Inter and Fiorentina on Wednesday will be a one-off match, just as it was in the quarter-final of 4 June 1967, when Inter won 1-0 at San Siro thanks to a goal from Sandro Mazzola. Six years before that, Inter and Fiorentina had faced off in the quarter-finals in Florence, with a Hamrin brace giving Fiorentina a 2-1 win.
5. William Barducci, who played for Fiorentina in the 1977/78 season, made his Viola debut away at Inter in the Coppa Italia on 14 May 1978, scoring a brace to help Fiorentina battle back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2. The match was part of a final group stage featuring Fiorentina, Inter, Monza and Torino. Barducci also scored in Fiorentina 2-0 win over Torino, but – curiously – didn’t make a single appearance for Fiorentina in the league or in the two UEFA cup clashes against Schalke that season.
Published: Tue, 28 Jan 2020 14:28:00 +0100
Source: Fiorentina Official website en.violachannel.tv