Football Bet of the Day: Turin giants to move towards glory

Italian football's back with a bang, as two of the country's most famous clubs do battle in the Coppa Italia. Kevin Hatchard's backing Juventus to overpower a depleted Milan.

Juve to clinch final spot

Juventus v Milan
Friday 12 June, 20:00
Live on BT Sport

It never helps to have a man sent off in the first minute of the second half, but that was the fate that befell Aves on their way to a 2-0 defeat at Tondela last night. We move swiftly on.

There's a glamorous return for Italian football tonight, as powerhouses of calcio Juventus and Milan lock horns in the second leg of the Coppa Italia. The first leg ended 1-1, so the tie is delicately balanced.

Juventus have already had experience of playing a big game behind closed doors this season, as they beat title rivals Inter 2-0 in early March. That was their seventh consecutive home win in all competitions, and they kept five clean sheets across that sequence.

It's difficult to know precisely what physical and mental shape Juventus might be in tonight, but reports suggest star performer Cristiano Ronaldo is in peak condition and is raring to go, and he'll face a Milan side that is missing key players.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Theo Hernandez and Samu Castillejo are all suspended, so the improving Ante Rebic is likely to be an important part of the attack. The Croatian took a while to settle after his move from Eintracht Frankfurt, but he has scored in four of his last five appearances.

Milan weren't in great form going into the enforced suspension of the season. Stefano Pioli's team had won just one of their last six games, and they have had some sobering defeats. They lost the derby 4-2 to Inter, they were hammered 5-0 at Atalanta, and they also lost at Juventus and Roma.

Without Zlatan to inspire them, it's hard to see Milan reaching the final here. I'll back Juventus -1.0 on the Asian Handicap at [2.03].