Coppa Italia Final Preview: Lazio vs Inter – Team News, Lineups & Prediction

Stadio Olimpico forms the backdrop for the heavily anticipated 2025/26 Coppa Italia final as Lazio and Inter face off against each other for the second time in five days. Heavily fancied to complete a doubleheader sweep after winning last weekend’s Serie A meeting, the Nerazzurri head into this showdown with momentum firmly on their side.

Cristian Chivu’s high-flying side put 10-man Lazio to the sword on Saturday, cruising to a 3-0 victory at this venue to set themselves up perfectly for this title-deciding contest. However, with this being Lazio’s only route into European competition for next season, Maurizio Sarri’s men are likely to approach this fixture with a different mindset.

Nevertheless, the odds remain firmly stacked against the home side in a repeat of the 1999/2000 final, when the Biancocelesti came out on top over two legs. Keen to pick up the slack after Saturday’s demolition, Lazio can at least draw heart from their late-season resurgence, heading into proceedings having won six of their previous nine competitive outings (D2, L1).

Unfortunately for the seven-time Coppa Italia winners, Inter’s red-hot form puts them in a prime position to become only the second team after Juventus to win this competition at least ten times. Riding on a nine-game unbeaten run (W6, D3), the San Siro giants will be confident about securing their first domestic double since 2010.

Match Preview

Lazio’s Coppa Italia journey started with a gutsy 1-0 win over Inter’s arch-rivals Milan in the Round of 16. However, their route to the final has been anything but plain sailing. Indeed, they had to navigate dreaded penalty shootouts in both quarter-finals and semi-finals, overcoming Bologna and Atalanta by the skin of their teeth.

Teenage goalkeeper Edoardo Motta emerged as a new club hero in the semis, saving four penalties in the shootout to help Lazio reach the Coppa Italia showpiece for the first time since 2019. The Bianconcelesti beat Atalanta in that final, yet they’ll have to end a dreadful nine-game winless run against Inter if they’re to add a piece of silverware to their dusty trophy cabinet (D2, L7).

Furthermore, Lazio have failed to find the net in four of their last five meetings with the Nerazzurri, perhaps best illustrating the magnitude of the task ahead. Against this backdrop, a fast start could be on the cards here, given that six of Lazio’s last seven competitive games featured a goal inside the opening 30 minutes of play.

Inter got their Coppa Italia campaign off to a dream start, thumping second-tier Venezia 5-1 in the Round of 16. Chivu’s side then squeezed past Torino in the quarter-finals, with goals from Ange-Yoan Bonny and Andy Diouf propelling them to a tight 2-1 win in Turin. However, they had to dig deep to dump Como out in the semi-finals.

After a scoreless first-leg draw at the Sinigaglia Stadium, Inter fought back from a two-goal deficit to win 3-2 at San Siro, booking their first Coppa Italia final date since 2023. That victory forms part of Inter’s formidable run after the March international break, with the Nerazzurri winning six of their seven competitive matches in that sequence (D1).

With three of their last four wins being accompanied by a clean sheet, Chivu’s men will fancy their chances of keeping Lazio at bay once again. Moreover, the newly crowned Serie A champions have been firing on all cylinders lately, netting at least three goals in five of their last seven outings. Therefore, it’s no wonder they will travel to Rome in high spirits.

Team News

Despite being sent off on Saturday, Alessio Romagnoli will be at Sarri’s disposal on Wednesday. However, Lazio will be without first-choice goalkeeper Ivan Provedel and experienced midfielder Danilo Cataldi. After starting on the bench last weekend, Gustav Isaksen is likely to regain his place in the starting lineup, with Mattia Zaccagni and Tijjani Noslin expected to complement the attacking trident.

On the other hand, Inter boss Chivu will not be able to call upon star playmaker Hakan Calhanoglu and prodigious striker Francesco Pio Esposito. Piotr Zielinski has emerged as the likeliest candidate to fill the midfield void, while standout duo Marcus Thuram and Lautaro Martinez will lead the line.

Lazio vs Inter Potential Starting Lineups

Lazio (4-3-3): Motta; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Tavares; Basic, Patric, Taylor; Isaksen, Noslin, Zaccagni.

Inter (3-5-2): J. Martinez; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Dumfries, Barella, Zielinski, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, L. Martinez.

Lazio vs Inter Prediction

While it’s hard to expect Inter to replicate last weekend’s scoreline, the Nerazzurri are in far better shape than their underachieving rivals. Lazio’s win is not beyond the realm of possibility, but this is Inter’s final to lose.